Italian Studies B.A.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Upon completion of the degree, students should be able to handle with ease and confidence a large number of communicative tasks, as detailed in the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Standard, Advanced Mid: “At the Advanced Mid sublevel, readers are able to understand conventional narrative and descriptive texts, such as expanded descriptions of persons, places, and things and narrations about past, present, and future events. These texts reflect the standard linguistic conventions of the written form of the language in such a way that readers can predict what they are going to read. Readers understand the main ideas, facts, and many supporting details. Comprehension derives not only from situational and subject-matter knowledge but also from knowledge of the language itself. Readers at this level may derive some meaning from texts that are structurally and/or conceptually more complex.”

2. Upon completion of the degree, students will be able to meet a range of communicative targets by demonstrating the ability to express themselves in writing with detail and fluency; they will be able to produce straightforward commentaries on topics of general interest or selected texts (printed and visual). The undergraduate writing competence in Italian exhibits a good control of the syntactic structures of the target language, a variety of cohesive devices in written assignments and essays of significant scope and length; it recognizes the subtleties of literary genres, and the intricacy of cultural discourses.

3. Upon completion of the degree, students will be able to recognize and discuss specific elements of Italian and Italian American cultures. Students will develop critical thinking in a broad exposure to various literary genres such as short story, novel, poetry, drama, film, and journalistic discourse. They will interpret and analyze texts from the Italian/Italian-American and French/Francophone world, in one concentration or in a combination of both. They will make connections between the literary works and the artistic, socio-historical, and political backgrounds in which they were created. They will become proficiently prepared to apply their multifaceted knowledge and global understanding to international careers or to continue in doctoral programs.