Italian for Foreign Students I and Mediation

A.Y. 2024/2025
9
Max ECTS
60
Overall hours
SSD
L-FIL-LET/12
Language
Italian
Learning objectives
This course aims to develop reading and writing skills as well as metalinguistic skills through the analysis of descriptive, narrative and instructional texts, so as to reach proficiency in Italian at B1+ level. It also gives a basic sociolinguistic panorama of contemporary Italian and its registers. Exercises aim to improve reception and production skills, both orally and in writing. The final goal is to train qualified and culturally aware language specialists, in line with the objective of the study programme.
Expected learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to understand and produce clear and properly structured descriptive, narrative and instructional texts. They will also be able to find the main information in a text and to paraphrase its contents, both orally and in writing, in line with the skills required for level B1+ of the CEFR. They will be aware of the varieties of the Italian language, especially diaphasic varieties.
Single course

This course can be attended as a single course.

Course syllabus and organization

Single session

Responsible
Lesson period
year
Course syllabus
The course aims to consolidate Italian language skills in speaking/listening and writing/reading, corresponding to the indicators of the Common European Framework of Language Learning. In class, narrative, descriptive, prescriptive and poetic (song) texts are proposed, from which the verb modes and tenses and the pronominal system are addressed - with particular attention, but not exclusively.

Accompanying the course are 80 hours of exercises (40 per semester). The exercises are aimed at deepening the content taught in class and improving comprehension and production skills, both written and spoken; they are also designed to help in the study of the texts on the syllabus.
Two different classes are planned for the exercises according to the students' level (basic and intermediate). The division of the students into the two classes is made on the basis of the results of the placement test.
Prerequisites for admission
The course is aimed at foreign learners with a starting language level of at least B1 in the CEFR.
Teaching methods
The method followed is communicative-textual. The analysis of texts makes it possible to note and learn their linguistic characteristics and thus, by induction, structural and grammatical elements.
The class is urged to master the passive and active competence of the L2, with attention also given to some examples of special languages.
Teaching Resources
- Rossella Bozzone Costa, Chiara Ghezzi, Monica Piantoni, "Nuovo contatto B1. Corso di lingua e civiltà per stranieri", Torino, Loescher, 2015 (o successive ristampe).

Students who will not be able to attend classes are advised to complete their preparation for the exam with the following texts:
- Pietro Trifone - Massimo Palermo, "Grammatica italiana di base", Bologna, Zanichelli, 2006.
- S. Lubello, C. Nobili, "L'italiano e le sue varietà", Firenze, Cesati, 2018.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam consists of a written part and an oral part; the oral part can only be taken after passing the written part.
The written part can be taken in its entirety in the January, May and September calls; it is possible to take the written part as a partial, at the end of the first semester (around early-mid December) and the second semester (around early-mid May).
The written tests involve:
- the solution of application-type exercises similar to those covered during the course and exercises;
- creative writing exercises, with themes, linguistic registers and communicative purposes specified by the teacher.
The oral test consists of an interview on the topics in the syllabus, aimed at ascertaining language skills and knowledge of the bibliography indicated in the syllabus.
L-FIL-LET/12 - ITALIAN LINGUISTICS - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professor: Sergio Giuseppe