For incoming Erasmus Students 2015-2016

Please contact your tutor (i.e., the member of staff who is in charge of the exchange with your home University) as soon as you get here, but remember that your tutor can ONLY answer questions related to the teaching. For all other questions, such as accommodation or any other questions that have to do with administrative procedures, contact the International Office at erasmus@unisa.it and / or consult the webpage of the International office for incoming Erasmus students: http://www.international.unisa.it/studenti/incoming

What follows is some useful information about the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures:

SEMESTERS / TEACHING

The first semester typically starts at the beginning of October and ends the week before Christmas; the second semester typically starts mid-February and ends in the middle of May.
You don't need to register for courses, but it is a good idea to talk to the course lecturer before the start of the course to find out about course requirements, etc. YOU ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND CLASSES. It helps you prepare for the final exams; it makes you familiar with a different system of education; and it helps you socialize with Italian and other foreign students.


ASSESSMENT / EXAMS

The period of exams for the first semester is January to mid-February; exams for the second semester run from the beginning of June to the end of July. An extra session of exams takes place in September.

N.B. You can also take exams for courses you attended in the first semester in the second session of exams (June-end of July) or in September.

Exams are typically oral exams: you'll be asked to discuss the primary texts included in the 'Reading List' using the critical material related to these texts. It is compulsory to read ALL the texts in the 'Reading List' before you take the exam. The maximum mark awarded is 30 (or if you do exceptionally well, 30 cum laude). The lowest pass mark is 18. The lecturer will always explain the criteria for awarding a specific mark. In exceptional circumstances, you are allowed to reject the mark awarded and take the exam again, but not more than once for each session of exams.
In a few cases, as an alternative to oral exams, especially if your University system is based on coursework, you may be able to make arrangements with the lecturer of your course so that you can write essays / assignments as total or partial replacement for the oral exam. Even in this case, IT IS COMPULSORY to turn up on the established date of the exam (publicized on the web page of the Departement), so that your mark can be registered, and you can obtain official documentation from your lecturer to take back to your home institution to have the exam validated.

CREDITS

Most courses award 9 credits. Some courses award 6 credits. A 9-credit course normally means 54 hours of teaching / contact hours. A 6-credit course means 42 hours of teaching / contact hours. They correspond to 9 or 6 ECTS credits. Courses run either in the first or second semester. ONLY LANGUAGE COURSES RUN THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

N.B: Language courses (English, French, Spanish, Russian, German) are the only courses which run throughout the year, and they award 9 credits. They are not necessarily, or entirely, "pure" language courses. For instance, English language courses (English Language 1 (first-year), 2 (2nd year), 3, 4, 5-- see below for a link to the description of the courses) include modules on linguistic theory, translation theory, cultural studies, etc. which may be appropriate for incoming Erasmus students who are looking for courses taught in English. But be aware: for these language courses you must pass the written test in order to take the oral exam, and the final mark is the average mark between the written test and the oral exam. Written tests are in January, May and September. (Dates are publicized on the webpage of the Departement). If you are staying here only for the first semester (October to February), you may take your written test in the middle of January which is usually a resit exam session for students who attended the course the previous year. Also, you may be able to arrange with the lecturer responsible for the course to do additional work (eg, written work or additional reading) in order to obtain the full amount of credits (9 credits). Please note that members of staff are under no obligation to agree to this. If in doubt contact the lecturer of the course, or your tutor, well in advance of the date of the oral exam or written test.


LANGUAGE OF TEACHING

Most courses are taught in Italian. There are some exceptions. English Language courses are taught in English. Courses in Literature for second- and third-year students, and related courses with a literature component; courses in Literature for fourth- and fifth-year students (which are part of the 'Higher Specialized degree course in Modern Languages and Literatures' [i.e. 'Laurea magistralè or 'Laurea specialistica'], and which are courses Erasmus students can take, irrespective of the year they are in at their home university) are partially or entirely taught in the "native" language (i.e., English Literature is taught in English, North-American Literature is taught in English; History of English Culture, Modern and Contemporary English Literature and Anglophone Literatures are taught in English; History of Hispano-American Literature is taught in Spanish, and so on).



COURSES (IMPORTANT!!!):

Here you can find a link to the courses being taught, with the name of the lecturer, language of tuition, semester in which the course is taught, number of credits and other useful information:

Link to courses for the three-year degree course in Lingue e culture Straniere

Link to the courses for the Specialised degree (4th and 5th year), which Erasmus students can take (see general instructions)

Remember: You can choose courses from ANY degree scheme listed at the link above. Click on a 'Degree Coursè and then click on 'Courses' on the left-hand side.


E-MAIL ADDRESSES: For E-mail addresses of teaching staff, see http://www.dipsum.unisa.it/dipartimento/personale

For more general information, you may want to consult the webpage of the International office for incoming Erasmus students:http://www.international.unisa.it/studenti/incoming