FOR INCOMING ERASMUS STUDENTS

Please contact your tutor (i.e., the member of staff responsible for the exchange with your home university) as soon as you arrive. However, please note that your tutor can only answer questions related to academic matters. For all other issues, such as accommodation or questions related to administrative procedures, contact the International Office at erasmus@unisa.it and/or consult the International Office webpage for incoming Erasmus students:

http://www.international.unisa.it/studenti/incoming

Below is some useful information about Degree Programmes in 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 usually begins in mid-February and ends in mid-May.
You do not need to register for courses, but it is advisable to speak to the lecturer before the course begins to understand the requirements.
You are strongly encouraged to attend classes. It helps you prepare for final exams, become familiar with a different educational system, and socialize with Italian and other international students.

ASSESSMENT / EXAMS

The exam period for the first semester runs from January to mid-February. Exams for the second semester are held from early June to the end of July. An additional exam session is held in September.

Note: You can also take exams for first-semester courses during the June–July session or in September.

Exams are typically oral and involve discussing the primary texts on the reading list, using relevant critical material. It is compulsory to read all the texts on the reading list before taking the exam. The maximum grade is 30, or 30 cum laude for outstanding performance. The minimum passing grade is 18. The lecturer will explain the criteria used for grading. In exceptional cases, you may decline the grade and retake the exam, but only once per exam session.

In some cases, particularly if your university system emphasizes coursework, you may be allowed to submit essays or assignments as a full or partial substitute for the oral exam. Even in this case, you are required to attend the scheduled exam session (as published on the Department's website) so that your grade can be recorded and you can obtain official documentation for your home university to recognize the credits.

Important: Students who are staying for the full academic year or who are arriving in the second semester are strongly advised to remain until the end of the summer exam session (late July). This will ensure that you have access to all available exam dates and can complete your assessments on time.

CREDITS

Most courses award 9 credits. Some courses award 6 credits. A 9-credit course normally includes 54 contact hours. A 6-credit course includes 42 contact hours. These correspond to 9 or 6 ECTS credits. Courses are offered in either the first or second semester. Only language courses run throughout the academic year.

Note: Language courses (English, French, Spanish, Russian, German) run throughout the year and award 9 credits. These are not necessarily limited to language instruction. For example, English Language courses (English Language 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – see below for course descriptions) may include modules on linguistics, translation theory, and cultural studies, which can be suitable for Erasmus students looking for courses taught in English.

However, for these language courses, you must pass a written test before taking the oral exam. The final grade is the average of the written and oral exam scores. Written tests are held in January, May, and September (dates are published on the Department's website). If you are staying only for the first semester (October to February), you may take the written test in mid-January, which is usually a resit session for students from the previous year. You may also be able to make arrangements with the lecturer to do extra work (such as written assignments or additional reading) to obtain the full 9 credits. Please note that lecturers are not obliged to approve such arrangements, so contact the course lecturer or your tutor well in advance of the exam dates.

LANGUAGE OF TEACHING

Most courses are taught in Italian. However, there are some exceptions. English Language courses are taught in English. Literature courses for second- and third-year students, as well as those in the Higher Specialized degree programs in Modern Languages and Literatures (Laurea magistrale or Laurea specialistica), may be partially or entirely taught in the target language. For example, English Literature, North American Literature, 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 instruction, semester, 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