English I

This is a first-year, two semester-course. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with key concepts in discourse analysis through in-depth study of authentic texts typical of a variety of professional domains, mostly in the fields of corporate communication, both internal and external. Students will learn to recognize the discursive, textual, and rhetorical strategies deployed in the texts and to assess their pragmatic effects. They will also learn to produce effective written texts in the domains considered. Professionally oriented oral communication skills will also be developed. The course combines theoretical and applied perspectives, and includes an advanced grammar component. The minimum requirement for the course is B2 plus level of the CEFR (competences approaching C1 are desirable) . The exit level is set at C1 plus of the CEFR, with special reference to specialized communication in corporate settings.

At the end of the course students will have acquired a broad range of advanced grammatical structures and specialized vocabulary, which they will be able to deploy strategically in both writing and speaking. They will have mastered the principles of genre analysis, thereby acquiring transferable competences which they will be able to put to use in their future professional careers. While the course will mainly focus on corporate communication, the competences acquired extend beyond it to provide a strong basis for future application in any professional field.