IT20130 - ITALIAN LANGUAGE

Module Identifier	IT20130
Module Title	ITALIAN LANGUAGE
Academic Year	2001/2002
Co-ordinator	Mr Adriano Vincentelli
Semester	Semester 2 (Taught over 2 semesters)
Other staff	Giovanni Fanton, Mrs Margaret Parry
Pre-Requisite	(Normally) Eligibility for entry to Level 2 Italian
Course delivery	Contact Hours	72 lectures / seminars / tutorials
Assessment	Oral examination	20-minute oral examination	30%
	Continuous assessment	30%: fortnightly translation passages; 10%: attendance, active contribution and performance in the oral class	40%
	Exam	3 Hours	30%

Brief description

This module forms part of the core Level 2 programme in Italian and is the main language course in that year.
The aims of the module are:

To consolidate students' knowledge of Italian grammar and vocabulary, with the ultimate aim of fostering accuracy in writing Italian.
To train students to translate accurately into English (or Italian) passages of continuous Italian (English) prose. Accuracy refers to content, idiom and style, and to grammatical usage, i.e. the translation ought to include all the information in the original and this ought to be expressed in English (Italian) that sounds as if a native-speaker had written it, that is grammatically correct, and is as formal or informal as the original.
To develop students' oral competence.

The format of this 'thin' module is as follows: there will be two weekly classes (one concentrating on oral and one concentrating on written skills) and one fortnightly class. The weekly hours will be devoted to a variety of language exercises aimed at developing written and oral skills. The fortnightly hour will involve translation practice from and into Italian.
Continuous assessment marks for the module will be derived from written work set by the tutor, and from attendance, active contribution and performance in the weekly oral hour.
Formal examinations -written language and oral/aural - will take place at the end of the second semester.
The modules in Business Language IT20310 this year and Language of Current Affairs IT30310 in later years are complementary to this module.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, if you have made satisfactory progress, you will be able to:

- identify your own improvement in Italian vocabulary and grammatical knowledge in written - and spoken language
- differentiate between major stylistic levels of Italian
- recognise and understand different linguistic registers in Italian
- translate selected Italian passages showing idiomatic, authentic style and grammatical usage
- present independently prepared material in spoken or written Italian
- discuss and debate topical issues in Italian
- summarise in your own words selected pieces of written or spoken Italian
- give your own insights into contemporary Italian life and culture
- take part in role-plays in Italian
- enter into conversation in Italian with confidence in your ability to express youself

Language modules have, as an integral part of their structure, regular homework assignments and class tests as well as end of year examinations. All assessment is designed to measure your progress against learning outcomes at the appropriate level.

Reading Lists

Books
** Reference Text
M. Dardano and Trifone, P.. La lingua italiana. Zanichelli
A. and G. Lepschy. The Italian Language Today. Hutchinson
Prego. McGraw-Hill
G. Devoto and G. Oli. Dizionario della lingua italiana. Le Monnier.
Italian Dictionary. Collins - Sansoni
Il Nuovo Zingarelli. Zanichelli