Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "IT 101-3"
COURSE NAME: "Introductory Italian I (Note:This course carries 4 semester hours of credit)"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring Semester 2012

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Siddu Pilia Gina
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 14:30-16:20
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 60
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: This course carries 3 semester hours of credit.
OFFICE HOURS: ItalianTutoring Center Hours and at the end of classes

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:

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

satisfy a very 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.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

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.

TEXTBOOK:

NONE

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
3 Tests		20%
Midterm Exam		20%
Final Exam		25%
Verbal Presentation		15%
Participation		10%
Homework		10%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

Assessment Guidelines for assigning main letter grades: A, B, C,D, and F.

A: Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensiveknowledge 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.

B: This 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.

C: This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.

D: This 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.

F: This 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:
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 by 2 points for each additional absence. Make sure your travel plans do not interfere with the class schedule.

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

WEEK 1 Chapter 1: Come ti chiami? – Role play: a. Come ti chiami? b. Chi è? c. Chi sei? d. Di dove sei? e. Come stai? – Oral presentation: Introduce yourself f. Some useful expressions. - Alfabeto – Role play: a. Come si scrive? b. Come si pronuncia? - Fonetica (hard sounds and soft sounds). Listening Comprehension Activities – Numbers from 0 to 20.

Assignments Correction – Chapter 2: Che cos’è? a. Feminine nouns ending in –a; Masculine nouns ending in –o. b. Feminine articles la and una; Masculine articles il and un. – Classroom Vocabulary – Com’è? a. Feminine and masculine adjectives ending in –a and in –o. Writing Activity: describe your classroom. – Restaurant Vocabulary. Role play: At the restaurant. – Numbers - Personal Pronouns – The verb Avere. Role play: Quanti anni hai? – Some expressions using Avere – Nouns and adjectives ending in –e – Che giorno è ogg? Days of the week, months, dates. Role play: Quando è il tuo compleanno? – Masculine and Feminine Nouns beginning with a vowel – Role play: Qual è il tuo indirizzo?

WEEK 2 Assignments Correction –Masculine Nouns beginning with S + Consonant and Z - Role play: Domanda e risposta. Articles Review – Role play: Al Bar – Chapter 3: Che cosa sono? a. Plural Nouns and Adjectives. B. The plural of the definite articles. C. The verb Essere – Dov’è? Role play: Asking for directions on the street.

Assignments correction - Adjectives to describe a person – Oral presentation: Describe yourself – Writing Activity: Describe your roommate. Listening Activities: 1. Un bel ragazzo romano ; 2. Chi è? – Role play: Che cosa ti piace fare? – Role play: Un pezzo di pizza da portare via. - Writing: Parla un po’ di te.

WEEK 3 Assignments correction – Review – Video 1: Chi sono?

Test 1 – In-class discussion on a given cultural subject.

WEEK 4 Test 1 correction – Chapter 4: Lauren e Marco sono amici. a. Listening activity on a given story. B. Questions on the listening activity. C. Reading comprehension of the listening activity. – The present tense of the verbs ending in –ARE . Learning how to conjugate a verb. Listening activity: Chi lo fa?

Assignments Correction – Vocabulary: Andiamo a fare la spesa! Role play: Fare la spesa – On-site activity: Al Supermercato.

WEEK 5 Assignments Correction – The verb Andare. Role play: Andiamo a visitare Roma! – Vocabulary: Colazione, Pranzo e Cena. Role play: Che cosa mangi? – Reading activity: Gli italiani a tavola – Interview your classmate – Listening comprehension: Le abitudini degli italiani. Review - Writing: Describe a given person

Test 2 – In-class cultural discussion

WEEK 6 Test 2 correction – Chapter 5: Il mio appartamento. Apartment vocab. Oral presentation : Describe your apartment using c’è and ci sono – Vocab. to describe a town. Writing activity: Describe your hometown – The 3 conjugation –are –ere –ire. – Time words (adverbs of frequency) – Role play: 1. Ogni quanto? 2. Da quanto tempo?

Video 2: Case e apprtamenti – Chapter 6: All’Università – Role-play – Vocab. Le atiività a scuola – Listening: Davanti alla biblioteca – Video 3: A scuola – I verbi in –isc. Role play: Che cosa preferisci? – Role play: 1. Che ore sono? 2. A che ora? – The verb Fare. Idiomatic expressions made with Fare – Listening: 1. Che cosa fai nel tempo libero? 2. Che cosa fai il fine settimana? – Writing: La mia vita a Roma.

WEEK 7 Assignments correction – Midterm Review - Oral Exam 1

Midterm Exam

WEEK 8 Midterm Exam correction – Chapter 7: Marco e la sua famiglia. Family Vocab. – Listening: Una famiglia italiana – Video 4: Felicita e la sua nuova famiglia. – Gli aggettivi possessivi – Listening: Chiara descrive i suoi parenti – Reading: La famiglia italiana.

Assignments correction – Vocabulary and Role-play: In un negozio di vestiti – Listening: Che bel vestito! – Direct pronouns: lo la li and le – On-site activity: Andiamo a fare shopping in Via dei Giubbonari!

WEEK 9 Mi piace e mi piacciono. Role-play: Ti piace o ti piacciono? – Writing: Come ti piace vestirti? -Le stagioni e il tempo. Vocabulary: Che stagione preferisci? - Listening: Che programmi hai? – Video 4: Come sono? Che cosa portano?

Chapter 8: Al telefono. Role play: Making plans on the phone. – Vocabulary: Le faccende di casa. – I verbi Dovere, Potere e Volere. – Listening: 1. Prima di uscire. 2. In famiglia chi lo fa? – Writing: Che disordine!

Assignments correction – Le preposizioni articolate – Gli avverbi di luogo – Writing: Descrizione di una stanza con gli avverbi di luogo – I verbi Conoscere e Sapere - I verbi Venire e Uscire – Role play: Intervista.

WEEK 10 Assignments correction – Review - Writing: La mia famiglia

Test 3 – In-class cultural discussion

WEEK 11 Test 3 correction – Chapter 9: Il fine settimana di Lauren – Il passato prossimo – Listening: 1. Quando? 2. Che giornata ieri! 3. Un lungo messaggio

Reading: La musica in Italia – Discussion – Listening: Un giorno come gli altri – Role-play: Quando è stata l’ultima volta che ...? – Video 5: Che cosa hanno fatto? - Reading: Una lettera di una donna a una rivista – Writing: Rispondi alla lettera.

WEEK 12 Assignments Correction – Chapter 10: Una mattina tipica. I verbi riflessivi. – Le attività di tutti I giorni – Vocabulary: Cosa facciamo ogni giorno? - Listening: 1. Giorno dopo giorno! 2. Cosa fanno?

Writing: La mia mattina tipica – Vocabulary: 1. Le parti del corpo – 2. Ho mal di testa – 3. La farmacia – Role-play: In farmacia – Video 6: Attività giornaliere.

WEEK 13 Assignments correction – Writing: Lo scorso fine settimana – Video: Trailer of an Italian Movie. Reconstruction of the plot in the Past tense.

Past tense of reflexive verbs – Listening: Corrado è andato a una festa– Reading and writing activities on an article in the past tense.

WEEK 14 Avverbi di modo ending in –mente – Reading: articles from an Italian newspapers – Oral presentation on the articles – How to write a text-message in Italian.

Oral Exam 2 – Final Review

FINAL EXAM