Rome, Italy - Course Descriptions - Italian Advanced Reading and Composition

Course Information

Contact Hours and Credits

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Objectives

Open to students who have completed the equivalent of two years of college Italian, or taken the appropriate placement test. The course consolidates student’s advanced level of proficiency with extensive reading assignments, and both spontaneous and reflective writing assignments on such practical and abstract topics as reviews of films and plays, literary texts, cultural events and topics that will reflect various aspects of modern Italy. This material will provide the basis for class discussions geared toward expanding vocabulary and reviewing grammar. Students will become familiar with various styles and registers and thereby learn to distinguish between spoken and written usage.

Learning goals: Upon completing this course, students will possess the ability to:

• apply the functions that are necessary for the comprehension of literary texts and production of creative texts
• adequately use complex expressions and control linguistic operations in relation to their own personal and professional experience
• sustain communication by using, with suitable accuracy and confidence, connected discourse of paragraph length and substance
• produce narratives, descriptions, and commentary on literary topics, treated both abstractly as well as concretely
• use new and specialized lexicon
• participate in and conduct discussions on literary and cultural topics

Assessment Tools

Listening

• In-class listening activities students will listen to the instructor reading texts, usually from the required textbook or other material, the duration which increases from the lowest to the highest level (at least 1500 words). Students will have to answer ( in writing) to an increasing number of questions that test their comprehension of what has been heard.

Speaking

• In-class oral activities and exams: Students will be examined singularly and in pairs. The type of tests will be: conversation between the two students, monologues, role playing. The multiplicity of situations and the request to express personal opinions will increase from elementary level to advanced level. Conversations, monologues and role playing will be elicited by visual stimuli, texts, or questions from the instructor.

Reading

• In-class activities and exams: Students will have to read an increasing number of texts of increasing length, complexity and of different genres, ranging from public to personal opinions; from narrative to informative, from argumentative, and explicative, to cultural and academic. They will have to answer in writing to several questions that test their comprehension of what they have read.

Writing

• Homework assignments and exams: Students will have to answer written questions and produce texts of increasing length, formality and complexity, on topics of every day life, personal feelings, impressions, and professional experiences and opinions of common and social interest.

Syllabus

Week 1

Presentazioni. Introduzione al corso.
Grammatica: Morfologia del Passato prossimo, Uso del Passato prossimo, Uso degli ausiliari essere e avere
Funzioni comunicative: Raccontare e riassumere una storia. Descriviamo qualcuno e qualcosa!

Week 2

Grammatica: Morfologia dell' Imperfetto indicativo, Uso dell'Imperfetto indicativo, Trapassato prossimo
Lessico: Le parti del corpo, aggettivi, metafore
Funzioni comunicative: Descrivere, raccontare una storia al passato

Week 3

Grammatica: Morfologia del Passato remoto, Uso del Passato remot, Ripasso dei tempi passati dell'Indicativo.
Lessico: La favola, elementi caratteristici
Quiz 1

Week 4

Grammatica: Morfologia del Condizionale presente, Usi del Condizionale presente. Morfologia del Condizionale passato, Usi del Condizionale
Funzioni comunicative: Esprimere desideri, progetti
Produzione scritta: Lettura di un testo di Rodari e composizione relativa al racconto

Week 5

Grammatica: Il Congiuntivo presente, Il Congiuntivo passato
Funzioni comunicative: Esprimere un parere personale, un giudizio. Esprimere sentimenti di gioia, timore, speranza, dispiacere. Descrivere.
Intervista dal vivo PRO E CONTRO su un argomento scelto in classe

Week 6

Grammatica: Il Congiuntivo imperfetto e trapassato, Congiunzioni che reggono il Congiuntivo, Concordanza dei tempi del Congiuntivo
Funzioni comunicative: Esprimere desideri. Formulare ipotesi possibili e impossibili
Quiz 2

Week 7

Ripasso
MID TERM EXAM (giovedì 23 marzo)

Week 8

Revisione Mid term Exam
Grammatica: Intoduzione al Periodo ipotetico
Presentazione orale: Per le vie di Trastevere

Week 9

Grammatica: I pronomi, diretti, indiretti, combinati. L’imperativo con pronomi
Funzioni comunicative: Saper chiedere informazioni, dare ordini, esprimere le proprie motivazioni
Lessico: La pubblicità, il linguaggio
Quiz 3

Week 10

Grammatica: Aggettivi e pronomi indefiniti, Pronomi relativi
Funzioni comunicative: Argomentare, dibattere

Week 11

Grammatica: Morfologia delle forme passive, Uso delle forme passive
Funzioni comunicative: Riferire su un argomento.
Quiz 4

Week 12

Presentazione orale: Pubblicizzate il vostro paese o la vostra città, Composizione su un argomento a scelta della classe

Week 13

PREPARAZIONE ALL’ESAME FINALE CON ATTIVITA’ DI REVISIONE E PRODUZIONE SCRITTA SOTTO GUIDA DELL’INSEGNANTE

Week 14

ESAME FINALE

Recommended Text(s)

Carlo Guastella, “Giocare con la letteratura” Alma Edizioni – Firenze 2004
The instructor will provide additional coruse materials.
Students must have two good dictionaries: one bilingual and the second only Italian. (e.g. Garzanti, Zanichelli).
Highly recommended: English Grammar for Students of Italian, by Karen Primorac et al., Olivia and Hill Press, 1995

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