Course Description:

Italian 250 aims to improve written proficiency in Italian through an in-depth study of complex syntactic structures and extensive vocabulary building. Taught in Italian, this course focuses on writing and revising. Students will have the opportunity to practice and refine their writing skills by analyzing and discussing in class a varied selection of texts that are drawn from a diverse range of genres (literary texts by contemporary writers such as Sciascia, Buzzati, Baricco; newspaper articles; reviews; and analytical essays). After studying their formal and stylistic features as well as their specific ways of structuring the argument, students are asked to write and revise a minimum of seven compositions in different genres.

Instructor’s Learning goals:

At the end of this course, students will be able to recognize different writing styles and registers of language and to identify the formal elements characterizing different types of narration and argumentation. Upon successful completion students will be able to comprehend and analyze written higher-level texts, compose in different genres (e.g., autobiography, critical essay, reportage, short story) at an intermediate high level - as defined by the ACTFL Guidelines - and adequately respond to feed-back and suggestions for revisions.

Departmental Goal I: General Linguistic Proficiency: Communicative and Intercultural Competence

This course satisfies Core Curriculum Learning Goals: AH (q) and W (s2, t, v).

Area of Inquiry C: Arts and the Humanities.

Goal q: Understand the nature of human languages and their speakers.

Cognitive Skills and Processes A: Writing and Communication.

s2: Respond effectively to editorial feedback from peers, instructors, and/or supervisors through successive drafts and revision.

t: Communicate effectively in modes appropriate to a discipline or area of inquiry.

v: Analyze and synthesize information and ideas from multiple sources to generate new insights.

Prerequisites:

Italian 132 or permission of the Undergraduate Director.

Required texts:

Packet available at the Italian Department (84 College Avenue).

A good Italian/English Dictionary such as Collins.

Course requirements:

Attendance and Participation:

Attendance is mandatory. Please note that attendance, the quality and quantity of your participation and of your responses to the instructor’s corrections and suggestions for revisions are an integral part of your final grade. After your 3rd missed class and a number of late arrivals your participation grade will be negatively affected.If it is necessary for you to be absent from class, it is your responsibility to get the homework assignments from either the instructor or a fellow student. Your participation grade is based on the quality of your participation in class discussion, brainstorming activities, and all other group exercises. The class will be conducted in Italian, and you are expected to participate entirely in Italian.

Written work:

You will be assigned a writing exercise and a composition every week. Every assignment that is handed in must be typed and double-spaced. Compositions will be graded on a percentage scale. You will have to revise each essay. For this reason, no late make-up compositions will be accepted. The first draft is worth 60% of the composition’s grade while the final draft is worth 40%.

Grade Distribution:

Class Attendance and participation: 25%

Compositions: 40%

Midterm paper in class : 15%

Final paper in class: 20%

Academic Integrity Policy

Violations of academic integrity policy will result in disciplinary measures. Violations include: cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, denying others access to information or material, and facilitating violations of academic integrity. https://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/

Sakai:

Course information, announcements and assignments will be posted at

https://sakai.rutgers.edu/portal

Please make sure that you have access to our page after the first class. You will need a Rutgers username and password. You are responsible for checking Sakai regularly.