Ateneo - UPO

The COURSE focuses on the study of tourism discourse in English, with particular attention to the linguistic and discursive practices through which destinations, places, cultural heritage and forms of tourist experience are represented, promoted and interpreted. Through the analysis of a range of genres and communicative contexts within the tourism sector students will explore the linguistic and communicative strategies employed to construct destination images and engage with different audiences.
The course will also examine how tourism discourse reflects and contributes to shaping contemporary tourism trends, practices and values, with consideration of issues such as sustainability, authenticity, responsibility and the ethical implications of tourism communication.

The course is supported by PRACTICAL CLASSES-ESERCITAZIONI focusing on:
Grammatical structures with a view on contrastive aspects (Italian vs. English).
Lexical expansion (general vocabulary and specialised terminology).
Tense consolidation.
The expression of modality in English.
Writing paragraphs and longer texts: practising cohesion.
Describing events and circumstances: textual consistency.
Summarising, paraphrasing, and reformulating skills.

COURSE:
ESSENTIAL REFERENCE (compulsory): MACI, S. M. English Tourism Discourse. Insights into the Professional, Promotional and Digital Language of Tourism.Milano: Hoepli, 2020.

Further readings (optional): LAZZARETTI, C.,The Language of Museum Communication: A Diachronic Perspective. London: Palgrave, 2016; PAGANONI, M. City Branding and New Media: Linguistic Perspectives, Discursive Strategies and Multimodality. London: Palgrave, 2015.
NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS: references are the same as for attending students.

PRACTICAL CLASSES-ESERCITAZIONI:
COMPULSORY TEXTS (all the students)
Business Benchmark ADVANCED - Student's book ISBN 9780521672955 - Language Practice for Advanced 4th Edition Student's Book and MPO with key Pack (new edition 2014) by Michael Vince ISBN - 978-0-230-46381-3
Bailey, Stephen, 2020 (3rd ed.), Academic Writing for International Students of Business and Economics, Routledge. (2nd-3rd year BA)
Report Writing dispensa.
Further materials will be provided to students during the year, and uploaded to the webpage DIR (Didattica in Rete).

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS (optional texts for self study)
Paul Emmerson, BUSINESS VOCABULARY BUILDER - INTERMEDIATE (Second Edition), Macmillan. ISBN-9780230716841.
Paul Emmerson, BUSINESS GRAMMAR BUILDER - INTERMEDIATE TO UPPER INTERMEDIATE (Second Edition), Macmillan. ISBN 9780230732544.

The COURSE aims to develop students’ advanced linguistic and critical skills in the analysis of tourism discourse in English. By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- analyse the main linguistic, rhetorical and discursive features of English-language tourism discourse across different genres and media;
- critically examine how destinations, places, cultural heritage and tourist experiences are represented and constructed through language;
- apply appropriate discourse-analytical tools to authentic tourism-related materials and evaluate the communicative strategies used to address different audiences;
- critically discuss the role of English in contemporary tourism, particularly in relation to intercultural communication, sustainability, digitalisation and the promotion of cultural heritage.

6 ECTS
Face-to-face teaching (DE) + Interactive classroom teaching (DI): 30 hours, 1.2 ECTS.
Independent study: 4.8 ECTS.

PRACTICAL CLASSES - ESERCITAZIONI
English Language Practical Classes 3 aim to develop lexical, grammatical, morpho-syntactic, and discursive skills (both encoding and decoding) of contemporary English, with a focus on Business English.

Core learning objectives are:
- to learn grammatical structures and Italian-English contrastive aspects;
- to learn simple and complex sentence structures, with particular reference to relative clauses and their textual functions;
- to expand general vocabulary, and the use of denotation, and connotation;
- to consolidate verb tenses with reference to the expression of modality;
- to write medium-length paragraphs highlighting textual cohesion;
- to describe events or situations.
A more advanced objective is the development of complex rhetorical-stylistic strategies and skills in writing medium-length paragraphs.

The 6 ECTS to be earned refer to the "use of English" and are essentially interactive in nature.
Interactive classroom teaching (DI) + Independent study.

The general contents and specific topics, language skills and activities, the end-of-course examination, as well as the assessment criteria applied, refer to an advanced (B2+) C1 level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference).

