An introduction to spoken and written Japanese. Emphasis on the development of basic oral proficiency, along with reading and writing skills. Students acquire knowledge of basic grammatical patterns, strategies in daily communication, hiragana, katakana and about 90 Kanji. Designed for students with no background in Japanese.

An introduction to spoken and written Japanese. Emphasis on the development of basic oral proficiency, along with reading and writing skills. Students acquire knowledge of basic grammatical patterns, strategies in daily communication, hiragana, katakana and about 90 Kanji. Designed for students with no background in Japanese.

An in-depth thematic study of Boccaccio’s literary masterpiece, Decameron, including its style, structure and historical context. Particular attention will be devoted to Boccaccio’s singular interest in how imagination effectively combats the various constraints and even tragic aspects of life, such as the plague or certain forms of social, political, psychological oppression. Conducted in Italian.

Offered as ITL 299, FRN 299, POR 299, and SPN 299. The course explores the issues in world language instruction and research that are essential to the teaching of Romance languages. Special focus will be on understanding local, national and international multilingual communities as well as theories, methods, bilingualism, and heritage language studies. Topics include the history of Romance languages, how to teach grammar/vocabulary, the role of instructors, and feedback techniques.

This course offers an in-depth study of Italian culture to broaden the students' understanding of Italian history, literature, and customs. Through readings, discussions, interactions with native speakers and films, students will gain a good understanding of Italian society. This course also intends to further develop students’ intermediate knowledge of the Italian language and prepare them for their study-abroad experience. Prerequisites: ITL 110Y or 111 and ITL 220 or 230 or placement by the department.

Designed to support Intermediate Italian students to help them improve their conversational skills, this course offers intensive practice in pronunciation, vocabulary, oral comprehension and conversation. It includes class discussions, role-playing and short oral presentations. Prerequisite: two semesters of ITL 110 or placement exam to ensure correct language level.

Comprehensive grammar review through practice in writing and reading. Literary texts and cultural material constitute the base for in-class discussions and compositions. Students taking ITL 220 are also strongly encouraged to take a conversation course. Taking both courses strengthens students’ confidence and ability to become proficient in Italian. Prerequisite: ITL 110Y or ITL 111 or permission of the department.

This course examines Italy’s varied geography, history and artistic tradition to further appreciate Italy’s rich, delicious, yet simple cuisine. In our travels we move from the caffè to the pizzeria, to the trattoria, to the pasticceria, to the enoteca to probe the cultural impact Italian cuisine has on promoting a holistic philosophy for eating/drinking/speaking best reflected by the now renowned Italian Slow Food Movement. Taught in English. Enrollment limited to 100. S/U only.

Offered as GER 189 and ITL 189. This series of interdepartmental lectures by a selection of Smith faculty examines the myth of cultural
homogeneity perpetuated by the ideal of “native” linguistic competency. These lectures explore
hybridity and interaction between cultures and languages as the rule, not the exception. The goal is to help students comprehend the transnational, multilingual web into which we are woven, and to
appreciate how they contribute to that web, to appreciate their own position as transnational subjects.

One-semester course designed for students with a background in other foreign languages. It covers the material of the yearlong ITL 110Y in one semester. Three class meetings per week, plus required weekly multimedia work and a discussion session. Students should enroll in ITL 220 the following semester. Does not fulfill the foreign language requirement for Latin honors. Course may be taken S/U only by seniors. Enrollment limited to 20. Corequisite: ITL 135 strongly recommended.