After completing this course students are able to:
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maintain conversations with a number of strategies appropriate to a range of circumstances and topics,
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deliver short presentations in Italian,
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review information and the main ideas from advanced subject-specific texts they are confronted with.
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perform writiting avities that include taking notes from oral communications and responding in writing to some topics,
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write simple formal and informal letters, and different kinds of reports.
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establish contact and maintain communication contact on service and personal topics, with native speakers of Italian who are accustomed to speak with non-native speakers.
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understand and demonstrate knowledge and insight in Italian Culture, Art and History from 400 AD till the present moment
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recognize, name and describe different events, and analyze and compare texts on those items
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analyze and criticize social, political, historical texts relating them to relevant current developments and events;
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compare texts written in Italian with others read in English during the course or found on the internet;
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trace, find, study, criticize and use English and Italian secondary material, both in words and in images, in libraries, museums, and on the internet;
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question and discuss their material;
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express their findings both orally and on paper, in English as well as in Italian
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explain the background of language, culture and history topics presented to them in Italian
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compose texts in Italian on topics studied in Italian
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This course focuses on culture and language, history and art of the Italian-speaking peoples. The starting point is Italy today, the current societies and the issues they face. Language learning prepares for communication with native speakers of the language, and on acquiring the functional tools for establishing and maintaining contacts with Italian speaking persons.
Culture, history and art are addressed via texts in English, and detailed on a weekly basis in the course description. The course description also contains information necessary for acquiring a functional command of the language. The work planner marks pace and progress, and deadlines through the semester.
Format
Contact hours focus on language practice and discussions on culture and history. Students present on cultural and linguistic topics related to the course contents.
In the “culture” lectures issues are introduced and debated. Information about Italian culture, society, history and art is studied in English (translations), laid out on a weekly basis in the course description. On occasion, students are to discuss specific aspects of particular themes, and review them from various angles. In doing so, argumentations and considerations behind the Italian approach to various matters in Italian culture can be explored. Creativity and originality (e.g. in terms of an intercultural approach) are highly esteemed in this section of the course. A four-days field trip to Italy is planned for the mid term break, providing students with an unique opportunity to practice they language skills and being immerged in the culture. The excursion will be prepared through a series of assignments, and will form the ground for the individual final paper.
Students are expected to dedicate ten hours per week to self-study, some monitored by the instructor, in which they complete obligatory self-study assignments before class, exercise language items, study grammar and cultural information and prepare communication and cultural tasks that are performed in class.
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