Unit ENGLISH FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Course

International relations

Study-unit Code

GP000932

Curriculum

Cooperazione internazionale e state building

Teacher

Federico Zanettin

Teachers

Federico Zanettin

Hours

63 ore - Federico Zanettin

CFU

Course Regulation

Coorte 2019

Offered

2020/21

Learning activities

Caratterizzante

Area

Linguistico

Academic discipline

L-LIN/12

Type of study-unit

Obbligatorio (Required)

Type of learning activities

Attività formativa monodisciplinare

Language of instruction

English

Contents

The course of English for International Relations offers written and oral production and comprehension activities in the area of International Criminal Law, looking at legal and argumentative texts focusing on human rights. The main lexical and discursive features of these text types will be analyzed and discussed. Part of the course will deal with the use of dictionaries and linguistic corpora as linguistic resources for autonomous learning.

Reference texts

Attending students:
The Survey of English Usage (1996-1998) The Internet Grammar of English, University College London, .

Extracts from:
Stahn, C. (2019) A Critical Introduction to International Criminal Law, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
A. Clapham, P. Gaeta (eds.) (2014) The Oxford Handbook of International Law in Armed Conflict, Oxford, OUP.
Gillian D. Brown & Sally Rice (2007) Professional English in Use – Law, Cambridge University Press.
Amy Krois-Lindner, Translegal® & Jeremy Day (2011) International Legal English, Cambridge University Press.
These and other materials will be provided on the Department E-learning platform, or shall be researched autonomously by the students.

Non-attending students:
The Survey of English Usage (1996-1998) The Internet Grammar of English, University College London, . [The materials are available only in electronic format or for Apple and Android hand-held devices].
Jennifer Jenkins, (2015) Global Englishes. A Resource Book for Students, 3rd Edition, New York & London: Routledge.

Educational objectives

The course focuses on translating, writing and presentation skills for students with a higher intermediate language competence. It aims at providing students with the knowledge and skills to read and understand legal and media texts in the area of human rights and international criminal law, and to refer and argue convincingly on a related topic.
The main acquired knowledge will be:
- Knowledge of the basic vocabulary of international legal language
- Knowledge of the main structures of argumentative texts
- Review of basic lexical and syntactic features of the English language
The main acquired skills will be:
- Reading and listening comprehension skills, as regards legal English
- Speaking comprehension skills, as regards argumentative discourse
- Autonomous learning and self study skills.

Prerequisites

Attendance to the course of English for International Studies is not mandatory. Students who attend are, however, required to have a valid B2 certificate before attending the course. Accepted certificates are TOEFL iBT (score 87 or higher, IELTS 5 or higher, Cambridge First Certificate or higher, Trinity ISE 2 or higher). The certificate from the Language Center of the University of Perugia (CLA) expires after 24 months, international certificates expire after 36 months. International certificates must be shown to the professor before the exam.

Teaching methods

The course comprises lectures with audiovisual material (slides and videos), and practical training carried out individually, in pairs and in groups. Activities include linguistic exercises, reading comprehension sessions and presentations, during which students will be able to develop oral skills. Classes will be partly held in the computer lab, where students will gain hands-on knowledge of the notions and techniques introduced.

Other information

Students are required to have a valid B2 certificate before attending the course. Attendance status will be conferred only to students with a valid B2 certificate who attend 75% of the course and will take all tests. All other students will take the exam as non-attending students. To register for the exam go to https://unipg.esse3.cineca.it/Home.do.

Learning verification modality

Assessment criteria differ for attending and non-attending students.
Attending students: The overall evaluation is determined by a series of tests. The first of these is an exam which consists of a translation from English into Italian of a 200 word excerpt taken from one of the specialized legal texts used in the course . The exam will last 90 minutes and will take place in the computer lab. A second parameter for evaluation is based on oral presentations in class, during which students report on an article previously agreed on with the teacher. Each presentation will last about 20-30 minutes and the assessment will be based on criteria of appropriacy, fluency and correctness. A third exam, at the end of the course, consists of writing a 150 word summary of a news story of about 1500 words related to one of the topics dealt with in class. The exam will last 90 minutes and will take place in the computer lab. The final evaluation factor will be a score obtained in a B2 test at the CLA. Each of these four elements will count 25% towards the overall evaluation.
Non-attending students: The overall evaluation will be determined by an oral exam (75%) and by the score obtained in the B2 test at the CLA (25%). The interview, which will last about 20-25 minutes, will cover the contents of the course book for non-attending students, and will include a sight translation test. Students will have to answer open questions and show they have read and fully understood the material covered in the course book, and that they are able to discuss an academic topic (uses and functions of global Englishes) in English.

Extended program

Attending students: The course of English for International Relations aims at introducing students to the features of English in International Criminal Law, considering argumentative written texts (newspaper articles, UN reports, academic publications ), as well as oral texts (videos of presentations and debates) with special reference to the debate on human rights and humanitarian law. During the course the main lexical and discursive features of legal English will be analyzed and discussed. Some classes will be devoted to exploring linguistic resources such as dictionaries and corpora, with a view to fostering autonomous learning.
Non-attending students: The program for the exam involves self-study, and autonomous learning and practice. The online Internet Grammar of English offers students a chance to review the main structures of English and and activities for analytical practice. The textbook on Global Englishes provides comprehensive coverage of research in the fields of World Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca and English as an international language. It explains key concepts connected to the historical and contemporary spread of English and explore the social, economic, educational and political implications of English's rise as a global language.