UCL CENTRE FOR LANGUAGES
& INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
SSCs 2015-2016
(Social, Historical and Political)
Successful completion of Italian for Business and Current Affairs at the UCL CLIE, have completed some post-‘A’ Level training or spent some time in the country actively using the language .
Year 1 students: double-block (16 x 3-hour classes. Block 1: 8 x 3-hour classes; Block 2: workshops and tutorials related to Project).
Year 2 students: single block (8 x 3-hour classes).
40 hours in total.
LCIM6006.
The course comprises knowledge and understanding both of the structure of the language and of the cultural (social, historical and political) contexts in which it is currently used.
It enables participants to use their language skills in an academic environment. The course covers recent history, current affairs and the latest issues in society as well as other related topics. Students will give presentations and are involved in roundtable discussions and debates on a variety of current issues. Medical related issues/vocabulary will also be covered.
Cultural awareness will be further developed and raised within a European/global context.
The course will enhance knowledge and use of linguistically complex structures (a variety of styles and registers from a range of authentic material).
Various transferable skills will also be further developed.
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 debating, commenting; different registers of the language; a professional presentation;
 analysing an article or document.
Main topics/themes to be covered
 Italian medical language;
 the micro-languages of different branches of medical career;
 the language of bureaucracy;

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 gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal medicine;
Medicine and art;
Italian Nobel prizes in Medicine;
Reading
 reading for gist, scanning for specific information;
 in-depth analysis of economic topics in major newspapers/magazines.
Writing
 essays;
 formal business letters;
 analysis and review of articles;
 note-taking from presentations;
 writing up presentations;
 CVs and covering letters.
Listening
 radio, TV, audio- and video-tapes;
 presentations;
 listening exercises on corporate affairs and economics.
Speaking
 formal and informal discussions, debates, round table;
 presentations;
 role-plays.
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Discourse Strategies
 analysing/comparing texts from various sources (different text types);
 preparing oral contributions for different audiences;
 textual cohesion.
Main Aspects of These Strategies
 Revision and consolidation of:
- structuring (logical structures);
- linking devices (lexical, grammatical);
- discorso diretto/discorso indiretto. subjunctives; past historic; complex sentences (conditional, cause and effect etc).
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 Italiano per medici (Alma edizioni) 2007 – ISBN: 9788886440691
Contatto Volume 2B + CD Audio B2 , (Loescher) 2009 pp. 123 cod. 0691 – ISBN: 9788820141417
Collins Pocket Italian Dictionary in colour (Collins) – ISBN: 9780007485505
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OR
Italian Dictionary – Concise Edition Garzanti)
Authentic material from various sources: Newspapers, journals, magazines, audio- and video-tapes.
In addition there is a wide range of language learning materials available for self-study in the Self-Access Centre.