Unit ENGLISH FOR COMMUNICATION SCIENCE

Course
Communication studies
Study-unit Code
GP000201
Curriculum
In all curricula
Teacher
Patrizia Giampieri
Teachers
  • Patrizia Giampieri
Hours
  • 63 ore - Patrizia Giampieri
CFU
9
Course Regulation
Coorte 2024
Offered
2025/26
Learning activities
Base
Area
Discipline semiotiche, linguistiche e informatiche
Sector
L-LIN/12
Type of study-unit
Obbligatorio (Required)
Type of learning activities
Attività formativa monodisciplinare
Language of instruction
English
Contents
The course explores aspects of English-language advertising developed over the last century. Advertisements, slogans in English, and any related videos will be used to analyze the different levels of linguistic meaning and will serve as source material for a series of comprehension activities in English. News articles (European Commission press releases) will also be used as the basis for writing activities (summaries) that will be corrected in class. Students will have the opportunity to develop and improve their skills and competences through activities based on specifically designed written and audiovisual texts.
Reference texts
For attending students:
Handouts containing the materials for the activities used in class will be made available on the platform. Students are responsible for downloading the materials.
Students are also required to have the following ebook:
- A Guide to Summaries in Business, Economics, and Law. https://store.streetlib.com/lingue-estere/a-guide-to-summaries-in-business-economics-and-law-283243/

For non-attending students:
Handouts containing some materials will be made available on the platform.
The following ebooks are also required:
- A Guide to Summaries in Business, Economics, and Law. https://store.streetlib.com/lingue-estere/a-guide-to-summaries-in-business-economics-and-law-283243/
- Keys to English Grammar, the way I like it, vol. 2 https://store.streetlib.com/lingue-estere/english-grammar-the-way-i-like-it-vol-2-_answer-keys-45588/
Educational objectives
The course aims to develop reading and writing skills in students with intermediate language skills, and to develop textual-typological, lexical, and grammatical skills. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to read and translate press-related texts and advertisements, and understand academic texts in English in the field of communication sciences.
The main skills acquired will be the following:
- Knowledge of the main syntactic and grammatical structures of the English language
- Basics of phonetics, phonology, and morphology of the English language
- Knowledge of the figurative use of language
- Knowledge of the main linguistic functions and text types
- Knowledge of linguistic variation (vocabulary and pronunciation), with reference to the English language
- Knowledge of the main characteristics of academic, journalistic, and advertising language in English

The main skills (i.e., the ability to apply the knowledge acquired) will be:
- Ability to understand and produce texts
- Ability to read and comprehend written texts of a popular and promotional nature
- Ability to read and comprehend written texts of a academic and journalistic nature
- Ability to independently navigate the use of media texts
- Development of study and independent learning skills.
Prerequisites
To attend the English Language for Communication Sciences course, students must have a B1 level certificate issued by the University Language Center (CLA) of the University of Perugia (which the CLA will communicate to the lecturer), or one of the international certifications validated by the CLA. The CLA certificate is valid for 24 months, while international certifications are valid for 36 months (from the date of achievement to the exam date). A copy of the international certifications must be presented to myuself during the first year or on the first day of class.
NB: The new Basic English test administered by the CLA cannot be used as a substitute for the B1 level certificate.
Teaching methods
The course consists of a series of lectures supported by written and audiovisual materials (audio files and short film extracts), and includes a series of in-class practical exercises based on the materials provided in class and made available to attending students. Exercises are conducted individually, in pairs, and in groups.
Other information
Attendance at the English Language for Communication Sciences course is not mandatory. Only students who have a CLA certificate or international B1 level certification at the beginning of the course and who attend at least 75% of the classes will be considered attending. To be considered attending, students must also take the exam and complete tasks, which will be assigned during the course.
Students who do not meet these requirements will have to take the exam as non-attending students. Registration for the exam, for both attending and non-attending students, is done exclusively through the SOL platform.
Learning verification modality
Assessment methods vary depending on whether the student attends the course or not.

Attending Students: Attending students take a written exam during the course and an oral exam at the end of the course. The exams, taken together, are designed to assess both comprehension and the ability to apply the acquired skills to critically analyze written and oral documents relating to public communication and advertising, as well as the ability to express one's point of view in a foreign language with appropriate fluency. The written exam, lasting 40 minutes, consists of a short writing exercise (approximately 100-word summary of a text on the course topics). The oral exam focuses on the content covered during the course.

Non-attending students: Subject to the requirement of a CLA certificate or international certification (Cambridge ESOL/IELTS/TOEFL/Trinity ISE) at level B1, the exam consists of an oral test on the contents of the textbook for non-attending students (A Guide to Summaries in Business, Economics and Law, available at https://store.streetlib.com/lingue-estere/a-guide-to-summaries-in-business-economics-and-law-283243/), lasting approximately 20 minutes. During the exam, the student must demonstrate that they can read, translate, and orally report the contents of the textbook in English. They must also demonstrate that they have acquired the linguistic content by completing the activities independently. The book contains solutions and commentary to the activities. The online grammar book (English Grammar, the way I like it, vol. 2, available at https://store.streetlib.com/lingue-estere/english-grammar-the-way-i-like-it-vol-2-_answer-keys-45588/) also provides in-depth study and practical activities related to the linguistic content covered in the textbook.
Extended program
The English Language for Communication Sciences course includes language learning activities based on texts and content related to communication in the context of the advertising industry. Authors and topics related to various communication and advertising strategies will be presented and discussed. Lessons will also focus on journalistic texts, as well as audio-video exercises, whose linguistic and cultural characteristics will be used as discussion points for listening and listening comprehension tasks, grammar, phonetic, and lexical analyses, and writing. Texts from newspapers, specialized publications, and academic articles will be used for reading and reading comprehension, syntactic analysis, and lexical productivity.
Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile
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