Formal language study at the second-year level. Strong emphasis on oral practice and writing skills. Discussion of contemporary literary texts by Sciascia, Calvino, Tabucchi, Cleati and others.

Prerequisite: Italian 106 or the equivalent.

12 credits Italian Immersion presents two years of Italian in one semester followed by a month of study in Italy, for a total of 16 credits. During the spring semester at Bard, students attend 15 hours of class a week, plus another two hours devoted to audio lab and video lab, and other out-of-class work. Participants may enroll in one other course at Bard during this semester. Emphasis is evenly divided between speaking, writing, reading and aural comprehension. Students participate actively in a variety of classroom activities: dialogues, drills, prepared and impromptu skits, and games. Ever-increasing emphasis is placed on reading 20th-century literary texts (e.g. theater, fiction and essays by Pirandello, Calvino, Maraini) as well as articles from the press. The last month will take place in Italy, in Bologna. Students will study the language at the Centro di Cultura Italiana in the heart of the city in the University section. Monday through Friday in small groups they will study Italian with creative, experienced teachers specialized in teaching Italian to foreign students. Only Italian is spoken at the Center. Bologna is a lively, medium-sized city. The University of Bologna, the oldest in Europe, celebrated its 900th anniversary in 1988. Many international students are enrolled at the University in a variety of programs and fields. Brown University and the University of California have programs there. Exchange students from other European universities come to Bologna as part of the Erasmus Project. Outside of class, students will experience Italian culture directly in daily living and excursions to theaters, villas, museums, Etruscan sites. We will also visit Florence, which is an hour away by train. This course is offered in alternate years. For further information see Maria Nicoletti or Carlo Zei. Open to all.