An elementary course for students without prior knowledge of Italian. In this course you will establish an introductory base in the Italian language in the four areas of language skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. At the successful completion of this course you will be able to demonstrate proficiency in everyday spoken Italian. You will be able to read simple essays in Italian and write short paragraphs on familiar topics. You will be able to greet people and introduce yourself, give directions, respond to and ask questions, describe your family and friends, order items in a café, discuss your life at school and your hobbies, express likes and dislikes, and recount what you have done in the recent past. You will also have gained specific knowledge about contemporary Italy , including family life, student life, sports and pastimes, music, coffee culture, and regional differences. Students without prior knowledge of Italian will be able to understand and communicate after only 3 weeks.

Prerequisites: no prior Italian is required.

An intermediate course continuing grammar introduced in Elementary Italian 101-102 supplemented by further grammar, conversation, and composition. In this course you will establish a more solid base in the Italian language in the four areas of language skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Greater facility in reading texts of moderate difficulty; selected readings are by contemporary authors.

At the successful completion of this course you will be able to demonstrate proficiency in everyday spoken Italian. You will be able to read simple essays in Italian and write short paragraphs on familiar topics. You will be able to greet people and introduce yourself, give directions, respond to and ask questions, describe your family and friends, order items in a café, discuss your life at school and your hobbies, express likes and dislikes, and recount what you have done in the recent past. You will also have gained specific knowledge about contemporary Italy , including family life, student life, sports and pastimes, music, coffee culture, and regional differences. Students at this level will easily be able to understand and communicate in the target language after the first week.

“Super Intensive Intermediate-Advanced” (Italian 102, 103, 104 & 205/6) - 230 hours (15 credits)

Works of one or more major authors of Italian literature not treated or emphasized in other courses. Specific author(s) are designated the semester before the course is given.

Special topics or themes in Italian literature not treated or emphasized in other courses.

Dante's works with special attention given to analysis and interpretation of the Divine Comedy from the social, religious, philosophical, and political viewpoints of the middle ages .