Scheda insegnamento

Knowledge of English at the B1 level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

The course aims at developing students’ competence in English by introducing them to the scientific study of the English language and to the study and analysis of representative texts of Orientalism. The course aims at analysing different aspects of Orientalism in English culture, with a particular focus on the literary production.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• carry out exercises at the B2 level of the CEFR;
• distinguish English sounds through the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet);
• analyse English lexicon according to the word-class each item belongs to;
• outline the morpho-syntactic characteristics of the different word-classes;
• familiarise with word-formation processes in English;
• engage with debates about cultural and literary representations of exoticism;
• recognise the role of literary models in shaping cultural attitudes and stereotypes.

The course consists of a theoretical and a practical module.

The theoretical module will cover basic principles of the linguistic theoretical description of English, such as:

• introduction to English phonetics and phonology through the IPA;
• introduction to English syntax;
• introduction to English morphology and word-formation processes;
• description of English word-classes and their relative morpho-syntactic characteristics.

In the practical module, students will study grammar and lexical structures at B2 level of the CEFR, through a selection of representative texts. Students will familiarise with the structure of standard exercises at the B2 level. Furthermore, the course will cover aspects of contemporary debates, and will discuss the influence of cultural productions for the development of intercultural awareness.

Lectures will be held twice a week. The teaching methodology will be both lectures and seminars, in which students are asked to actively participate in and contribute to the teaching activities.

The final test will be a written exam. It will be divided in two main parts. In the first part, students are asked to recognise examples of the theoretical principles discussed in class (e.g., vowels, consonants, word-classes, morphemes) in a short text. In the second part, students will be asked to carry out exercises at the B2 level of the CEFR, as well as answer questions about literary topics discussed in class.

The theoretical module will cover a selection of chapters from:

• Laurel J. Brinton and Donna M. Brinton, 2010, The Linguistic Structure of Modern English [2nd edition], Amsterdam: John Benjamins; (Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5)

For the practical module, students will need:

• Agatha Christie, Death on the Nile, B1.2 level, adapted by Janet Cameron, Black Cat, (https://www.blackcat-cideb.com/en/books/death-on-the-nile);

• E.M. Forster, A Passage to India, B2.2 level, adapted by Maud Jackson, Black Cat, (https://www.blackcat-cideb.com/en/books/passage-to-india-a-en)

The instructor may provide additional material during the course through LOL.

Paolo Bertinetti (a cura di), (2004). Breve storia della letteratura inglese, Torino: Einaudi.

Mevlüde Zengin, 2016. Western Image of the Orient And Oriental In Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile: A Postcolonial Reading, Gazantiep University Journal of Social Sciences 15 (3): 837-866.

Will Baker, (2015). Culture and Identity through English as a Lingua Franca. Rethinking Concepts and Goals in Intercultural Communication. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter

Francesca Montesperelli, (2014). La testa di Ozymandias. Ekphrasis e Orientalismo in un sonetto di Shelley. In Poesia. Un dialogo tra letterature. A cura di Anne-Marie Lievens. Perugia: Morlacchi editore, pp. 127-153.

Students who do not come regularly to class (non-frequentanti) should cover the same program as students who regularly attend, with the addition of Montesperelli's article (available in LOL), which is mandatory for them.