ITAL 408U: Advanced Italian: Grammar, Syntax & Conversation II

Introduction
This is one of the four courses which are part of the Full-Immersion Italian Semester Program at the Universita’ per Stranieri di Perugia. The program consists of four month-long courses, such as this one, each awarding 4 credits for a total of 16 semester credits.

The program is designed for students who want to focus exclusively on Italian language and culture through full-time study at the Università per Stranieri di Perugia, for a semester or more. Participants are immersed in an international environment with university students from all over the world whose primary goal is to become fluent in Italian. This program is intensive and widely recognized as one of the best ways to become fluent in Italian and to fully appreciate everyday life in Italy. Coursework is supplemented by a wide variety of extra- and co-curricular activities offered both by Umbra and the Università per Stranieri.

Students are required to follow classes at the Università per Stranieri and the mandatory weekly recitation sessions at the Umbra Institute. Additionally, students will have the option to attend weekly tutoring sessions as needed. 

Structure
At the end of each one-month course, students are assessed and take an examination to advance to the next course in the progression.  Example: Students that begin at level C1.1 (ITAL 407) will, at the end of one month, advance to level C1.2 (ITAL 408). In some cases, a student may be required to continue at the same level if they have not achieved sufficient proficiency to pass to the next level.

Course Description
This is a 4-week-long intensive upper advanced Italian course offered by the Umbra Institute in cooperation with the Università per Stranieri di Perugia (UniStraPG). Students with five or more semesters of college level Italian language instruction might test into the first module of the C1 level (based on the Common European Framework for Languages – CEFR). Weekly recitation sessions and tutorial hours (upon request) at Umbra supplement traditional in-class language instruction conducted at the Università per Stranieri and assure students are prepared for Italian-style university examinations.

This is a particular course in Advanced Grammar, Syntax and Conversation that is usually not offered in standard undergraduate Italian Language programs in the United States, but perfect for students preparing to become teachers of Italian or wanting to undertake graduate studies in the humanities. It is designed to take students from being competent speakers of the target language to explaining to them the nuances and subtleties of the language that make the difference between a very good user and a near-native speaker. Students in this level will delve deeper into the intricacies of syntax, learn more grammatical exceptions, and be exposed to more idiomatic expressions. Students at this level will become able to use the language not only socially, but also professionally and academically with a certain degree of sophistication. They will also notice that they start to recognize not only implicit but also explicit meaning in longer and more demanding written and verbal texts.

Students attending this level will have the possibility to take up to two of the following cultural topics courses, each lasting one month: 

• Letteratura italiana (Italian literature)
• Storia dell’arte italiana (History of Italian Art)
• Storia dell’arte italiana – lezioni fuori sede (History of Italian Art – taught outdoor)
• Storia del teatro italiano (History of Italian Theater)
• Storia del cinema italiano (History of Italian Cinema)
• Storia della musica italiana (History of Italian Music)
• Arte della parola. Dizione e lettura espressiva (The Art of the Spoken Word: Diction and Expressive Reading Laboratory)

Course Objectives
The C1 level, the course is designed to take students from being competent speakers of the target language to explaining to them the nuances and subtleties of the language that make the difference between a very good user and a near-native speaker. Students in this level will delve deeper into the intricacies of syntax, learn more grammatical exceptions, and be exposed to more idiomatic expressions. Students at this level will become able to use the language not only socially, but also professionally and academically with a certain degree of sophistication. They will also notice that they start to recognize not only implicit but also explicit meaning in longer and more demanding written and verbal texts.

Course Materials
Course textbooks and readings for all levels are determined by UniStraPG Instructors. Local bookshops stock the standard textbooks prescribed for the courses.

Prerequisites
Five or more semesters of college level Italian or Placement test