ITAL 420S – Advanced Italian Language Conversation, Composition & Culture II
B2.2 Level (CEFR)

At A Glance
Credits: 6
Prerequisites: Four or more semesters of college-level Italian or Placement Test
Contact hours at Università per Stranieri: 84
Contact hours at the Umbra Institute: 8
Co-curricular cultural activities: 20 
Language of instruction: Italian

Course Description
This is a 4-week first-level advanced Italian course offered as part of the Summer Intensive Italian Language & Culture Program. US university students completely with at least four or five semesters of college-level Italian will most likely test into the B2 level (CEFR) and receive a total of 6 credits for their studies in Italian language, culture, and conversation. Traditional in-class language instruction conducted at the Università per Stranieri is supplemented by a rich series of cultural co-curricular activities by faculty at the Umbra Institute.

Students will be enrolled at the prestigious Università per Stranieri di Perugia and study alongside international students representing over 100 countries. The in-class language instruction conducted at the Università per Stranieri is supplemented by tutorials and workshops at the Umbra Institute and a rich series of cultural co-curricular activities by Umbra faculty at the Umbra Institute. For more information about the Università per Stranieri click here.

Course Objectives and Outcomes
By the end of the B2 level, students can understand standard speech spoken at a normal rate and follow even complex lines of argument provided the topic is reasonably familiar. They can understand the essentials of college lectures and most TV news and current affairs programs and can understand most films (if in standard Italian). At this level, students can understand articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems and they should be able to read contemporary literary prose. Students will notice that during this level they will begin to be able to account for and sustain their opinions in discussion by providing relevant explanations, arguments, and comments. They will start to take an active part in informal discussion in familiar contexts, commenting, putting their point of view clearly, evaluating alternative proposals and making and responding to hypotheses. They will be able to hold their own effectively in social discourse and understand in detail what is said to them in the standard spoken language. Regular interaction with native speakers now becomes quite possible without imposing strain on either party.

Weekly Course Structure
Language Class (at UniStrPG):   14 hours
Skills Development Lab (at UniStrPG):    5 hours
Pronunciation & Spelling (at UniStrPG):   2 hours
Tutorial & Workshops  (at the Umbra Institute): 2 hours
Co-Curricular Activities (Outside of Classroom) 3+ hours (varies by week)

Prerequisites
Four or more semesters of college-level Italian or Placement Test.

Activities at the Umbra Institute
Students enrolled in the Summer Intensive Italian Language & Culture Program will have access to Umbra Faculty members beyond their private and group tutoring session during a vast series of cultural activities designed to improve their language speaking skills in a natural environment while introducing them to practices of daily life and the cultural offerings of Central Italy. These activities include the following:

• Traditional welcome dinner;
• Tandem nights with Italian university students;
• Day-Trip to Tuscany
• “Serate in cucina”- cooking with faculty members or local experts;
• Trips to local festivals (e.g., typical Central Italian “sagre”, Perugia 1416, Umbria Jazz);
• Guided tours of Perugia and other Umbrian towns;
• Visit to local winery with tastings;
• Live Concert performances
• Farewell Festa

A final co-curricular activities series schedule will be provided during orientation.