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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "IT 101-9"
COURSE NAME: "Introductory Italian I"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2018
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Matilde Galante
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 8:30-10:20 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 60
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: This course carries 3 semester hours of credit.
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to give students basic communicative ability in Italian. By presenting the language in a variety of authentic contexts, the course also seeks to provide an introduction to Italian culture and society. Students work on all four language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Note: This course carries 4 semester hours of credit during the Fall and Spring terms, 3 hours in Summer.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course presents the first principles of Italian language, geography and culture in a student-centered learning environment.

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

  • Satisfy a limited number of immediate needs.
  • Understand and convey some spoken Italian through the knowledge and usage of familiar and memorized structures, on the most common features of daily life that require the interchange of simple and direct information.
  • Understand the general meaning of oral announcements and brief texts on familiar subjects with simple morphology and lexicon.
  • Produce one-paragraph texts with limited formulaic information by using elementary functions

Students will study in depth the following grammar points:

        Definite and indefinite articles; Present tense of regular and irregular verbs; Past tense (Passato Prossimo); Agreement nouns / adjectives;

        Possessive adjectives; Present and Past tense of riflexive verbs; Introduction to direct pronouns.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

LEARNING OUTCOMES:



Comprehension

-          Listening:  students will be able to understand familiar words and basic sentences concerning themselves and familiar topics when people speak slowly and clearly.

-          <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Reading: students will be able to read short, simple texts, such as advertisements, menus, brief articles from magazines. They will be able to develop reading strategies to find specific, predictable information in texts and brief personal communications.

Production

-          Speaking: students will be able to use the target language with a basic level of conversational fluency on familiar topics. They will be able to ask and answer simple questions in areas of immediate need or on familiar topics.

-          Writing: students will be able to write short, simple messages dealing with everyday issues and to describe, in basic sentences, themselves, their friends and families, their immediate surroundings and their daily routines.

Cultural awareness

Students will be able to identify some characteristics of the target language culture(s) and distinguish between patterns and stereotypes. They will be able to note similarities and differences between target cultures and their own. They will be able to give examples of the relationship between language and culture.

Reflectivity

Students will be able to reflect, in English, on personal experiences while learning a new language and living in a different culture. They will work towards identifying their personal learning style. Particular emphasis will be placed on awareness and use of language learners’ strategies.

TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Percorso Italia A1/A2Giuseppe Patota e Norma RomanelliDante Alighieri9788869643248     
Gramm.it for english speakerGruppo CSCBonacci editore9788875734305     
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
tests 20%
midterm exam 25%
final exam 25%
oral proficiency 20%
class participation and homework 10%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY



You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

 

SCHEDULE


 

 

 

 

 Week 1 

Introducing yourself. Present tense of the verbs Essere (to be), Chiamarsi (my name is....), Avere (to have), Abitare (to live) and Studiare (to study). The Italian Alphabet. Pronunciation of soft and hard sounds. Numbers from 0 to 20. Idiomatic expressions with Avere or Essere.







UNIT 1                

Greetings. Introducing a person (formal and informal)

Present tense of the verb Presentare (to introduce).

Asking for and giving a phone number.

Week 2

UNIT 2

Asking nationality. Nationalities. Ordering in a caffè.                      

Present tense of regular verbs and verbs ending in _ISC. Undefinite aticles. Nouns ending in –o and –a. Nouns ending in –e.

Prepositions a, di, da.

Numbers from 20 to 100.

Week 3 

UNIT 3

Talking about work. Jobs. Asking for addresses. Talking about family. Telling age and asking for age. Family nouns.

Present tense of Avere (to have) and Fare (to do). Definite articles.

TEST 1

 

 

 

 Week 4 

 

 

UNIT 4

Talking about a typical day. Talking about how often you do something. Asking and telling the time. Days of the week.

Present tense of reflexive verbs. Adverbs of frequency. Present tense of irregular verbs andare (to go), uscire (to go out) and stare (to stay/to be).

 Week 5 

 

UNIT 4 

Enrolling in a class. Seasons and months. Asking for and giving timetable information.

Writing a letter.

 Week 6 

 

UNIT 5 

There is and there are. Simple prepositions. Compound prepositions. Present tens of Volere (to want)

TEST  2  

 Week 7 

UNIT 5           

Week 8

Midterm review

UNIT 6

Talking about leisure time. Expressing likes and preferences. Inviting someone. Best wishes and congratulations.

Present tens of modal verbs. Mi piace/mi piacciono (I like). Indirect pronouns. Present continuous

  

 MIDTERM

.Week 9 

 

UNIT 11

Talking about a trip.

Past tense. Past tense time adverbs.

 Week 10 

   (First Oral proof)

UNIT 11

Past tense of irregular and reflexive verbs.

 Week 11 

UNIT 7

Grocery shopping. Describing food and eating habits.

Direct pronom ne. Ci vuole/ci vogliono (you need).

 UNIT 8

Asking for and giving directions. Talking about the weather.

Present tense of sapere and conoscere (to know).

TEST 3

 Week 12 

UNIT 8 CONT.

 

 Week 13

UNIT 9

Ordering in a restaurant. Asking for the check. Talking about food. Numbers 100 -1.000.000.000

Direct pronouns. Adjectives.

 Week 14

Oral presentation

Final Review

Final Examination