Corso di Laurea in Produzioni e Gestione degli Animali in Allevamento e Selvatici - PGAAS

The course aims to enable students to read and understand effectively texts in English, such as short scientific and/or informative articles, book chapters, etc. , regarding Biology, Veterinary Science and Livestock Science.

The overall goals include:

i.            Developing learners' reading ability to read scientific texts;   

ii.            Stylistic and linguistic analysis of the text;

iii.            Vocabulary practice to build learners' knowledge of high-frequency words and phrases as well as common lexical sets, in order to prepare students to pass the final exam.

KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING SKILLS:  students must prove to have acquired knowledge and comprehension of language content - reading, comprehension and analysis of scientific texts - at a level of competence equivalent to ALTE B1 (minimum).

USE OF KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING SKILLS:  students must prove to be able to use the knowledge and the learning skills developed during the course by passing the final exam.

INDEPENDENT JUDGEMENT: students will have to show that they are able to analyse the teaching material available in a critical and independent way, and to further practise the language with self-study activities, working independently.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS: even though the overall goals mainly focus on developing reading comprehension skills, during the course and/or the activities offered by the English Language Help Desk, students will have to show that they have achieved a sufficient level of oral communication skills in English.

LEARNING ABILITIES: students will have to demonstrate to have developed a range of study skills in the subject area (in terms of reading comprehension) equivalent to ALTE B1 level or better yet B1plus, as illustrated in the overall goals.

The course consists of 20 hours of theory and practice work, where the students and the teacher will analyse together the texts and learning material contained in the booklet especially prepared by the teacher for this particular course. Classroom activities contemplate individual work, pair work and/or group work, integrated by the teacher, who provides grammar and vocabulary support (teaching tools provided: ordinary blackboard and computer with overhead projector).

Lessons will also allow students to learn how to use a dictionary effectively, to promote self-study and the development of English speaking skills (listening/speaking on the topics proposed in the booklet). Further reading and grammar practice on the course topics are offered to students during the activities provided by the English Language Help Desk.

A written exam (computer-based) that comprises a reading comprehension exercise, a listening comprehension exercise, a vocabulary exercize and acloze test, during which the students must answer a number of questions related to texts that may be about biology, veterinary science or livestock science (time allowed: 1hour). Dictionaries are NOT permitted

Please note that the exam is considered passed with the mark "approved", without indication of a X/30 mark. Students who already have internationally recognised foreign language certification at level ALTE B1 (minimum) can obtain the credits required by the study plan of their course by contacting their registrar's office. However, certificates must be evaluated case by case by the CCS and the Teaching Commission and therefore students need to apply by filling in the specific request form available at the registrar's office and submit their certificate in the original for acceptance.

Extra support will be available to students by contacting CLA - the University Language Centre, (https://www.cla.unito.it/) in order to:

• receive information on certifications and language courses in preparation for international certifications organized by the University Language Centre (CLA_UniTO);
• receive information regarding student mobility programmes, with reference to the language level required.

Learners are introduced to a variety of scientific text types, which are accompanied by a number of exploitation exercises that have been selected to develop learners' reading skills. Activities include comprehension and vocabulary work as well as practice in dealing with different speed reading techniques and reading sub-skills. Emphasis is placed on textual analysis.

The classroom activities aim to get the students used to the scientific text and also to give learners a thorough foundation in grammar. New language items are presented in context via reading texts and grammar rules are then analysed and explained, focusing in particular on word order, verb tenses, the passive voice, relative clauses and expressions of place and time, in order to prepare students to pass the final cloze test.

The syllabus of the course corresponds to the contents of the English study pack (version created especially for the students of the Bachelor in Animal Production) available on the website Campusnet.

The two courses called "Laboratorio di lingua inglese" and "Lingua inglese (laboratorio)" are offered to the Bachelor in Animal Production and the Master in Veterinary Science degree students.  They are identified by the same exam code, VET0050, and the content of the lessons and the type of teaching is essentially the same for both of them.

Booklet provided by the teacher.  An English study pack is available and downloadable from the link "teaching tools" of the course itself. 

Prof. P. Badino is the contact person of the course and coordinator of the examination board, responsible for foreign language assessment (English), while the English language course will be held by a mother-tongue teacher appointed by CLA_UniTO.

For updates regarding lesson times students should visit the website Campusnet regularly. To check exam dates and sign up for the exams students need to login to exams online, on the EsseTre platform.