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Italian at Drake
Studying Italian at Drake University is rewarding and productive from the very first day of class. Regardless of the level of study, students work with a native speaker of Italian and no more than three classmates and use Italian exclusively to communicate things that are truly meaningful, i.e., not the mindless filler materials found in many current textbooks.Through the standard sequence of courses (001, 002, 051, 052, 140, 150), students expand their competencies beyond the initial emphasis on speaking in order to develop skills in listening, writing, and reading.
In each Italian course, as in every language course in the program, students produce an individual electronic portfolio that normally consists of recordings students make of their own voices following a provided model, samples of videos students make of themselves, writing samples, clips from examinations, etc. This record allows coordinators and the students themselves to track progress both within a given semester and over several semesters. Students can also use the ePortfolios after graduation to demonstrate to potential employers or graduate schools their ability to function in Italian. Examples are representative student work is available by clicking here:
Culture is not, of course, neglected in these courses. The faculty of the Drake University Language Acquisition Program is well aware that culture is embedded in every language. The study of culture is additionally enhanced through the use of weblogs that focus the students attention on many important topical, historical, and useful themes. The blogs are utilized in both English and Italian, depending on the students level of proficiency with the language.
Coordinator Contact Information
Chinatsu Sazawa
Email: chinatsu.sazawa@drake.edu
Office: 214 Meredith Hall 271-4992
AIM chinatsusazawa
First Semester Offered: Fall 2002