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

• understand written and spoken Italian, through the knowledge of simple structures. Situations will be varied, but general and such as to require an interchange of every day information and routine tasks.
• participate in simple, direct conversations on generally predictable topics related to daily activities and personal environment.
• satisfy simple personal needs and social demands to survive in the target language culture.
• comprehend the general meaning and some details of texts on familiar topics.
• produce brief texts on topics of personal interests and social needs, primarily in the present, past, and future.

Listening

• In-class listening activities: Students will listen to the instructor and to recorded texts the duration of which will be at least 250 words. Students will have to answer (orally and in writing) an increasing number of questions that test their comprehension of what they have heard.

Speaking

• In-class oral activities and exams: Students will be examined singularly and in pairs. The type of tests will be: conversation between 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. They will have to answer in writing 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 written texts of increasing length, formality and complexity on topics of every day life.

Students are supposed to come prepared to class and participate in all activities. Active participation is crucial, since the learning process requires considerable practice. Regular attendance is an essential component of class participation. Students are allowed three (3) unjustified absences. The final grade will be lowered additional absences. Make sure your travel plans do not interfere with the class schedule. Two late entrances count as one absence.

MAKE-UPS

Individual arrangements for make-ups will be done only for students with medical emergencies or any other valid reasons. The Midterm and Final Exam can only be made up with approval from the Dean of Academic Affairs  (Please see the John Cabot University Catalogue and Student Handbook).

FLRC

The JCU Foreign Language Resource Center offers tutoring sessions free of charge. The FLRC is located at the Tiber Campus on the first floor. To schedule an appointment with a tutor (or a writing coach for upper-level courses), please use the online booking system.

WEEK 1            Jan 20-23

Materials provided in class;

Review of present tense of regular, irregular  and reflexive verbs, use of verb piacere

Vocabulary: daily life, introduce yourself and ask about others, express your preferences, what you like and what you don’t.

WEEK 2           Jan 27-30

Unit 1 “ Il viaggio continua”

Describe past events. Tell about your own biography or past experiences. Ask and tell what you did yesterday (last week, last month etc.); express agreement or disagreement; say how you are feeling.

Review of past tense (Passato prossimo); adverbs of time; irregular past participles. Direct object pronouns (lo, la, li, le) with past tense.

WEEK 3             Feb 3-6           (TEST 1 on Wednesday)

Unit 2 “Ti posso offrire un caffè?”

Offer, order, pay for food and beverages in a "bar"

Indirect object pronouns (Gli-Le); Verbs mancare and piacere; the pronoun NE

WEEK 4      Feb 10-14 (Friday, make-up class)

Unit 2 - Extra Materials

Say what you are doing, describe places

Stare + gerundio 

WEEK 5      Feb 17-20    (Test 2 on Wednesday)

Unit 4 “Firenze: Santa Maria Novella”

Give directions and advices.

Imperative tense

WEEK 6    Feb 24-27

Unit 5 “In un angolo tranquillo di Firenze”

Describe people; buy clothes and shoes

Preposition DA, CON, A and DI . 

WEEK 7              March 2-5       MIDTERM EXAM   on Thursday

Unit 6 “Ricordi dal finestrino” 

Talk about memories and about childhood; describe people and places in the past; compare present and past describing changes

Introduction to imperfect tense (basic use and conjugation)

Review                        

          
SPRING BREAK  March 9-13
                             

WEEK 8                  March 16-19      FIRST ORAL PROOF on Wednesday   

Unit 6 “Ricordi dal finestrino” ; 

Talk about past situations and experiences - 

WEEK 9        March 23-26

Unit 7 "Tutte le strade portano a Roma"

Describe a place - Write a review on a specific place you visited - Invite someone and accept or refuse (make an appointment) - Express appreciation for a place or situation - say what you liked or didn't like

Passato prossimo of verb piacere - Passato prossimo with mai (Es: hai mai fatto un lungo viaggio?)- Review of adverbs of frequency - Pronoun CI - adjectives to describe a place

WEEK 10            March 30 - April 2    (TEST 3 on Wednesday)  

Unit 8 “Ma guarda che coincidenza!” 

Tell about past experiences and events 

Passato prossimo vs imperfetto - Expressions for feelings (che caldo! che sete! etc.) - Conjunctions (perciò/ perché. Mentre / durante)

 WEEK 11          April 6-9

Unit 8 “Ma guarda che coincidenza!”

Review




WEEK 12    April 14-16 

Unit 9 “Verdai che passerà” 

Talk about future – make a promise and plans

Future tense (futuro semplice) - Preposition of time "Da" and "tra"

 WEEK 13        April 20 - 32 (Test 4 on Monday)    

Review and practice for the Oral Presentation.

 WEEK  14     April 27 - 30     ORAL PRESENTATION  on Monday       

Final Review                             

FINAL EXAM