ITL 601 C – Italian Language and Culture Spring 2012
Multi-section course
COURSE DESCRIPTION
TEXTBOOKS:
Required: Aski, Musumeci – Avanti! Second edition with Quia online Workbook/Lab
Manual
Required: Adorni- English Grammar for Students of Italian (to be purchased separately)
Please watch this video with (sweet) study tips for ITL 601 C:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92rgJq09o-g
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
In ITL 601 C, students will study eleven of the sixteen chapters of the textbook Avanti!, do the exercises on the online workbook that accompanies Avanti! and read English Grammar for Students of Italian as a grammar reference, at home and, if possible, in class.
By the end of ITL 601 C, students will:
- be able to carry on a conversation in Italian with good pronunciation, using all
- the verbal tenses and moods learned in ITL 601 C;
- possess a sizeable vocabulary;
- be capable of understanding and discussing simple cultural topics;
- read short essays;
- write short compositions in Italian using grammatically correct prose.
Class time will be primarily developing the ability to speak and understand the target language and group activities will be largely used; students will be active participants in the learning process. Since class time must be devoting to practicing the Italian language, students are required to have prepared the assigned homework for each given day; students should expect to spend at least 12 hours every week for homework. This course is for beginner students of Italian; if you have been already exposed to the Italian language, you should take a placement test in accordance with the UT policies on academic dishonesty.
GRADING:
(1) Four Chapter Tests 20%
(2) Final Exam 20%
(3) Portfolio: Compositions, written first draft oral report,
dialogues, weekly activities and projects 25%
(4) Oral Report on Italian Culture 10%
(5) Attendance, Class Participation,
General Oral Performance, Skits 15%
(6) Online Workbook/Lab Manual 10%
GRADE DISTRIBUTION / COURSE REQUIREMENTS IN DETAIL:
(1) Four Tests on grammar and vocabulary- There will be four chapter tests during
the semester, one every two chapters. All will have listening comprehension and written exercises.
(2) Final Exam- The final exam will be comprehensive with focus on the vocabulary
and grammatical structured presented in the last three chapters. The final exam will
test students’ reading, writing, and listening skills in addition to vocabulary and grammar.
(3) Portfolio- It will contain the following:
Four Compositions: There will be a total of 4 compositions: three will be written at
home - one of which will be revised- and the last one will be written in class.
Composition # 3 will be revised: students will have the opportunity to make
corrections according to the instructor’s indications on the first draft; the average of the
grade received on the first draft and the grade received on the last version will be the
final grade for Composition # 3.
The topic of the last three compositions will generate from songs chosen by the
instructor or the students; the lyrics of the song, as well as a video, for the last composition (#4)
will be presented in class by the instructor one day prior to the day on which it will
be written in class .
Written first draft of the oral report on culture (see Oral Report on Italian Culture)
Dialogues: Students will write every week short dialogues focusing on the new vocabulary and grammatical structures and will collaborate with classmates in writing them. Some of them, the longer skits, will be presented in class.
Activities/Projects: During the semester, the instructor will give information about activities/projects that students must include in their portfolio on a weekly base.
(4) Oral Report on Italian Culture: Students, divided in groups, will present to the class an oral report: its topics will be chosen among the many cultural notes presented by the first 11 chapters of the textbook Avanti! and presented to the class as a slideshow or through visual aids. Prior to the presentation in class, students will research on the chosen topics, work outside of class with their classmates in the group, and write a first draft.
Each group will show the instructor a first written version of the report’s script three days prior to the class presentation; the instructor will correct it and give it a cumulative grade that will be counted in the Portfolio component.
Each student in the group will receive an individual grade for the presentation, which will be based mainly on pronunciation and content, but also on accuracy in the grammar and use of proper vocabulary.
Each student is expected to speak for about five minutes.
(5) Attendance, Class Participation, General Oral Performance, and Skits:
Regular classroom attendance is essential to your success in learning Italian.
There are six (6) allowed absences, excused or unexcused. Starting with the seventh (7th) absence the final grade will be lowered by 1% for each absence (up to 10%).
Class participation: daily preparation is also crucial in learning Italian; class participation is evaluated not only by regular classroom attendance, but also by the quality of each student’s participation, group activities, and contribution to the lesson. Therefore, it’s also imperative that students prepare daily for class by memorizing vocabulary, studying grammatical structures, and doing all the assigned online homework. A weekly grade based upon the student’ participation will be given and its average will represent 5% of the final grade in the course.
General Oral Performance: student’s daily performance in class; conversation, homework, dialogues, and group activities. A weekly grade based upon students’ pronunciation, fluency, accuracy in grammar, and comprehension will be given and its average will represent 5% of the final grade in the course.
Skits: Beside their daily performance in class, students will receive a grade (5% of final grade) for writing and acting out in class at least three skits throughout the semester.
Skits’ description: Each chapter of the textbook Avanti! ends with a list of the lexicon utilized in the chapter. At the beginning of Week 2, the instructor will divide the class in groups --from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 5 people-- and write out a calendar for every day of the week: each group will present in class and act out a brief dialogue that includes as many new words from the final chapter’s list as possible. As we move forward in the book, the length of the dialogue will increase: for example, if in Chapter 2 each student deliver five lines, in the last one, Chapter 11 each student will deliver fifteen or more.
Students will be entirely responsible for the preparation of these dialogues outside of class, utilizing the instructor’s office hours and entering the written dialogue in the portfolio. For the first dialogue, instructors will assist the students in class.
By the end of the semester, each group will have delivered at least three dialogues.
The instructor will assign a grade for each dialogue; the cumulative average will also constitute one of the grades in the class participation and in the general oral performance components.
(6) Online Workbook/Lab Manual: Students should expect to spend at least two hours
daily on homework and class preparation.
At home, students will study the assigned pages on the textbook Avanti! prior to class,
read carefully the pertinent grammatical explanations presented by English Grammar
for Students of Italian and complete the Quia online Workbook/Lab Manual* for Avanti!
that offers self-correcting exercises and an audio program.
*Online Workbook/Lab Manual: Centro website www.mhcentro.com
Students are expected to complete the online workbook/laboratory manual exercises that pertain to the material covered in class on a daily basis. (Hint: Technology may fail you at the most inappropriate time, so do not wait the last minute to do your homework!)
You can access the activities on the Avanti! Centro website www.mhcentro.com and log in with the ID which you purchased with the textbook package in the bookstore, or directly from CENTRO online. This is the least expensive way to purchase the online workbook/lab manual. The URL is: www.mhcentro.com/books/bookstore.html.
