BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
1) Disciplinary Objectives (official course taught by prof. Consonni)
To acquire metalinguistic knowledge in terms of abilities to understand, analyse and produce a number of textual and communicative genres found in a variety of contexts that operate within and across cultures.
2) Instrumental Objectives (language practice lessons/AAL)
By the end of the course, students will also have acquired, consolidated and improved their instrumental competence in the four communicative skills at the B2 level of the CEFR. To this end, attending the dedicated language practice lessons (AAL) is highly recommended (although not formally mandatory).
Course Prerequisites
B1 level of English - Threshold (Common European Framework). For students enrolled in the Modern languages and literatures BA course: in order to take this exam you must have earned the 9 CFUs from the first-year English language exam.
Teaching Methods
1) Disciplinary competences (official course taught by prof. Consonni):
The course will be based on lectures, but special attention will be given to debate and students will be encouraged to suggest individual topics for further analysis and/or proposals for collective debate.
2) Instrumental competences (language practice sessions/AAL):
Please consult the University Language Centre website, selecting English – LLCS: https://www.unibg.it/studiare/frequentare/apprendimento-linguistico/inglese/inglese-llcs
Assessment Methods
The exam consists of two parts:
1) a computer-based B2 General English test, assessing listening, reading, vocabulary, morphosyntactic skills, and use of English. The result of the computer-based test will be published in the days immediately following the written exam session. Students already in possession of language certificates recognized by the Student Office are exempt from this test.
2) an oral exam in English (accessible only after passing the computer-based test with at least 60% correct answers): discussion of the course content. The oral exam must be taken within 18 months of passing the written test.
Assessment criteria
The final evaluation will consider the degree to which the knowledge and competences outlined in the course have been acquired, with particular attention to linguistic accuracy (lexical, morphosyntactic, pragmatic, and phonological), terminological precision, appropriateness in relation to the assigned task, and mastery of tools for linguistic analysis and reflection. Final grades, based on the written and oral exams, are expressed in thirtieths according to the following scale:
Evaluation grid (out of 30):
- Excellent (30 with honours): Full competences, applied with precision and autonomy. No errors.
- Very Good (30–27): Solid competences, correctly applied. Minor and non-recurring errors.
- Good (26–24): Adequate competences, with some inaccuracies. Errors are not serious or systematic.
- Sufficient (23–18): Basic competences, with evident errors but sufficient overall comprehension.
- Insufficient (<18): Incomplete competences, numerous errors that compromise the exam outcome.
Contents
1) Disciplinary Content (official course taught by prof. Consonni)
The course focuses on the use and functions of English in a variety of contemporary intercultural contexts. It aims in particular to illustrate and analyse the main linguistic, textual, ideological, semiotic and communicative aspects of today’s social discourse, in order to identify models, stereotypes and cultural dynamics of various kinds; students will be provided with critical tools to understand the complexities of language and intercultural communication in international and high-complexity contexts.
2) Instrumental Content (language practice lessons/AAL)
The content of the B2-level (CEFR) language practice lessons (AAL) is available in the University Language Centre website. Select English, and the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures, then Second Year activities (https://www.unibg.it/studiare/frequentare/apprendimento-linguistico/inglese/inglese-llcs).
Online Resources
More information
The list of exam texts for the official course is final and includes all the titles that are essential for exam preparation, both for attending and non-attending students. The list is available under the section "Online Resources – Leganto – Reading list."