Untitled document
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Compose and critique brief Italian essays on topics of general interest over a broad
range of personal and societal issues.
2. Hold a conversation and speak extemporaneously on a wide range of
personal and cultural topics with few errors of grammar.
3. Comprehend Italian spoken naturally on a wide range of cultural and historical
topics.
4. Comprehend most short fiction and non-fiction written in Italian
with occasional use of a dictionary.
5. Present personal interpretation of fiction and non-fiction selections
orally and in writing.
6. Produce and employ with relative ease: all regular and irregular verb
conjugations, all pronouns and all tenses and moods.
7. Produce and employ with relative ease: definitions, synonyms and/or
opposites of a broad range of Italian verbs, adjectives and nouns.
8. Produce and employ with relative ease most everyday Italian vocabulary
and common idioms.
9. Produce correct pronunciation of familiar Italian words as well as
most unfamiliar ones.
10. Produce original, intelligent interpretations of texts.
11. Accurately report indirect speech.
12.Convey personal opinions on common personal and social topics, including music, film, news, literature, fashion, and contemporary events.
Untitled document
A. Vocabulary and grammar related to a variety of communicative tasks, including:
1. Discussing the effect of English on Italian and American culture on Italian culture
2. Summarizing and talking about news events, including types of Italian newspaper and magazine sources
3. Analyzing and discussing interpersonal relationships and gender issues
4. Talking about music and musicians, including influences and styles
5. Talking about modern Italian and Italoamerican cuisine
6. Discussing personal beliefs and superstitions
7. Referring to events in the distant past
8. Summarizing and discussing fairy tales and fables
9. Talking about and using modern technology
10. Discussing past, present, and future events by constructing complex sentences
11. Expressing opinion, belief, doubt, and emotion
12. Discussing social and community issues
13. Expressing opinions about fashion and clothing
14. Talking about having something done and getting/giving permission for something to take place
15. Talking about different types of movies and popular Italian comic strips
16. Reporting conversations and dialogue
17. Discussing Italian lifestyles and customs
18. Recognizing and using common idioms
B. Specific elements of grammar include:
1. Review of the imperfect vs. "passato prossimo," including trapassato
2. Review of past and present conditional
3. Various comparatives and superlatives, including idioms
4. Review and elaboration of the present and past subjunctive, including the imperfect
5. More "if" clauses and the subjunctive
6. The subjunctive's relationship to the indicative and to various tenses
7. "Se" clauses and hypothetical, improbable, or contrary-to-fact sentences
8. Conjunctions that require the subjunctive
9. The "concordanza dei tempi" in the subjunctive
10. Review of the pronouns "ci" and "ne"
11. The verb "piacere" and similarly conjugated verbs
12. Elaboration of the historical past or "passato remoto," including the "trapassato remoto"
13. Review of the future tense
14. The passive and impersonal "si," including other uses of "fare" and "lasciare"
15. Direct and indirect discourse
16. Uses of infinitives, participles, and gerunds
C. Information related to key aspects of Italian culture, including related vocabulary, such as:
1. Italy vs. Italia (American idealism vs. Italian reality) and Italamerica
2. Journalism and publishing houses
3. Gender issues, including "vitelloni" and "casalinghe"
4. Italian music, traditional and contemporary, including "cantautori"
5. Modern Italian cuisine
6. Fairy tales, fables, and traditional stories
7. Superstitions, including "malocchio"
8. Impact of computers, cell phones, and the Internet on Italian culture
9. Contemporary social issues and volunteerism
10. Italian fashion industry, including "la bella figura"
11. Traditional Italian card games
12. Italian cinema, film, graphic novels, and comic strips
13. Contemporary daily life in Italy, including lifestyles and jobs
Untitled document
Typical assignments include:
1. Reading from the textbook and instructor-assigned materials (averaging 20-25 pages per week).
2. Memorizing vocabulary and/or verb conjugations (averaging 60 - 85 terms per
week).
3. Completing assigned exercises in textbook and/or workbook (averaging 10 exercises
per week).
4. Completing language laboratory activities and/or writing reports (averaging
2 hours per week).
5. Reviewing material for in-class participatory assignments and/or quizzes and tests (averaging one hour per week).
6. Quizzes and exams, as indicated by the instructor (examples include vocabulary/reading quizzes, chapter tests, mid-term and final exams, etc.)
7. Short compositions (3-5, averaging 150-400 words each).
8. Oral participation, group activities, and assigned projects.
9. Brief written and/or oral responses to news stories, short fiction, or articles of cultural interest.
