Summary

Level:

Advanced. (post A level or equivalent entry).

Main Objectives:

To enable students to communicate fluently and effectively at an advanced level in speech and writing, in predictable and unpredictable situations.

Credits:

This 30 credit module is also available for 24 credits.

Teaching:

One 2-hour language class each week for 21 weeks.
Students are reminded that 1 credit = 10 hours of study, therefore the minimum expected amount of study is 240 hours, which averages over 10 hours per week. A substantial amount of independent study is therefore required.

Tutors:

Laura Mantovani

Course books (must be bought by student):

Nuovo contatto B2 Textbook + Exercise book, Loescher Editore, ISBN 9788858308660

The module is taught entirely in Italian. Texts from Italian resources, video and audio relating to Italy form the basis of an intensive and active learning experience.

Recommended: English-Italian Dictionary, Collins/OUP Italian-English.

Course Description

The module aims to enable students to communicate fluently and effectively at an advanced level in speech and writing, in predictable and unpredictable situations. Furthermore, it is designed to help students improve their accuracy of grammar and syntax and to provide an interesting and challenging range of topics for discussion and analysis.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module, students will have:

• developed competencies in a broad range of complex and non-routine language tasks across a wide and often unpredictable variety of contexts;
• consolidated and expanded grammatical and syntactical competencies;
• become more proficient in using a wider range of register and style both in speaking and writing.
• furthered their awareness and appreciation of Italian language and Italian culture;
• developed a proficiency in some of the stylistic resources of Italian, through an appreciation of literary and non-literary texts.

Syllabus

Communicative skills

This module covers items such as: expressing emotions; making hypothesis about the past; giving an opinion; expressing agreement and disagreement; expressing surprise; asking for things in a formal context.

Grammar

This module covers items such as: revision and consolidation of past tenses; present subjunctive; imperfect subjunctive; relative pronouns; reported speech; conditional sentences; comparatives and superlatives.

Topics

This module covers topics such as: history; work; literature; music and the arts; health; new technologies; gastronomy.