C1+/ C2

C1:

Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.

C2:

Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing a controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

This part of the course will focus primarily on reading and speaking activities.

READING & SPEAKING:

This part of the course will focus primarily on activities concerning the development of reading skills and speaking skills. Our activities will mostly focus on the following topics:

• “public speaking” (mainly in semester one);

• “intercultural communication” (mainly in semester two);

• other possible topics relating to the course, etc. (throughout the year).

> READING SKILLS:

We will mostly work with:

• two books ('Talk Like Ted' & 'The Culture Map' – see details in the “course books” section): with various activities (various language skills) relating to the topics and chapters read from the books in our reading list;

• assigned articles/texts: articles/texts assigned throughout the course, and made available as necessary during the year on the Blended page of the course (topics normally relating to the course), with the possibility of activities employing varying language skills;

• articles (free choice): articles chosen by the student during the course, with the possibility of activities employing varying language skills (topics relating to the course – further details will be given in class).

It will therefore be extremely important to follow the reading calendar (information will be given in class throughout the year), and to have read the pages/articles assigned by the set deadlines, so as to be able to discuss them together, etc. in class.

Reading diary: students will regularly update their own “reading diary” during the course, as a record of the readings they have done (further important indications will be given in class). Students may need to discuss their “reading diaries” at various moments throughout the course.

> SPEAKING SKILLS:

We will concentrate on various types of activities, paying particular attention to the development of important good practices (linguistic & paralinguistic features), especially for 'public speaking' and 'group speaking', and with conversation, debates, presentations, possible interviews, etc., covering various topics (normally relating to the course).

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During the year, however, we will also do some other important activities relating to the topics covered in our reading and speaking activities:

• During the course we will do some 'writing skills' and 'listening skills' activities (e.g. audio, video, writing short texts, etc.) connected to the topics of the main reading and speaking activities.

• Attention will be given, when necessary, to various examples of useful/key vocabulary, and aspects of grammar, etc., which may be useful for this level (points taken from our reading materials), in order to strengthen and enhance these areas.

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Other important information will be given in class.

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Non-attending student must make contact by email as soon as possible.

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The teaching material prepared by the language assistant in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the language assistant specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Course books

BOOKS:

Semester 1:

• Talk Like TED: The 9 Public Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds - Carmine Gallo - Pan Macmillan, 2022 edition – ISBN-13: 978-1529068658, 9781529068658 

Semester 2:

• The Culture Map: Decoding How People Think, Lead and Get Things Done Across Cultures - Erin Meyer - PublicAffairs, 2015 (International Edition) - ISBN9781610392761, 9781610392761

BLENDED PAGE FOR THIS PART OF THE COURSE:

• As well as reading the course books, students must follow our Blended page each week, in order to do the activities by the specified deadlines. Our Blended page will be updated regularly throughout the course, with any materials, links, activities, etc., which are a necessary part of the course.

GRAMMAR - OPTIONAL BOOK:

• Optional, but useful for those who want to revise or strengthen grammar points:

  MyGrammarLab Advanced C1/C2 - Diane Hall & Mark Foley - Pearson