Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminar | 40 x 1 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | 50%: 10 written assignments, 5 of them under exam conditions (those taken under exam conditions counting twice as much as the others); 10%: oral (4 marks based on attendance, active contribution and performance in small oral groups); 20%: listening comprehension (2 tests). | 80% |
| Semester Exam | The oral Examination takes the form of a 15-minute interview with one member of staff. During this interview the candidate will be asked: (a) to offer a brief presentation (maximum 5-7 minutes) in the target language on a selected topic and (b) to engage in a general conversation arising in the first instance from the presentation itself. Some weeks before the oral exam, students will be provided with 6 topics taken from the topics covered during the oral classes throughout the year. They will need to prepare all six of these topics as only one of them will be given to the student in the exam. The final exam topic will be provided to the candidate at the beginning of the examination. There will be no period of preparation time immediately beforehand. Candidates are reminded that they are not allowed to read from a script and are not allowed to bring any notes into the examination room; they must not deliver a previously learnt speech. The presentation should lead into (and be constructed so as to lead into) a conversation and further discussion of the topic. A more general conversation will follow. | 20% |
| Supplementary Exam | 3 Hours 1 x 3-hour written examination (unless ONLY the oral component is failed, in which case the supplementary exam will be an oral examination). | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module, if you have made satisfactory progress, you will be able to:
- identify your own improvement in Italian vocabulary and grammatical knowledge in written - and spoken language
- differentiate between major stylistic levels of Italian
- recognise and understand different linguistic registers in Italian
- translate selected Italian passages showing idiomatic, authentic style and grammatical usage
- present independently prepared material in spoken or written Italian
- discuss and debate topical issues in Italian
- summarise in your own words selected pieces of written or spoken Italian
- give your own insights into contemporary Italian life and culture
- take part in role-plays in Italian
- enter into conversation in Italian with confidence in your ability to express youself
- make both supervised and independent us of the facilities in the Language Resource Centre: audio visual material, interactive computer programmes and satellite television
Language modules have, as an integral part of their structure, regular homework assignments and class tests as well as end of year examinations. All assessment is designed to measure your progress against learning outcomes at the appropriate level.
Brief description
The format of this 'thin' module is as follows: there will be three weekly classes (one concentrating on oral, two concentrating on written skills) and one fortnightly class. The weekly hours will be devoted to a variety of language exercises aimed at developing written and oral skills. The fortnightly hour will involve translation practice from Italian.
Continuous assessment marks for the module will be derived from written work set by the tutor, and from attendance, active contribution and performance in the weekly oral hour.
Listening comprehension: (a skill of considerable importance for the Year Abroad) will be practised from time to time during the year in class. It will be assessed by tests which will contribute 20% of the total module marks. You are expected (and strongly advised) to practise listening comprehension in your own time (e.g. in the Language Resource Centre); this is a skill where practise does indeed make perfect.
Formal examinations - written language and oral/aural - will take place at the end of the second semester.
The modules in Business Language IT20310 this year and Language of Current Affairs IT30310 in later years are complementary to this module.
Aims
- To consolidate students' knowledge of Italian grammar and vocabulary, with the ultimate aim of fostering accuracy in writing Italian.
- To train students to translate accurately into English (or Italian) passages of continuous Italian (English) prose. Accuracy refers to content, idiom and style, and to grammatical usage, i.e. the translation ought to include all the information in the original and this ought to be expressed in English (Italian) that sounds as if a native-speaker had written it, that is grammatically correct, and is as formal or informal as the original.
- To develop students' oral competence.
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5