Language skills at an advanced level: min. B2+ (CEFR). Please check the prerequisites for admission to the MA Lingue, Culture, Turismo.

COURSE: Classroom-based instructional activities (Didattica Erogativa – DE) and interactive teaching activities (Didattica Interattiva – DI).

PRACTICAL CLASSES-ESERCITAZIONI:
Interactive classroom teaching (DI) + Independent study.
Practical activities for decoding/encoding (press release), and report writing starting from an outline. Topics are focused on professional issues/settings.
Self-study and activities previously introduced during practical classes.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities

Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

COURSE:
Written exam: the assessment consists of the analysis of a tourism-related text and a set of open-ended questions based on the course content. Candidates are expected to demonstrate not only a thorough understanding of the topics covered, but also critical thinking and the ability to offer original and well-structured reflections. The final grade is based on a weighted assessment of the intended learning outcomes.

PRACTICAL CLASSES-ESERCITAZIONI:
WRITTEN EXAM, 2 hrs:
PRESS RELEASE (200-250 words, 45 minutes): this activity aims to test students' writing skills in structuring a concise text, along with the use of specialised lexis in a professional setting.
REPORT WRITING (450-500 words, 75 minuti): students are required to write a report starting from commercial/business data to assess the ability to interpret the main issues, expose them, and provide a critical perspective. This activity also aims to assess the use of grammar, lexis, spelling, and punctuation in a well-organised text.

With reference to the 'Intended learning objectives' (see below), the following grades correspond to different skills:
18-22/30: minimal knowledge of vocabulary and morpho-syntax, poor command of expression;
23-25/30: a largely mechanical knowledge and use of the language;
26-28/30: a substantially accurate written piece, with minor imperfections (content and language);
29-30 lode: excellent rhetorical-linguistic skills, advanced use of the language.

Honours will be awarded based on the accuracy, depth, and capacity for critical elaboration of the responses.

COURSE:
1. Introduction to Tourism Discourse – Tourism as a specialised and multidisciplinary field of communication.
2. Tourism Genres and Communicative Practices – Characteristics of tourism-related genres and text types.
3. Representing Destinations, Places and Tourist Experiences – Linguistic strategies in destination representation.
4. Tourism, Culture and Intercultural Communication – Representing cultural identities and cultural difference.
5. Digital Tourism Discourse – Tourism communication in websites and social media.
6. Contemporary Issues in Tourism Discourse – Sustainability and responsible tourism; Authenticity and commodification of culture and heritage.
7. Applied Discourse Analysis – Analysis of authentic English-language tourism texts.

PRACTICAL CLASSES-ESERCITAZIONI:
English Language for Tourism B Practical Classes are based on the textbooks listed above, and on further materials uploaded to DIR (Didattica in Rete).

Grammatical structures with a view on contrastive aspects (Italian vs. English): simple and complex sentences, relative clauses (full and reduced) in structuring a written text.
Lexical expansion (general vocabulary and specialised terminology): combining noun words and adjectives to denote and connote.
Tense consolidation: combining verbs and adverbs.
The expression of modality in English: modal verbs and adverbs of manner.
Writing paragraphs and longer texts: practising cohesion beyond sentence level.
Describing events and circumstances: textual consistency.
Summarising, paraphrasing, and reformulating skills: language competence (grammar, lexis, and morpho-sytax).

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
By the end of the course, students will be able to describe and distinguish the main concepts, approaches and theoretical tools related to tourism discourse, and to identify the main linguistic, rhetorical and discursive features of English-language tourism texts.
Students will be able to read and understand complex texts at an advanced level in contemporary English, of general contents and/or on professional issues (Business English).

APPLIED KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
Students will be able to analyse authentic English-language texts from a range of tourism-related genres and media, identifying linguistic, rhetorical and persuasive strategies and relating them to the genre, communicative purpose and target audience.
They will also be able to write concise professional texts (press release), to write reports of medium length from an outline, and to have a conversation on general/current topics and/or professional issues. Linguistic knowledge and language understanding will be used at a practical level, and applied to the many disciplinary research and professional contexts.

At the minimum pass level, students should demonstrate the acquisition of the fundamental knowledge and skills of course content and their appropriate application.

At an advanced level, students should demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the course content, critical analysis skills and the ability to independently apply the acquired knowledge, advanced command of the language.

For details, see Mission and Assessment Methods