Introduction to Italian Culture Italiano 320 Primavera 2013, Penn State University

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1 Introduction to Italian Culture Italiano 320 Primavera 2013, Penn State University Alessandra Quadrio-Corigliano, Ph.D Ufficio: 350 N. Burrowes Bldg. Telefono: (814) Ore di ricevimento: Lunedì 1 :30-3 :30 Aula: 320 Willard (e per appuntamento) Orario: Lunedì, mercoledì, venerdì 12:20-1:10 Welcome to IT 320, an introduction to Italian Culture: Fashion, Food, Family and Politics (3 credits). The course is centered upon the critical study of various aspects of Italian culture. We will focus on the social, historical, and socio-political issues of Italy in the last two centuries with a concentration on contemporary issues. This course will include pertinent literary texts from the anthology In giro per la letteratura, and the viewing of two films illustrating contemporary Italian society and politics. In order to keep informed with Italian social and political issues we will chose material and articles from these websites: and other sources. Throughout our journey into Italian culture we will also review intermediate/advanced Italian grammar through consistent practice of listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills. A strong emphasis is placed on expanding vocabulary. Il corso è presentato in lingua italiana. Il prerequisito è IT 003 o l equivalente. Required Materials: In giro per la letteratura. Scrivere e leggere nei corsi intermedi d italiano. Kenneth Berri & Elisabeth Lee Giansiracusa. Thomson Heinle, Un buon dizionario bilingue, per esempio: Websters New World Dictionary pf the Italian Language, ed. C.E. Love (New York: Wiley, 1992) o un buon dizionario della lingua italiana per esempio: Devoto-Oli o Zingarelli) The following free website: is also an excellent resource and you may choose to search bilinguially or monolingually. Course website (ANGEL). Students will be required to access the course website regularly for course assignments, handouts, and other materials. It is the responsibility of students to learn how to access this website. (Please note: For all electronic correspondence, please use my address (avc12@psu.edu), not the ANGEL address for mail. I do not check my ANGEL as frequently as I do my standard PSU address.) Course Requirements: The final grade for this course is calculated according to the following criteria: 1. Attendance: Required and crucial for this course. Attendance is taken for each class. You are allowed 3 unexcused absences; after 3 unexcused absences your grade will begin to drop 2 percentages points from your final grade for each additional absence. Late arrivals negatively

2 affects your attendance and participation grade. Every second late arrival constitutes one absence. If you have 10 absences you will fail the course, regardless of what grade you have. Please note: 2. 30% Class participation. Preparation and willingness to take part in all-class activities and promote active discussion; active thoughtful, and consistent participation is essential to pass the class. Highest grades for this aspect will be given to those students who come to class well-prepared every time, having read the material for each class, and participate actively with a high degree of enthusiasm in discussions. Arriving to class late and/or having more than three unexcused absences are grounds for a significantly lower mark in class participation. (In terms of class participation, generally A grades are only given to students who volunteer intelligent comments consistently. Please note: Your spoken Italian is not expected to be fluent or grammatically perfect. But you must be making an attempt to communicate in Italian in every class. B grades are typically given to students who actively participate, but may be less thoughtful or less consistent in their contributions. C grades are typically given to students who are prepared and come to class, but make little or no contribution to discussions unless called upon by the instructor. D grades are given to students who come to class, but are not prepared and/or not engaged in class discussions. F grades will be given to students who are chronically absent or tardy or who openly hinder class discussion in some way.) 3. 30% 2 Exams. These exams consist in responding in a succinct and intelligent way to 3-4 questions in regard to the material covered which include the texts in the Anthology and/or the topic of the articles read at home or in class. In addition, there will be a brief section dedicated to the grammar and vocabulary % Homework, quizzes and in class activities. Homework, quizzes and class announcements will be posted on ANGEL. The students are responsible to check Angel announcements and complete any assignments BEFORE coming to class. Homework assignments will include readings, mini-compositions based on topics covered in class and/or reading material, grammar reviews, and internet research. Mini-quizzes will be based on material covered in class and material studied at home. The students must complete the homework assignments on a regular basis. Italian 320 is not a lecture course, therefore class discussions are generated by students reaction and response of the material studied % In-class mini-presentations (2). Each student will present to the class 2 topics of their choice. The material can be from an article from an Italian magazine or newspaper, or Internet source. Your task for the presentation is to summarize an article or articles and present it to the class for discussion, along with discussion questions. A prepared compilation of a list of difficult vocabulary must be shared with the class. A student can choose to show photographs or whatever they need to illustrate their point. The emphasis will not be merely on the topic chosen -for example originality- but on the delivery of the presentation: the use of grammar and pronunciation. This is an exercise to help the students to improve their oral skills, thus NO reading of texts or flash cards are allowed. The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of

