BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
1) Course Objectives (official course taught by the instructor) Ability to critically analyze, use, and evaluate the English language at an advanced level, with a specific focus on the characteristics of international legal communication, including from a translational perspective.
Target exit level: C2.
2) Instrumental Objectives By the end of the course, students will also have acquired, deepened, and refined their practical competence in all four communicative skills at C2 level of the CEFR for English. To achieve this, attending the dedicated Language Learning Activities (AAL), while not formally mandatory, is essential.
Course Prerequisites
Pre-requisites: C1+ level of English (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - CEFR).
Preliminary Requirements: For students enrolled in the Degree Program inLMCCI, passing the exam in Lingua Inglese LM I is mandatory before taking this exam.
Teaching Methods
1) Regarding disciplinary skills (official course taught by the instructor): Teaching will be delivered through face-to-face lectures in English. Sessions may include empirical work and group discussions. All links and materials used during the course will be gradually made available on the Moodle e-learning platform.
2) Regarding instrumental skills (language labs/AAL): Please refer to the section of the university website dedicated to the Language Center by selecting English – LLCS: https://www.unibg.it/studiare/frequentare/apprendimento-linguistico/inglese/inglese-llcs
Students will also have access to tutoring services: https://cla.unibg.it/it/apprendimento-lingue/servizi-studenti/servizio-tutoring
Assessment Methods
The exam is divided into 2 parts:
1) Computer test (must be passed before taking the oral exam): exercises (General English; level= proficiency, C2, focusing on Reading comprehension and Use of English) + a translation section (multiple choice) (from Italian into English). A mock test is available on Moodle. Should the length of the test be modified, the students will be informed in advance and the number of questions will be adapted accordingly. A minimum average score of 60% is required to access the oral component (it is not necessary to score at least 60% in every section, as long as the overall average reaches 60%). Each correct answer awards 1 point; incorrect answers score 0 points. No penalties are applied for incorrect responses.
2) Oral exam: discussion of the contents of the textbook and the materials provided (see Moodle). Brief translation (approximately 4/5 lines) of a legal text from Italian into English (Erasmus students do not have to do the translation task). In addition to contents, the evaluation of the oral exam will also take into account the candidate’s linguistic competence as far as lexis, grammar, phonology and pragmatics are concerned. More specifically, evaluations will fall into 5 bands: A: Excellent (30 e lode): excellent knowledge of course contents. Presentation is accurate, correct, and appropriate. B: Very good (30-27): very good knowledge of course contents. Presentation without any relevant mistakes. C: Good (26-24): good knowledge of course contents. Presentation is mostly correct. D: Sufficient (23-18): acceptable knowledge of course contents. Occasional mistakes are made. E: Insufficient (less than 18): knowledge of course contents is partial and superficial; presentation is hampered by numerous mistakes.
The computer-based test counts for one-third (33.3%) of the final grade. The oral exam counts for two-thirds (66.6%) of the final grade. As such, the entire exam will be conducted in English, provided students pass the C2-level computer-based test with at least 60% correct answers.
Contents
1) Course Content (official course taught by the instructor) English Legal Discourse. The course explores the language of law and its evolution in the English-speaking world and in international contexts.
2) Instrumental Content (language labs/AAL) The content of the CEFR C2-level language labs (AAL) is available on the university’s Language Center webpage by selecting English – LLCS: https://www.unibg.it/studiare/frequentare/apprendimento-linguistico/inglese/inglese-llcs
Online Resources
More information
The list of required readings for the official course includes titles that are essential for exam preparation, both for attending and non-attending students. The list is available within this same syllabus under the section “Online Resources – Leganto – Exam Texts.”
All materials uploaded to Moodle are compulsory for all students.
The Main Textbook is: English for Law – A toolkit for discourse and genre-based approaches to ESP language. For classroom or self-study use. Giappichelli, 2022 — by Girolamo Tessuto.
Erasmus students are kindly asked to contact the instructor at the beginning of the course.
Attendance of the AAL (Language Learning Activities) is strongly recommended. See https://www.unibg.it/studia-noi/ti-aiutiamo/apprendimento-linguistico/inglese/inglese-llcs