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Humanities and Scientific English - mod. SCIENTIFIC ENGLISH
SILVIA MODENA

Seat Medicina e Chirurgia
A.A. 2013-2014
Credits 4
Hours 40
Period 1^ semestre
Language ENG
U-gov code MU01-09-11 10044

Program

English is the new lingua franca of science. Scientific English is not only a specialized language, but an actual genre, a system of rules and conventions governed by a specific logic and way of expressing thoughts and concepts. Authors ignore these rules at their peril and readers who are not proficient in them will not truly understand their texts. Only in a very limited sense can scientific English be considered as a language consisting of words and of their reciprocal connections.

The main goal of the course is to make second year students familiar with the conceptual system and language of science, specifically medical-biological English, and to enable them to understand and interpret widely different texts. The goal involves learning and understanding basic concepts related to the scientific method, including terms such as trial, significant finding, review, control group, randomization, in vitro, morbidity.

A school-leaver’s knowledge of English is assumed. Given the objective of the course, none of the international certificates of English will be considered.

The lessons will examine scientific papers on a variety of general and increasingly specialist topics in terms of grammar, syntax and content. The relevant terminology will be addressed and explained. A paper‘s organization, the reporting of scientific findings and their discussion will also be examined.

As regards the strictly terminological aspect, after the introduction of the day’s topic the more challenging terms and syntactic constructs will be explained. This will provide further topics for discussion and the opportunity to engage the students and to test their knowledge of English. It is also expected to elicit questions and encourage discussions.

Development of the examination
Written test: translation of sentences and words from English into Italian to establish the acquisition by students of the main concepts and notions  

Recommended reading
Photocopies of the material can be ordered from the COPISTERIA office

Courses

• Medicina e Chirurgia