WELCOME  

to  

The Study and Production of Texts  

During your first year you will be laying the foundations of your academic career and it is essential  that you bear in mind that what you invest in terms of studying this year will help you make the most out of  (and also enjoy) the following two years of your academic life at university. As language students you  should aim to develop your knowledge of all aspects of the languages you are studying and to acquire and  develop the effective study skills necessary for academic success and intellectual growth. With these core  aims in mind, your two compulsory lettorato courses, which are part of Lingua Inglese I, have been designed  to introduce you to both the graphic and phonetic systems of English.  

The main aims of The Study and Production of Texts course are to make students aware of the technical  mechanisms of text and to aid the development of core reading and writing skills. Initially, we will be  addressing key characteristics such as audience awareness, register and text organisation and in the second  semester, we will move on to develop your ability to engage with text and manipulate content in order to  construct academic texts of your own. During your year-long course you will have ample opportunity to  extend your knowledge of both grammar and lexis.  

It is clear that in order to successfully achieve the course aims you will have to be prepared to work hard  both in class and at home: this means participating actively during lesson time and doing a considerable  amount of self-study, completing the tasks set for homework in order to extend your knowledge of the  language as much as possible. You will need time, energy and commitment to do this. The level of this  course is pitched at B2 of The Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR). If you are not clear  about what this level is, you should consult the following site: https://www.coe.int/en/web/common 

european-framework-reference-languages/levels. If you are having difficulty in following the lessons and  feel your English does not reach the required linguistic level, you are strongly advised to do extra individual  study to reach the level needed to complete this course successfully.  

Start this year by developing the habit of reading in English every day. Read for pleasure as well as for study  and ensure you read a wide variety of text types, from journalistic texts to literary texts as well as academic  texts. Your own writing will inevitably benefit if you get considerable exposure to a myriad of styles.  

There is no end of material that you can access to be constantly in touch with written text. Download an App  for a newspaper in English on your phone. Visit English language learning sites regularly, such as  https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/reading and monitor your progress by testing your reading skills at  https://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/strategy/ and you will surely find something to engage your interest in  the following list of recommended sites for book lovers!  

https://www.theguardian.com/books  

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/17/the-100-best-novels-written-in-english  https://www.thetimes.co.uk/topic/books  

https://www.nytimes.com/section/books  

http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/  

I sincerely hope you will enjoy the material in this booklet. However, remember: you only get as much out  of a text as you put into it.  

Good Luck!