ITAL402

Advanced Studies in Italian Language and Style II

Designed as the natural continuation of ITAL401, this course is for those students who wish to enhance their communicative competence in Italian. From the starting point of nonfictional texts, students will examine and discuss contemporary issues in their social and cultural context. The focus will be on the language we use to communicate in daily life and in the media. We will pay particular attention to Italian TV, radio broadcasts and commercials, together with lyrics of hit songs and news.

Objectives:

• To recognize the close link between economic development and social and cultural growth, both in its general rules and local variations;
• to consider cultural differences both diachronically and synchronically;
• to recognize the interference between different codex and languages in popular culture;
• to analyze commonplaces/clichés and national stereotypes in the age of globalization;
• to enhance general critical skills.

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• use extensive and intensive reading as effective elements of their autonomous learning;
• go from text to context and find references to events and descriptions;
• motivate their choices;
• discuss and express opinions on different social and cultural topics (from family, to education, to social issues and administration, to customs);
• collocate in time and space the most important events of Italian contemporary history and culture;
• understand native speakers; distinguish varieties/registers of language; choose the right way to interact.

Language of instruction: Italian

Recommended prerequisites: Second-year standing or higher and ITAL 401.