Difference between revisions of "English course"

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(2010 courses)
(2010 courses)
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The teacher for the intermediate course is yet to be chosen.  
 
The teacher for the intermediate course is yet to be chosen.  
 
  
 
====Advanced course====
 
====Advanced course====

Revision as of 12:00, 1 June 2010

SISSA sponsored courses

Once every two years - next to be held in autumn, 2010 - SISSA organizes an English course in order to help students improve their ability to speak correctly. The course is focused mainly on talking abilities but before the beginning of the course students' suggestions about the contents of the course are welcomed. More info will be added as soon as the 2010 course is scheduled.

2010 courses

Two English courses (advanced and intermediate level) will be held in SISSA this fall. They will start at the beginning of October and will last for about 10 weeks. Both courses will be free of charge (i.e. SISSA is going to pay for them).

Each participant will be required to take an entry test to assess his starting level. Students will be divided according to their results in different classes. Each class will be composed by no more than 15 students.

If you want to join you should fill an online form whose address has been sent by email no later than June 10, 2010. Any late application will not be taken into account.

The teacher for the advanced course will be Tonya Blowers who has a PhD in English Literature from the University of Warwick as well as qualifications in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. She has over twenty years’ experience of teaching adults English language, writing and literature in universities and colleges in the UK and the USA.

The teacher for the intermediate course is yet to be chosen.

Advanced course

This ten week (30 hour) course will give students focused guidance in writing and presenting academic papers in English.

The course will equip you with some general skills for writing and presenting academic papers as well as focusing on your own specific questions and examples. Each student will be required to work on a written paper and seminar presentation (one you are already preparing for another course, journal or conference). Here the emphasis will be not so much on accuracy of content or indeed the originality of your research (we will leave that to your tutors and peers) but on how well you have communicated - in appropriate, clear, persuasive and accurate English.

In academic writing, we’ll make sure you are comfortable with the fundamentals of English writing such as punctuation, grammar and vocabulary as well as working on style and appropriateness. Most importantly you will get lots of help in structuring your paper and making it cohesive. You’ll become familiar with useful English phrases for comparing and contrasting, generalising and qualifying, and for interpreting data. You’ll learn how to develop a persuasive argument in English, how to vary the length and syntax of sentences, and how to draw conclusions.

For the presentation skills, we’ll be looking at how to prepare and deliver a talk. This will include the preparation and confident use of relevant handouts and visual aids. We’ll learn to formulate thought-provoking questions (and practise their correct pronunciation and intonation). Most importantly you will get lots of practice and support in a non-threatening environment so that you gain confidence and are able to speak clearly and persuasively.

You’ll also get some helpful pointers in how to participate fully in seminars even when you are not presenting – when is it okay to interrupt another speaker, and how do you get people to listen to what you’re saying?

While the two areas – written papers and oral presentations - will generally be taught in two separate 90 minute sessions, there will be space to discuss the important differences between the oral and written forms. For example, the introduction to a written academic paper requires quite different language and preparation from the opening to a spoken presentation. (We will draw in particular on Walter Ong’s book Orality and Literacy to inform our discussion).

Other courses

One can also follow courses at the Universita Popolare that is located in Piazza Del Ponterosso n.6. For these ones you have to pay a fair amount (around 120-130 euros for per course.)