| Italian Program Information |
DESCRIPTION
Benvenuti nella pagina web del programma d'italiano al CSL, Rice University !
The Italian Language and Culture Program in the Center for the Study of Languages at Rice University is a three-year curriculum.
The Italian courses offered through the CSL at the elementary, intermediate and advanced levels have been designed by instructors Fabiana Cecchini and Edward Anderson to cover a variety of topics.
Students at all levels are exposed to historical and contemporary Italian civilization, through literary texts, music and films.
In the elementary and more advanced courses, students are invited to approach the study of Italian language and culture through opera (including live performance), modern music, theater, cinema, and other authentic materials.
The Italian Language and Culture Program integrates its course offerings with a number of academic disciplines elsewhere in the university - e.g., music, history, architecture, art history, and English.
Fabiana Cecchini has been working with the Italian Cultural & Community Center in Houston (ICCC) to strengthen the relationship between Houston's Italian community and Rice.
Edward Anderson is working in particular to integrate Italian studies with the activities of the Rice's Shepherd School of Music.
The Consulate General of Italy has played an important role in the development of the Italian Language and Culture Program at Rice, through fundraising, scholarship assistance, and participation in cultural initiatives.
Thanks especially to Consul General Cristiano Maggipinto's involvement, new scholarship funding for Rice students has been made available.
Two scholarships can now be offered through the CSL to students of Italian -- the DONNE DI DOMANI and the PREMIO LETTERARIO DI PORTANOVA.
In the Fall of 2008, the Consulate General of Italy in Houston is collaborating with the Rice's Shepherd School of Music, the School of Humanities,
and the Center for the Study of Languages, to present the American premiere of a musical work by the Italian composer Matteo D'Amico.
Course Prospectus - Academic Year 2008-2009
ELEMENTARY ITALIAN I: LANGUAGE AND CULTURE (ITAL 101) Recommended prerequisite(s): No prior knowledge of Italian. This course is designed for students with little or no previous knowledge of Italian. In this course, students begin to develop indispensable skills: to communicate in spoken Italian, to read a variety of texts, and to write clearly. Students will discover Italian culture through an interdisciplinary approach which includes cinema and music (including live performance). Independent work and work in class are supplemented by the digital resources available on-line through the Language Resource Center. Instructor: Fabiana Cecchini & EM Anderson
ELEMENTARY ITALIAN II: LANGUAGE AND CULTURE (ITAL 102) Recommended prerequisite(s): ITAL 101, or permission of instructor. As a continuation of ITAL 101, the focus will be on spoken and written Italian. Students will continue to acquire fluency, reinforce the abilities to narrate, describe and compare through a wide range of materials (films, music, online newspapers, etc), including the digital resources available online through the LRC. Instructor: Fabiana Cecchini
INTERMEDIATE ITALIAN I: LANGUAGE, LITERATURE & CULTURE - Renaissance through the 19th Century (ITAL 201) Recommended prerequisite(s): ITAL 101, ITAL 102, or permission of instructor. This course is aimed at further developing Italian language skills, through the study of Italian language, literature and culture. Students will take on intermediate level reading, and will be expected to write increasingly competent Italian employing advanced grammatical structures. We will take into consideration a range of written material from the cultural history of Italy dating to the early Renaissance. The course work will be supplemented by the digital resources available on line through the LRC. Instructor: EM Anderson
INTERMEDIATE ITALIAN II: LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND CULTURE (ITAL 202) Recommended prerequisite(s): ITAL 101, ITAL 102, ITAL 201, or permission of instructor. As a continuation of ITAL 201, we will continue to develop the skills required to communicate in Italian on an increasingly wide range of subjects. Students will acquire the ability to read more advanced literary texts, with a focus on contemporary literature including the reading of a short story or a novel. Digital materials for this course are made available through the LRC. Instructor: Fabiana Cecchini
ADVANCED ITALIAN: Italy through Cinema and literature (ITAL 309) This course will concentrate on Italian cinema and literature from c1950-present. Topics to be discussed include Neorealism, Feminism, ‘Commedia all’italiana’, and the Holocaust. Students will begin to express themselves in increasingly elegant written and spoken Italian. This course is supported by resources available through the Language Resource Center. Instructor: Fabiana Cecchini
SPECIAL TOPICS IN ITALIAN LANGUAGE, LITERATURE & MUSIC (ITAL 249) Recommended prerequisite(s): one year of university-level Italian language training Intermediate-level directed reading in Italian language, literature, and music. Designed to develop reading and writing skills, this intensive seminar will position students for advanced-level undergraduate study of Italian. 30 pages of written work required. Taught in Italian and English, authors considered include Petrarch, Bembo, Ariosto, Tasso, Redi, Metastasio, Goldoni, and Da Ponte, with specific reference to musical poetry. Instructor: EM Anderson |
