This paper is aimed at investigating the discourse strategies Italian learners of German as a foreign language, embedded in the PR courses taught at University of Udine (Italy), need for professional purposes, in order to assure the transfer of knowledge which interactions in the PR field are based on.
Therefore, the research question seeks to understand which discourse strategies will help to convey the knowledge and allow the students to build upon domain-specific competencies as well as start and evaluate self-guided learning processes. In this perspective, the paper will first investigate which communicative situations have to be mastered in professional settings linked with the German speaking area, which potential addressees and functions are supposed to be relevant, which text-/discourse-types will be used. The related discourse strategies for information as well as for argumentation or persuasion purposes will be analyzed, by taking in account their fitting corporate and/or political communication.
As for the analysis of discourse strategies apt to foster the learning process the following issues will be unfolded: considering that the embedding of the German course for special purposes allows to reach at the curriculum’s end the B1-B2 level defined by the European Common Framework of Reference, which professional features/ competencies can be realised? How can students be induced to detect transfer difficulties related to intercultural diversity? How can discourse strategies suited to handle with these difficulties be taught?
