2021-22
Degree Course in Intercultural and Interlinguistic Mediation
English Language 1

Professor Paola Baseotto

CFU SSD Lessons Practice Language Lab Year
Language
10 L-LIN12 60 60 English

Teaching objectives and expected learning outcomes
The course aims to provide theoretical knowledge and applied skills appropriate to Upper-Intermediate level English (level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference). These skills will be taught in a wide ranging context with particular attention to the acquisition of communication skills appropriate to professional life.

Entry requirements
The required entry level for the first year of Mediation is B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference.
If their linguistic abilities are insufficient (i.e., below B1), students will follow guided independent learning sessions in the language laboratory until the required level is reached.

Course contents and programme
The course will be devoted to the analysis of the morphology, syntax, and vocabulary of Upper Intermediate English (level B2). Particular attention will be given to Business English and the development of oral and written production and comprehension skills. The course will examine the relationship between linguistic structures and the socio-cultural conventions of contemporary English, as well as the specific vocabulary required for the role of linguistic-cultural mediator.
Practical lessons and guided independent study in the language laboratory are essential elements of the course. In accordance with the agreement between Insubria University and Cambridge ESOL (official certifying body and signatory of agreements with the Ministry for Instruction, University and Research) exam sessions will be organised within the University for students wishing to sit for Cambridge certificates.

Teaching activity
Face to face teaching is integrated with supported independent study through multimedia resources and guided online activities. Students will be able to use personalised study programmes which are accessible in the language laboratory and, in part, through remote access.

Teaching activity in detail: a total of 60 hours of face to face teaching, consolidation and development of skills through guided independent learning in the language laboratory (the number of hours varies according to individual requirements and starting level), practice in the classroom (oral interaction and guidance and instruction for written composition), complementary activities carried out via the e-learning platform.

Texts and teaching materials
Compulsory reading
P. Dummett, H. Stephenson and L. Lansford, Keynote Upper Intermediate with DVD-ROM, National Geographic Learning, ISBN 1305399137

Dictionaries
Cambridge Essential English Dictionary, Cambridge University Press
Longman Dizionario Compatto, Pearson Longman
Picchi – Hoepli dictionaries
Grammar
R. Murphy, English Grammar in Use Fourth edition with Answers, (Intermediate to Upper Intermediate), Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-18939-2.

Learning Assessment

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the first year, knowledge of the English language will be equivalent to B2. Students’ learning will be regularly assessed during the year. Students who have an official certificate of English Language at B2 level or higher, awarded by certifying bodies recognised by MUR, will be exempted from the written exam and can proceed directly to the oral test.

The final exam involves a written exam and an oral exam with marks out of 30.

WRITTEN EXAM (use of dictionary not permitted)
- reading comprehension (questions based on a written text)
- cloze test/gap-filling: (insertion of lexical and/or grammatical elements in the empty spaces in a written text)
- listening comprehension (questions based on an audio passage)
- composition of a brief text in English (email, letter, report or memo) based on a provided outline which includes description of the task, contextualising in