ITAL 201: Experiencing Perugia: Intermediate Language, Culture, and Reflection I

Course Description

Experiencing Perugia I is an interdisciplinary course that focuses on achieving and strengthening an Intermediate level in cultural and linguistic-communicative competences (speaking, writing, reading and comprehension) regarding main points of clear standard input on familiar and more complex matters regularly encountered in work, school, and leisure and while traveling. At the same time, it asks students to reflect on various aspects of contemporary Perugian life and Italian culture, asking them to analyze their own experience of immersion in a different cultural environment.  This course has three pillars: language, culture, and reflection. Advanced Intermediate Italian language instruction is at the core of the class. Students will consolidate fundamentals of the Italian language already learned and be exposed to new grammatical concepts in order to interact on a more sophisticated basis with Italians in various real-world settings. Second, they will use their language learning as a vehicle for delving into the richness and complexity of Italian culture. Third, students reflect on their experiences living in a new culture and understanding how this has impacted their perspective on the United States and their sense of their own identities. Through engaging in interactive assignments, maintaining a reflective course journal, and participating in group activities, students will learn to live in their new environment, build competence and confidence as global citizens, and understand how they can leverage their Perugia experience for their future personal and professional success.

Course Purpose

Students will strengthen and improve upon their skills in speaking, reading, and understanding Italian, study Italian culture and experience it first-hand, and reflect on the what they have learned both about Italy, the United States, and themselves through their study abroad experience.

Course Learning Objectives

At the end of the semester, students will be able to:

2. Demonstrate foundational skills in speaking and understanding Italian, including:
   1. understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.
   2. dealing with most situations likely to arise while travelling in an area where the language is spoken.
   3. producing produce simple connected text on topics that are familiar or of personal interest.
   4. describing experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
3. Convey their understanding of contemporary political and economic issues in Italy.
4. Participate in somewhat sophisticated discussions of contemporary Italian culture.
5. Engage in critical evaluation of their own culture, Italian culture, and other foreign cultures, including:
   1. Articulating U.S. cultural rules, norms and biases;
   2. Understanding how their own experiences have shaped their values and priorities;
   3. Knowing how to respond productively to cultural differences;
   4. Valuing what is important to members of another culture, including their history, politics, communication styles, economy, beliefs and social practices;
   5. Interpreting cross-cultural experiences from multiple worldviews and respecting the rights and feelings of other cultural groups;
   6. Asking complex questions about their own culture and other cultures, seeking out answers to those questions that reflect multiple cultural perspectives.
6. Understand and articulate the unique benefits of their study abroad experience and anticipate how to leverage those benefits for their future personal and professional success.

 

Course Materials

• Required Text: a Course Reader that contains the majority of the reading materials, grammatical units and vocabulary to be covered in the course will be made available.
• Mandatory course reader: selected exercises and readings from various sources
• Dictionary: you are strongly recommended to purchase an English/Italian, Italian/English dictionary. The library in via Bartolo also has a number of dictionaries available for consultation.