Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "IT 202"
COURSE NAME: "Intermediate Italian II"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2024

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Federica Capoferri
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 4:30 PM 5:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: Placement or IT 201 (As of Fall 2022: Placement or IT 201 with a grade of C or above)
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
A continuation of IT 201. While continuing the review of grammar, the course emphasizes the development of reading and composition skills. Short stories, newspaper articles, and films supplement the textbook.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This course concentrates on consolidating specific communicative tasks, including stating opinions and constructing hypotheses, in both speaking and writing. Specialized vocabulary is expanded and appropriate variables in register are introduced in expository writing and conversation. Please note that students who enroll in this level are supposed to have a solid knowledge of the topics covered in the previous levels. A PLACEMENT TEST will be held the first day of class. Students with gaps from previous levels are responsibile to work on them. FLRC can provide help, as well as digital resources provided by the Instructors.
The course is designed to review and study in depth the following grammar items:

Subjunctive mode: present, past, imperfect, and trapassato: Indicative Vs. Subjunctive
Passato Remoto
Formal Imperative
Past and present Conditional
If clause (periodo ipotetico)
Passive voice, impersonal forms, and Si passivante
Relative pronouns
Gerundio and Infinitive

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

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

-Understand written and spoken Italian at the upper intermediate level

-Participate in complex conversations on a variety of topics, using finite moods (indicative, subjunctive, conditional, and imperative) in present, past and future tense.

-Ask for and obtain information in a variety of settings.

-Express opinions, feelings, needs, approval and disapproval

-Comprehend the general meaning and details of upper-intermediate level texts

-Produce written texts on a variety of topics.

-Express possibility and impossibility

-Make conjectures.

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 Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
Spazio Italia. Corso di italiano per stranieri. Manuale. Con eserciziario. Con DVD-ROM. Vol. 4	Maria Gloria Tommasini (Autore) , Flavia Mimma Diaco	Loescher	9788820136338
Gramm.it for English-speakers	Iacovoni-Persiani-Fiorentino	Bonacci	9788875734305

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Oral presentation	5 minutes presentation (without reading) on a topic previously approved by the Instructor. You are welcome to use visual support such as power points but you are required to talk without reading. NO late assignments will be accepted.	10 %
Class Participation and Attendance	Students are supposed to actively participate to in-class activities and to come to class with all the homework done. Students are allowed 3 absences. Any additional absences will result in a 0 for this portion of your grade. Students are not allowed to use cell phone and computer in class unless differently instructed by the professor. If you disregard this rule, you will receive 0 in this poriton of your assessment. .	10%
Midterm Exam	Divided in 4 parts: Listening; Grammar and Vocabulary in context; Reading Comprehension; Composition. Please note that if you miss (with the Dean's Permission) the midterm, its percentage will be moves on your Final Exam (that will work for 45 % of your final grade)	20%
2 in-class tests	Grammar and vocabulary; listening; reading comprehension; composition. NO MAKE-UP	15%
Final exam	Final exam is divided in 4 parts: Listening, Grammar and Vocabulary in context, Reading comprehension, and Composition. A 10 minutes individual oral exam during the last week of courses will be also scheduled.	25%


in-class composition	a 100-words composition on a given topic	5
Homework	Home assignments must be submitted on Moodle. BY THE DUE DATE. More than 3 assignments not submitted or submitted after the deadline will result in a 0 for this portion of your grade.	10%

Progression	Take time to look at your mistakes. and try to incorporate the correct rule. PROGRESSION is a fundamental step for language classes: if you keep repeating the same mistakes, no progression is done. PLEASE NOTE THAT STUDENTS ENCOURAGED TO GO TO THE FLRC-TUTORING CENTER ARE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDATIONS.	5%

-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.

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

Please note that the instructor can make changes. Please note that no make-ups are allowed for any of the graded assignments.

Make-Up Friday: Sept 20

Please note that the instructor can make changes. Please note that no make-ups are allowed for any of the graded assignments.

Make-Up Friday: Sept 20

WEEK 1

Unit 1: “Ho viaggiato da Nord a Sud”.

Grammar: Review: Passato Prossimo vs. Imperfetto. Communicative Skills: Talks about geographical places, trips, relationships between places and people. Cultural contents: Italian regions, cities, local and global cultures.

WEEK 2

Unit 2: "Torino fu la prima capitale d'Italia"Grammar: Introduction to passato remoto. Communicative Skills: talk about Modern Italian History

WEEK 3

Unit 3: “Il Parlamento è eletto da tutti I cittadini”. Grammar: Passive form. Communicative Skills: talk about Italian politics and governmental structure; make comparison with other national political structures. Cultural Contents: Introduction to the Italian Constitution

WEEK 4

Unit 3. Continue.

Grammar: Passive form with VENIRE E AVERE; passive SI vs. impersonal SI; Indefinitive adjectives (selection). Communicative skills: talk about Italian private and public life; talk about Italian politics and bureaucracy. Cultural Contents: Italian Republic system; Italian President; Italian Constitution

WEEK 5

Unit 4: “È importante impegnarsi affinché le cose vadano meglio”

Grammar: Present subjunctive. Communicative Skills: talk about Italian job market and entrepreneurship; express opinions on different working environments; talk about Italian manufacture tradition. Cultural contents: Made in Italy.

WEEK 6

Test 1: Oct 8

Unit 4. Continue

Grammar: Past subjunctive; subjunctive moods in subordinate clauses. Communicative skills: prepare a job interview. Cultural contents: Italian job market.

WEEK 7

Review for Midterm

Midterm Oct 17

WEEK 8

Unit 5 “Credevo che fosse agli Uffizi”.Grammar: Imperfect Subjunctive. Comunicative Skills: describe art works; talk about your relationship with fine arts. Cultural contents: Italian cultural and artistic heritage.

WEEK 9

Unit 6: “Avrei fatto volentieri lo scrittore!” Grammar: Past Participle; Simple and Past Infinitive. Communicative skills: talk about writers and literary works; express ideas and comments on Italian literature. Cultural contents: introduction to the history of Italian language; literature in the era of digital devices.

WEEK 10

Nov 5: In-class composition

Unit 6. Continue

WEEK 11

Unit 6. Continue Grammar: Simple and Past conditional; Present and Past Gerundive. Communicative skills: talk literary tests, authors, personal ideas on literature. Cultural contents: Italian literary tradition.

WEEK 12

Facciamo il punto! Practice on the consecution temporum.

Nov. 26: Test 2

WEEK 13

Unit 7. "Se potessi andrei ogni sera a un concerto".

Grammar: Hypothetical tenses. Communicative skills: organize concerts, interview singers and composers. Cultural contents: Italian opera; Italian classic and pop music.

Oral Presentations

WEEK 14

Unit 7. Continue

Oral Presentations

Review for Final