ITAL 101 Italian I
Summer 2009
Professor: Sergio Corsi
E-mail: scorsi@luc.edu
Required Materials:
Italian Espresso 1. Italian Course for English Speakers. 2006. Alma Edizioni: Firenze.
Workbook for Italian Espresso 1. Alma Edizioni: Firenze
Italian Grammar in Practice (Nocchi)
Websites:
Loyola Blackboard: http://blackboard.luc.edu
Language Learning Resource Center (335 Damen Hall): http://www.luc.edu/llrc : For Audio files from Italian Espresso: Choose Digital Audio, Italian Espresso, then username=italiano password=studenti)
Course description:
First-year Italian language courses are designed to help beginning students obtain functional and basic competency in speaking, reading, writing and listening in Italian. This course promotes the acquisition of language skills in everyday communication and the development of basic cultural understanding of Italy and the Italian people.
Learning Outcomes: By the end of Italian 101, students will be able to:
- carry out simple conversations on a variety of practical topics such as greeting, inviting, buying...(speaking skills);
- understand native speech in distinct social contexts - everyday topics and some cultural topics (listening skills);
- understand the content and the cultural significance of predictable types of texts – simple literary and non-literary texts on familiar topics (reading skills);
- express themselves in simple narratives on daily life topics (writing skills);
- understand common cultural facts with a broader awareness of the cultural distinctness of certain kinds of values, gestures and other notions (cultural awareness).
Class Meetings:
Students are expected to prepare assigned material and study grammar before coming to class, so that we can actively practice new structures and exchange ideas on a variety of practical and cultural topics. The acquisition of a foreign language is a cumulative process: daily practice and regular participation are crucial!
Homework:
Assignments are due on the following class unless otherwise indicated by the teacher.
Language Learning Resource Center (LLRC):
Students can gain access to audio material of Italian material for Italian Espresso through the internet site of the Chicago LLRC http://www.luc.edu/depts/llrc
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty:
The pursuit of truth is the prime activity in a University community. All students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty. Please remember that while study groups are acceptable, students should not use on-line instant translators to write compositions, ask friends or native speakers to complete their assignments and recycle their own or other people’s materials. Plagiarism or dishonest examination behavior will result minimally in the instructor assigning the grade of “F” for the assignment or examination. For a complete account of what constitutes academic dishonesty as well as the penalties, see the Undergraduate Catalogue.
In addition to the Loyola University Chicago policy on Academic Honesty (see Loyola website: http://www.luc.edu/academics/catalog/undergrad/reg_academicintegrity.shtml), the following rules apply in all modern language courses:
- Students may not use automated translators to write compositions.
- Students may not ask friends, relatives or native speakers to complete their assignments.
- Students may not recycle their own or other people’s work.
- Students must explicitly cite any material that has been taken from the Internet or other sources and in most cases are urged to paraphrase rather than copy and paste.
Computer & Internet Use:
Use of laptop computers during class time for note taking is permitted. There may be times when you will be asked to put your laptop away for various exercises/lessons. Use of the Internet is NOT permitted unless specifically directed by the instructor. This includes checking of email and use of instant messengers.
Cell Phone Use:
Cell phones use is NOT permitted during class time. This includes sending and reading of Text Messages. All cell phones brought into the class room must be set to silent. In the case of a personal emergency, students should quietly exit the classroom.
Final grade scale: A (=93-100) A-(= 90-92) B+ (= 87-89) B (= 82-86)
B- (= 80-81) C+ (= 77-79) C (= 72-76) C-(= 70-71) D+ (= 66-69) D (= 60-65)
Grading:
1. Class participation: 20%
2. Assignments 15%
3. Oral presentation voiceboards 15%
4. Quizzes: 15%
5. Midterm: 10%
6. Final Exam 25%
GENERAL RULES
PARTICIPATION/ABSENCES/TARDINESS – Participation is crucial to success in this class. It is essential to participate actively in each class in order to learn; points will be taken off your participation grade if you are absent. Preparation is essential to participation. To be prepared for class, students need to have completed the readings and the exercises assigned for that class period, and written down any questions that the assignment might have generated in order to raise them in class.
LATE HOMEWORK – Late homework will not be accepted under any circumstances without prior approval. Even if you are absent, it is your responsibility to turn in homework in time to be graded before the next class and to obtain assignments for the next class from another student in the class.
QUIZZES – There will be a quiz at the end of each chapter that will be cumulative from each chapter.
MIDTERM EXAM –The midterm exam will cover all the material in Chapter 1 through Chapter 4.
ORAL PRESENTATIONS: It's a brief conversation on topics, using grammar structures and idiomatic expressions covered in class, to be prepared and performed in class with one or more partners or via VoiceBoard on BlackBoard.
FINAL EXAM : The final exam will cover Chapter 1 through Chapter 5.
CLASS SCHEDULE
Week 1 (May 18-21, M-Th)
CAPITOLO 1: PRIMI CONTATTI
Vocabulary: greetings / numbers / adjectives of nationality / classroom’s items
Linguistic functions: introducing yourself / spelling / telephone numbers / nationality
Cultural study objectives: Italian language around the world; also, see pag. 66)
Grammar: overview of sound system / alphabet / basic communicative expressions / numbers 0–20 / spelling / introduction to some regular verbs
CAPITOLO 2: BUON APPETITO
Vocabulary: food / menu / meals / money
Linguistic functions: ordering in a café and/or restaurant / prices
Cultural study objectives: Italian cooking
Grammar: nouns / questo and quello / indefinite and definite articles / numbers up to 100
***Quiz 1
Week Two (May 25-28, M-Th)
CAPITOLO 3: IO E GLI ALTRI
Vocabulary: languages / days of the week / professions / working places
Linguistic functions: introducing someone / asking and giving personal details / talking about your work / formal vs. informal language
Cultural study objectives: The working world in Italy
Grammar: -are verbs (Present tense) / fare, essere and avere (Present tense) / use of simple prepositions / numbers
***Quiz 2: End of week two
Week Three (June 1-4, M-Th)
CAPITOLO 4: TEMPO LIBERO
Vocabulary: free time activities
Linguistic functions: discussing leisure activities / expressing likes, dislikes, and preferences
Cultural study objectives: Leisure time in Italy
Grammar: Present tense of regular verbs / fare, andare and stare / sapere and conoscere / adverbs of frequency / verb piacere / interrogatives
Midterm: End of week three
Week Four (June 8-11, M-Th)
CAPITOLO 5: IN GIRO PER L’ITALIA
Vocabulary: parts of a city / time
Linguistic functions: describing a place / asking for and providing directions / expressing time
Cultural study objectives: My friends pleaded with me . . . . (or rather “Lost in Translation”…)
Grammar: adjectives of first group / simple prepositions / irregular verbs (Present tense)
Quiz 4: End of week four
Week five (June 15-18, M-Th)
Overview of Chapters 4 and 5
Review, final projects
FINAL EXAM: June 18, Thursday @ 11:00 a.m.
… ciao!...