MODERN LANGUAGE CENTRE MODULE SYLLABUS Title and code: Credit value: Prerequisite for entry: Course delivery and duration: Greek Contemporary Culture (5AALGRCC) 15 Kings credits/4 US credits/7.5 ECTS Greek 5 (Advanced 1), or a very good Greek A level, or equivalent A 2-hour class x 22 weeks in two semesters Date of last revision: September 2011 Students are expected to spend an additional 4-6 hours a week in private study. See website for semester dates, timetable and teachers surgery hours: www.kcl.ac.uk/mlc
EDUCATIONAL AIMS OF THE MODULE This module aims to enable the students to: gain a wider understanding of the society and culture(s) of the Greek - speaking world and a greater degree of intercultural competence reflect on and analyse key socio-cultural and political issues recognize complex language in a range of contexts improve their command of Greek and widen their range of vocabulary BA-MFLEDU students: be more thoroughly prepared for the period abroad LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE MODULE This course is broadly equivalent to C1.2 - Proficient User, Mastery level of the Common European Framework for languages. The students will be able to demonstrate intellectual, transferable and practical skills appropriate to a level 5 module and in particular will demonstrate the ability to: analyze and discuss various aspects of the Greek culture understand a range of references to common aspects of the culture and current cultural issues in the country/countries where Greek is spoken. research a topic, evaluating and extracting information for relevancy and validity from a range of complex written and spoken sources engage in evaluative and analytical thinking produce clear, structured oral and written text on a variety of subjects, making appropriate use of organizational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices use and manipulate a comprehensive factual knowledge base and a wide range of vocabulary and complex grammatical structures suitable for a variety of academic, professional and personal activities deal with unfamiliar language using a range of strategies work creatively and flexibly with others as part of a team apply a certain degree of autonomy, manifested in self-discipline, time management, etc. CLASS DELIVERY AND TEACHING METHODS The classes are conducted exclusively in Greek and include lectures, video or audio material, discussions, and workshop activities. Students are expected to read extensively outside class, to use the Open Language Centre to watch Greek news and other programmes, e.g. films and to read Greek newspapers and magazines in print or on the Internet. They are also expected to contribute to class discussions, to give short presentations and to participate in studentcentred activities in pairs and small groups. 2
TOPICS LEXICAL CONTENT The land, the people and the lifestyle Entertainment and the distant resonance of Dionysus (Music, Songs and Dance) Customs and traditions Contemporary Greek history and the traveling camera of Theo Angelopoulos Politics with a touch of spice Contemporary Greek Cinema Aristophanes would love it: Comic series on the Greek TV Extracts from contemporary Greek Literature: K. Tahtsis: Ta resta / A. Samarakis: I Kontra Greek society and current social issues (Greek main newspapers, magazines, TV) LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS - PRAGMATICS Discussing cultural, social, political and economic matters at an advanced level Taking part in advanced conversations on various subjects Expressing detailed ideas, opinions and points of view Communicating very detailed information Reading and writing complex texts Understanding, interpreting and discussing subjective statements Making oral presentations on various topics COURSE BOOK(S) No course book is used in this class. Students will be issued with dossiers and photocopies of specially designed worksheets. RECOMMENDED MATERIAL FOR SELF-STUDY R. Clogg: A concise History of Greece, Cambridge 1992 S. Zinovieff: Inside out and inside in Gossip, Hospitality and the Greek Character, Journal of Mediterranean Studies 1: 120-134, 1991 Α. Μητροπούλου; Ελληνικός Κινηματογράφος, Θεσσαλονίκη 2005 Μ. Κωνσταντινίδου; Κοινωνιολογική Ιστορία του Ρεμπέτικου R. Beaton: An introduction to Modern Greek Literature Modern Greek Writing, An Anthology in English Translation edited by D. Ricks, 2003 3
Κ. Ταχτσής: Το τρίτο στεφάνι, Εξάντας Α. Σαμαράκη: Η κόντρα, Ελευθερουδάκης 1994 100 χρόνια Ελλάδα, Μανιατέα 1999 J. P. Vernant: The Universe, the Gods and the Mortals, Profile Books 2002 Main Greek newspapers (To Vima, Kathimerini, Eleftherotypia and others on the internet Greek radio stations on the Internet Greek TV (OLC) gogreece.com (OLC) DolNET (Most of the main Greek newspapers online) visitgreece.gr A list of bookshops where course books and other language materials may be purchased is available on our website: www.kcl.ac.uk/mlc/facilities/shops.html OPEN LEARNING CENTRE Research shows that successful language learners regularly review their progress, have regular and steady exposure to the language and, at higher levels, work on problematic structures hence our asking you to work for 4-6 hours a week outside class time. In order to support you with your independent learning and be in contact with the culture of the language(s) you are learning, you are encouraged to use the resources in the Open Learning Centre OLC (K- 1.072, first basement) which provides a friendly learning environment with state of the art facilities. The Centre's multilingual learning advisors are always on hand to advise you on how to make the most efficient use of the open learning facilities as well as on how to become a more effective language learner. The Centre's resources include 32 satellite TV channels from around the world; foreign language films and first class learning materials on DVD and via streamed digital media; inhouse learning materials available on Blackboard and Wimba Voice tools; multilingual language learning software; daily and weekly newspapers and magazines; dictionaries, reference books and textbooks. During the first few weeks of the course, your teacher will arrange an induction session for the class in the OLC so that you can familiarize yourself with the facilities. The opening hours of the OLC are listed on their website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/humanities/depts/mlc/olc/ ATTENDANCE Attendance is compulsory for all language modules (hcus/sscs). Your attendance record needs to be 75% or above (15/20 sessions), or your final mark will be capped at 40. 4
You can miss up to 5 classes, e.g. if you are ill or have other urgent personal problems. You do not need to contact anyone, but it is your responsibility to catch up on the contents of the class you missed, and to find out from your fellow students about required assignments for the following class. If you miss more than 5 classes, you will be automatically emailed to be warned that your mark may be capped on the grounds of non-attendance. You will need to provide evidence to the MLC office to demonstrate why you have missed classes - this could be a letter from your personal tutor or a medical certificate. ASSESSMENT For all details regarding deadlines and dates for assessment see the website www.kcl.ac.uk/mlc 1. Compulsory formative assessment: Essay Formative assessment takes place during the first term, and is compulsory. Failure to complete and submit the piece/task(s) of the formative assessment will result in the student s final mark being capped at 40. Essay (2000 words, written at home) 0% Feedback All pieces of formative assessment are normally returned to students within 2 weeks, and the teacher will provide feedback in groups and/or individually. Group feedback will be provided in class. In addition students can book themselves for individual feedback during surgery hour (see day/time on the web-page: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/humanities/depts/mlc/staff/surgery.html 2. Oral presentation Oral presentation (20-25 minutes) Exam period: Ongoing throughout the year 40% 3. Final examination Written exam (3 hours) Exam period: Exam period: 8 th May-1 st June 2012 60% 5
This exam will consist of two parts: Part one: Text analysis 40 points Part two: Essay writing 60 points Students may use a bi-lingual OR a monolingual dictionary during the examination. Notes are not allowed. Past papers are available in the library and in the Open Learning Centre. 6