Italian is officially spoken in Italy and in the Swiss canton of Ticino, but there are many communities around the world of Italian origin, specifically in South America, North America and Australia, where Italian is still spoken within the family. At the same time, Italy is a country well known for its natural beauties and its culture (almost 80% of the world art heritage is found in Italy) and the country is visited by millions of tourists every year. Worldwide interest in the study of the Italian language has corresponding increased in the last years.

The courses offered by the Language Centre are structured according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Students are expected to reach A1 (Breakthrough) level at the end of the Beginner level II course, A2 (Waystage) level at the end of Intermediate level I and to be well on their way to the B1 (Threshold) level at the end of Intermediate level II. Our courses are guided by communicative approach principles and are based on practical activities linked to everyday life requiring the use of the four skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Particular emphasis is given to interactive communication, aiming to express socio-linguistic functions in real situations. In the Intermediate level II more aspects about Italian culture and history are introduced.

The general objectives of the courses are to enable students to communicate at different levels in a variety of contexts. Audio-visual materials and e-learning facilities are used in the courses to encourage students to practice the structures and topics learned in the classroom, to promote self-learning and auto-evaluation.

Course Descriptions

LAN 075  Italian – Beginner level I
The general aim of the course is for students to acquire the ability to produce and understand basic Italian, oral and written, for the satisfaction of personal needs and interests, for giving and asking information and for interacting in a simple way with Italians or during a visit in Italy.


LAN 076   Italian – Beginner level II
The general aim of the course is for students to have the ability to understand and use expressions for communication in routine tasks and matters, for expressing and describing personal background or local environment.

 

By end of the semester, students are expected to function at the A1 (Breakthrough) level of the Common European Framework.

Prerequisite:  LAN 075 or equivalent.


LAN 077   Italian - Intermediate level I
The general aim of the course is for students to be able to understand and to produce a broader range of communicative and interactive expressions related to personal information, social exchanges, shopping, employment and to comprehend clear messages and announcements.

 

By the end of the semester, students are expected to function at the A2 (Waystage) level of the Common European Framework.

Prerequisite: LAN 076 or equivalent.


LAN 078   Italian - Intermediate level II
Students acquire the ability to understand and produce a broader range of communicative and interactive expressions, a variety of written and oral texts and to express themselves in written and spoken Italian using more complex syntactic structures. A range of different situations will be given demanding both the exchange of everyday information and expressions of personal viewpoints on topics discussed during the course.

 

By the end of the semester, students are expected to be well on their way to the B1 (Threashold) level of the Common European Framework.

Prerequisite: LAN 077  or equivalent.

 

 

 

This course offers an overview of Italian Culture, society and way of life, with the main objective of contributing to the students' cultural as well as linguistic competence.  The course will be held mostly in Italian, and is meant for students with at least a basic knowledge of the language at A1 CEF level.  English will be used as a communicative resource in order to integrate explanations and some additional contents.

 

All study material will be provided by the instructor.  The course will include extensive use of audio-visual contents and web resources.

 

Prerequisite:  LAN 076 or equivalent.