100-level language courses

After completing the 100-level courses students will be able to:

• understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment) 
• communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters
  
• describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need
• develop their understanding of the relationship between language and culture 
  
• identify characteristics, events and places of importance in the target language culture
• identify similarities and differences between home and target cultures, and give examples of one culture influencing another

200-level language courses

After completing the 200-level courses students will be able to:

• understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc
• deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken
• produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest
• describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans
• demonstrate knowledge of cultural topics introduced in class, including aspects of history, geography, literature, and popular culture
• develop a better understanding of the target language and culture through authentic materials, and will gain more profound insight into the relationship between the two

300-level language courses

After completing the 200-level courses students will be able to:

• understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions 
  
• interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party
• produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options
• interact with cultural awareness in contemporary Italian realities. Highlights changes in the domestic, regional, and national spheres.

300 and 400-level literature and civilization courses

The goal of these courses is to pursue the students to:

• communicate with native speakers and use the language both orally and in written form in everyday situations and in some formal situations on topics ranging from personal experience to academic topics such as literature.
• analyze literary texts, films, and images after being exposed to various forms of critical reading.understand the main ideas expressed in a variety of textual genres and the main pragmatic elements that characterize communication in those genres.
• transcend simple feelings and impressionistic individual reactions to a text.
• develop sensitivity to the role of form (its politics and ideology) in each individual text and its evolution.
• choose the language register appropriate to different genres and forms of interaction.