3 accommodation in this course or have questions about physical access, please inform the instructor as soon as possible. Penn State University defines academic integrity as the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner. All students should act with personal integrity, respect other students dignity, rights, and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts (Faculty Senate Policy 49-10). Italian 320 is designed to be an active and collaborative environment. Reading and discussion of Italian texts outside of class with others is an excellent way to deepen your understanding of both the foreign culture and your own. Students may share notes taken during class with other students. However, all other written components of the course (final paper/project, outline, and in-class quizzes) must be individual, non-collaborative efforts. Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated in this course. Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating information or citations, facilitating acts of dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. Students who are found to be dishonest will receive academic sanctions and will be reported to the University s Judicial Affairs office for possible further disciplinary sanction. Other Policies: No late or make-up assignments will be accepted (unless you have a university documented excuse which must be presented in writing within 7 days of the absence). If you fall gravely ill, or have another emergency situation, please contact the office of Student Affairs and Family Services ( ) Please note that there is no Final Exam in this course Final grades are distributed as follows: A B C D A B C B F Calendario Provvisorio Settimana 1 Lunedì, 7 gennaio. Introduzione. Scopi del corso. Che cosa intendiamo per cultura? Perchè è importante studiare la cultura? Che cosa già sappiamo della cultura italiana? Mercoledì, 9 gennaio. 1. Lexicon: cercate su google.it l etimologia delle parole che sono state assegnate in classe. 2. Leggete pp > In giro per la letteratura scegliete una frase o una parola e scrivete un breve commento. Venerdì, 11 gennaio. Cercate su Internet qualche avvenimento sulla politica italiana che si è svolto nel 1979.

4 Settimana 2 Lunedì, 14 gennaio. Lettura Mercoledì, 16 gennaio. Leggete p.42 e rispondete per iscritto alle domande a,b,c,d,e,f. P.43 (In giro per la. Cercate su un sito web italiano o youtube una pubblicità e portatela in classe da commentare. Venerdì, 18 gennaio. Leggete pp Rispondete per iscritto alle domande C p.57; D p.58 e E p.59. (In giro per la Settimana 3 Lunedì, 21 gennaio. Festa: Martin Luther King Mercoledì, 23 gennaio. Rispondete per iscritto G. p.59 (In giro per da discutere in classe Venerdì, 25 gennaio. Leggete pp ,rispondete per iscritto alle domande C, D, E, p. 68. (In giro per la Settimana 4 Lunedì, 28 gennaio. Rispondete per iscritto alle domanda G p. 69 (In giro per la Mercoledì, 30 gennaio. Lettura Venerdì, primo febbraio. Un pranzo insieme: portate un piatto regionale italiano preparato da voi. Portate anche una spiegazione storica del piatto e degli ingredienti particolari associati con la regione scelta. Settimana 5 Lunedì, 4 febbraio. Leggete pp ; rispondete per iscritto alle domande A & B p. 70; Lexicon: cercate l etimologia delle seguenti parole: ricco, gentile, cortese, nobile, omaggio, onore, mercede Mercoledì, 6 febbraio. Es.: E p.72; domande 1 & 2 p. 73 rispondete per iscritto. (In giro per la Venerdì, 8 febbraio. Primo esame Settimana 6 Lunedì,11 febbraio. Film Mercoledì, 13 febbraio. Film - Discussione Venerdì, 15 febbraio. Scrivete un breve commento sul film. Discussione Settimana 7 Lunedì, 18 febbraio. Presentazione 1 Mercoledì, 20 febbraio. Presentazione 1 Venerdì, 22 febbraio. Leggete p ; rispondete per iscritto alle domande G p.113 (In giro per la Settimana 8 Lunedì, 25 febbraio. Leggete pp rispondete per iscritto alla domande D.: 1, 2, 3 p.125 & E.: 1 & 2 p (In giro per la Mercoledì, 27 febbraio. Esercizi 1 & 2 p. 128 Venerdì, primo marzo. Leggete pp ; rispondete per iscritto alle domande E & F p (In giro per la Dal 3 al 10 marzo vacanze di primavera Settimana 9 Lunedì, 11 marzo. Su internet cercate qualche avvenimento importante negli anni 1980; scrivete un breve riassunto Mercoledì, 13 marzo. Leggete p. 166; esercizio scritto C p. 167 (In giro per la Venerdì, 15 marzo. Rispondete per iscritto alle domande E.: 1 p. 167 & 2 p. 168; F.: 2 & 3 p.168. (In giro per la Settimana 10 Lunedì, 18 marzo. Documentario - Pasolini Mercoledì, 20 marzo. Su internet cercate qualche avvenimento importante negli anni Cinquanta. Venerdì,22 marzo. Lettura. Settimana 11 Lunedì, 25 marzo Film Mercoledì,27 marzo. Film - discussione Venerdì, 29 marzo Scrivete un breve commento sul film. Settimana 12 Lunedì, primo aprile. Lettura Mercoledì, 3 aprile. Lettura Venerdì, 5 aprile. Secondo esame Settimana 13 Lunedì, 8 aprile.leggete pp Rispondete per iscritto alle domande A: 1

5 & 2; B p.194; C p.195. (In giro per la Mercoledì, 10 aprile. Lettura Venerdì, 12 aprile. Lettura Settimana 15 Lunedì, 22 aprile. Lettura Mercoledì, 24 aprile. Presentazione 2 Venerdì, 26 aprile. Presentazione 2 Settimana 14 Lunedì, 15 aprile. Leggete pp.217-8; rispondete alle domande G-2 p.220 (In giro per la Mercoledì, 17 aprile. Lettura Venerdì, 19 aprile. Lettura