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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "IT 101-3"
COURSE NAME: "Introductory Italian I"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2022
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Rosa Napoli
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: This course carries 3 semester hours of credit.
OFFICE HOURS: W 1030-1130 pm by appointment-

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.
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; Presentation of the Past tense (Passato Prossimo); Agreement nouns / adjectives;

        Possessive adjectives (first 3 persons); Present  of reflexive verbs.

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.

-          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.

Numerical scale for grades:

A Excellent 94-100

A- 90-93

B+ 87-89

B Good 84-86

B- 80-83

C+ 77-79

 C Satisfactory 74-76

C- 70-73

D+ 67-69

D Poor but Passing 64-68

D- 60-63

F Failing Below 60 INC Incomplete P Passing (C or higher) NP Not Passing (C- or lower) W Withdrawal 

TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
New Italian Espresso_Textbook_Beginner and pre-intermediate+EBOOKGruppo italiaidea alma edizioni 9788861827240     
New Italian Espresso_Workbook_Beginner and pre-intermediate_EBOOGruppo italiaidea alma edizioni9788861827301     
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
TESTSThe three tests are designed to evaluate the student's knowledge of the grammar, vocabulary coverd, their reading and listening comprehension and written ability.30%
Final ExamThe final exam is designed to evaluate the student's knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary covered,their reading and listening comprehension, and the written ability. The final will include a final project.20%
Oral ProficiencyIn-class oral activities and presentation. Students are examined singularly and in pairs or small groups. The types of tests are: conversation between the two students or the small groups, monologues, role playing. Conversations, monologues and role playing are elicited by visual stimuli or questions from the instructor.25%
Class attendance\participation\Forum and HomeworkStudents are expected to come prepared to class and participate in all activities. Active participation is crucial, since the learning process requires considerable practice. It is mandatory for the course to have and use both the students book and the workbook in paper or electronic version. You are expected to log in to the Moodle platform of the course at least two times per week, in order to follow the course schedule, to participate in class and complete all the required Moodle activities (forum, assignments, wiki, video) The activity completion and the login activity will be tracked by the platform.25%

-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 th
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:

Students are expected 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  absences. The final grade will be lowered by 2 points for each additional absence.

After you use all your absences you should fill the Petition to have an excused absence and   sent it to Associate Dean Harris. 

 

This  form for the Petition should only be completed if students have exhausted all absences allowed by the attendance policy . Until you have used all the allowed absences, you should NOT request an exemption from the attendance policy, regardless of the cause for the absence (no matter how dramatic or mundane—from a broken leg to a broken alarm clock). 

 A link to the form is placed in both the student and faculty sections of MyJCU and on the Registrar’s webpage.   

Make sure your travel plans do not interfere with the class schedule.
If you should miss a class, please contact another student to find out what was covered that day so that you will be prepared for the next class.

DURING CLASS, PLEASE DO NOT:

-arrive late or  leave the room as it is distracting to the professor and to your classmates;

- answer your cell phone, read or send text messages;

- use your computer for anything not related to the class (e.g. Facebook)

MAKE-UPS

If you miss an exam or an assignment The professor  decides  to have the weight of the missed exam shifted to another assessment or if is really necessary to organize a make up.

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.

How to get the most out of your tutoring session:

  • Come early in the semester. You will benefit more from tutoring if you come when you first begin having problems. 
  • Come prepared. Bring your textbook, notes, and review sheets with you. 
  • Attend classes regularly. Tutoring is designed to supplement class instruction, not to replace it. refer to the university catalog for the attendance and absence policy.

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



COMMUNICATIVE FUNCTIONS/VOCABULARY

GRAMMAR

CULTURE

Week 1

Lezione 1

Primi contatti

 

Introducing yourself.

Asking the country of origin.

The Italian Alphabet.

Pronunciation of soft and hard sounds. Numbers from 0 to 20.

Giving one’s phone number, asking someone to repeat something

Nationality adjectives

Greetings. Classroom objects.

Asking the meaning, pronunciation and spelling of a word
Present tense of the verbsEssere(to be),Chiamarsi(my name is....).

Saluti

Week 2

Lezione 2

Buon appetito!


Ordering in a café/restaurant

Asking in a polite way. Asking for the bill. Asking for price.

Food and beverage. Meals.

Plural and singular nouns.Interrogatives

Che cosa?,Quanto?.

Definite articles.Indefinite articles. Numbers from 20 to 100.

Ristornate,

Trattoria...

o?

Week 3

 

Lezione 3

Io e gli altri

 

Introducing someone.

Describing feelings and sensations.

.Idiomatic expressions with Avere or Essere.

Notizie

sull’Italia

 

Week 4

Lezione 3

Io e gli altri

 

 

TEST 1

Talking about things that you own..

Asking someone’s age.
Introducing someone

Present of the verb To Have.

Week 5

Lezione 3

Io e gli altri

 

 

Describing people’s activities. Talking about professions. Telling dates.Speaking formally

 

Professions. Days of the week. Workplaces.

 

Verbs in –ARE

Verb Fare

Peculiarities of nouns

Simple prepositions

Numbers from 100 onwards

Formal and informal

 

Il lavoro in Italia

Week 6

Lezione 4

Tempo libero

 

 

Talking about free time. Talking about how often one does something. Talking about people’s interests. Expressing preferences

Present tense of regular verbs

Adverbs of frequency. Interrogatives.

 

I luoghi più visitati d’Italia..

Week 7

Lezione 4 cont.

 

ORAL Presentation 1

Talking about people’s interests. Expressing preferences.

. Present tense of irregular verbs.

The verb piacere

Video corso

Il quiz psicologico

Week 8

 

Lezione 5

In giro per l’Italia

TEST 2

Describing a city. Submitting a questionnaire. Asking and telling time.

Present tense of irregular verbs

Video

Una strada molti nomi.

Week 9

 

Lezione 5

In giro per l’Italia

 

 

 

 

Following and giving directions.

 

Italy’s cities and monuments. Street directions.Shops and stores.

 

 

 

 

 

Prepositions a, in.

C’è, ci sono. Adjectives. Noun-adjective agreement.

Week 10

Lezione 6

In albergo

 

 

Understanding hotel brochures

Describing one’s favorite hotel. Describing a room. Asking for information on accommodation. Talking about one’s holiday activities.

Months and seasons.

 

Present tense of modal verbs.

Adverbs: bene and male. Asking for and giving timetable information, talking about one’s holiday activities.

Mancia e scontrino, come funziona?

Week 11

Lezione 8

Vita

Quotidiana

TEST 3

 

 

 

Describing a typical day

Describing your daily routine


Present tense of

reflexive verbs

Position of reflexive

Cosa regalano gli italiani.

 

 

I gesti italiani

Week 12

Lezione 8

Describing your daily routine


Everyday actions

. Possessive adjective+nouns

(mio,tuo,suo)

 

Week 13

Lezione 7

Un finesettimana

Talking about past actions. Understanding descriptions of past events.Specifying when a past event took place

Time expressions.

Introduction of the Past tense Passato prossimo .Forms and agreement of past participle.

Dove Andiamo in vacanza?

Week 14

ORALPRESENTATION 2

Final Review

 

Final Examination