B019084 - ENGLISH LAB. 1

English

This course aims to consolidate and to extend language and cultural skills, listening, writing, and speaking at intermediate level.
The second part of the course will have a broadly economic, political, and socio-cultural focus on key issues of employment under neoliberalism.

Learning materials (including essays and films/videos) will be made available on Moodle. These include a “Dispensa” with key texts that will be discussed throughout the course.

Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
1) Interact in most everyday social situations with confidence and fluency in their use of the English language;
2) Understand the development of a range of texts and vocabulary (including Business English);
3) Understand and be able to discuss and reflect on cogent issues of the world of employment and neoliberalism in an Anglo-Saxon context;
4) Vary the tone and register of the oral and written texts they produce;
5) Read and be able to discuss academic and non-academic texts.

3 CFU English Language (Centro Linguistico di Ateneo online Test)

A variety of teaching approaches will be used in this course: lecture and tutorials (including
listening and viewing activities); workshops; research activities; role plays.
The teaching focuses on student-centred learning. This teaching and learning approach provides facilitated learning, practical exploration and peer learning. Participation in class and effort in speaking English are strongly encouraged.

Important notice – The following requirements are mandatory to be admitted to the Exam:
1) Attendance of at least 70% of classes (equivalent to 33 hours, or 11 three-hour modules/classes);
2) Completion of online activities;
3) Submission and successful completion of the vlog.

Vlog (video-blog) and written exam.

For the language component, students will study: 1) pronunciation, grammar (tenses, syntax, and structures) of English for all purposes (Intermediate level); 2) varieties of English; 3) vocabulary for professional purposes (CV, cover letter) and the vocabulary of Business English.
Seminar-based classes will consist of readings and discussions of texts, as well as videos exploring interlocking oppressions (of class, race, gender, and sexualities) in the labour market. Particular attention will be given to the (neo)liberal university as working-teaching-learning environment in the UK, with reference also to the US and Italy.
Bibliography:
Bhopal, Kalwant. 2018. White Privilege: The Myth of a Post-racial Society. (Excerpts from Chapter 1: “Introduction: race as disadvantage,” 1-8; Chapters 4: “Intersectionality: gender, race and class,” 47-64 ; and 8: “Racial inequalities in the labour market,” 121-142).
Bordieu, Pierre. 2001 (1998). “Permanence and change.” In Masculine Domination, 81-108. Translated by Richard Nice. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Coin, Francesca. 2018. “When Love Becomes Self-Abuse: Gendered Perspectives on Unpaid Labor in Academia.” In Feeling Academic in the Neoliberal University: Feminist Flights, Fights and Failures, edited by Yvette Taylor, and Kinneret Lahad, 301-320. London: Palgrave.
English Language Textbook.*
Crimmins, Gale. 2019. “A Structural Account of Inequality in the International Academy: Why Resistance to Sexism Remains Urgent and Necessary.” In Strategies for Resisting Sexism in the Academy: Higher Education, Gender and Intersectionality, 3-16. London: Palgrave.
hooks, bell. 1990. “Reflections on Race and Sex.” In Yearning: race, gender, and cultural politics, 57-64. Boston: South End Press.
Rumens, Nick. 2018. “Teaching Gender in a Postfeminist Management Classroom.” In Feeling Academic in the Neoliberal University: Feminist Flights, Fights and Failures, edited by Yvette Taylor, and Kinneret Lahad, 321-343. London: Palgrave.
Websites:
#BlackLivesMatter;
ItGetsBetter;
#MeToo.
*Details on the Textbook (optional) will be provided at the start of the course.