Term 3, Week 3

Oral Exams on the 9th of May

Term 3, Week 2

No regular class due to Bank Holiday on the 1st of May. Drop-in sessions have been organized to make up for the lost sessions:

Thursday 4 May: 9-11 in H246
Thursday 4 May: 11-13 in H401

Term 3, Week 1

- Watch an Italian film of your choice and be prepared to review it orally in class (1-2 minutes).

Term 2, Week 10

- Group C: please bring the homework for week 7 (below)

- All other groups: Watch this video about the recent earthquake in Italy: http://tg.la7.it/cronaca/per-la-ricostruzione-45-miliardi-300-milioni-subito-11-10-2016-108770 and prepare a vocab list (10 entries) of words you think will be useful to discuss this topic.

Term 2, Week 9

- Assessed presentations 3

- In Class: video "come affrontare un colloquio di lavoro" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMrbSkXfMec

- Group C (h 14-15): Watch this video about the recent earthquake in Italy: http://tg.la7.it/cronaca/per-la-ricostruzione-45-miliardi-300-milioni-subito-11-10-2016-108770 and prepare a vocab list (10 entries) of words you think will be useful to discuss this topic.

- All other groups: look at the job advertisement below. Imagine a job interview ('colloquio di lavoro') for this position. What would you ask if you were the recruiter? Write down some questions. What would you say if you wanted this job? Invent a suitable curriculum (you don't need to be yourself: you can invent studies, curriculum, skills, and job perspectives) and prepare your job interview.

Term 2, Week 8

- Assessed presentations 2

- Group D (h 10-11), please bring the homework for week 7 (below)

- All other groups: listen to this song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OsXdJQ6y-k by Daniele Silvestri and complete the exercise here.

Term 2, Week 7

- Assessed presentations 1

- Homework for today (20/02/2017): Have a look at these articles here. Take inspiration from them to build a vocab and phrase list (10-12 entries) on the topic of work and the job market; follow your interests and curiosity. You will be asked to comment on these issues, so think about this: what do you know about these issues in your country? What is your opinion about them? Do you know anybody who faced an issue like this?

Term 2, Week 6 - Reading week: use this time to prepare your assessed presentations.

Term 2, Week 5

- EXTRA DROP-IN SESSIONS: Thursday 9 February, h 9-10 H2.45, 10-11 H0.01, 12-13 H3.57. The sessions will be dedicated to informal conversation. Plus, they will be open to questions and doubts about the assessed presentations.

- Homework for today: see week 4.

- in class: http://www.tg3.rai.it/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-23a3a4f9-b0b1-42ad-b8a3-3846603880d9-tg3.html#p= (min. 16.30-17.30)

Term 2, Week 4

- Homework for today (30/01/2017): 1) If you haven't already done so in class, listen to Mina's song "Se telefonando" (1966) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTJSn8Mijbw and Nek's 2014 cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqGiKdy8xjs . Which one do you like best? 2) Exercise here. 3) Cerca e analizza un video musicale di una canzone italiana. Concentrati su questi quattro punti: il testo della canzone, il cantante, la musica, il video. Trova qualche curiosità e seleziona massimo 30 secondi di video da mostrare in classe. Qui qualche suggerimento: http://www.adgblog.it/2011/12/12/5050100-e-oltre-canzoni-per-imparare-litaliano/ (seleziona da livelli b2 e c1); oppure qui: http://www.panorama.it/musica/le-50-canzoni-italiane-piu-belle-di-sempre-o-no/.

Term 2, Week 3:

- Homework for TODAY (23/01/17): 1) Choose 1 of the 4 exercises here, again on the Barilla scandal. This exercise is about reflecting on how we select our source of information, and whether information can be biased by the newspapers' perspective. 2) Think about this: where do you select information about news and current events? Which is your favourite source of information?

- In class: 1) Can you help Martina get oriented in the British media? 2) The Italian parliament has recently approved a law allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions. You will be guided to discuss how different newspapers present the news about this law.

- To conclude: an exercise about the subjunctive...

Term 2, Week 2:

- Homework for TODAY (16/01/17) 1) Read this short article about the recent scandal of "Barilla", a famous Italian pasta brand: http://www.ilpost.it/2013/09/26/barilla-donne-omosessuali-gay/ 2) We are going to discuss this scandal in class, where Martina will also add more material. Please come prepared to discuss women, media representation, gender stereotypes, using the vocab list that you have prepared from "Il corpo delle donne". Think about an advertisement (on TV, Internet, billboards, papers) which made you think about gender stereotypes, body shaming, representation of women and queer people. 3) If you haven't done the homework for week 1, please do it.

In class: Ascoltiamo: 1) Pubblicità Barilla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GcEQd7sNGo 2) Intervista Guido Barilla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lshUnKkNH5A (min. 1.01-1.52 and 7.13-10.20). Inventiamo una nuova pubblicità per la Barilla.

TERM 2, Week 1:

- Homework for TODAY (09/01/2017): 1) watch this 24-minute documentary entitled 'Il corpo delle donne', by Lorella Zanardo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRiWySgOS3A . 2) While watching, take notes and make your own vocabulary, phrases and sentence list (at least 15 entries), selecting those that you find more useful to learn for future writing and speaking on women, media, representation (i. e. 'manipolato', 'gara contro il tempo', 'introiettare'). 3) Then think of 8 more words or phrases that you would like to add to your list, look them up and add them to the list to share with the other students.

- IN CLASS: 'Donne e media'.

Week 2:

Week 3:

- Homework for TODAY (17/10/2016): watch this video on immigration in Italy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqNPvabD7tA and take notes on both language and content.

- TOPIC: L'Italia multiculturale

- IN CLASS: VIDEO http://www.video.mediaset.it/video/iene/puntata/390062/nobile-cittadini-italiani-.html

Week 4:

- Homework for TODAY (24/10/2016): watch these 2 videos: official trailer of "Fuocoammare", Winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film at 2015 Berlin Film Festival (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRPBH3LC4aU) and a short description of it: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc8O2JTU8vY)

- TOPIC: The Refugee Crisis

- IN CLASS: Discussion: How to Mitigate the Refugee Crisis?

PROPOSTE SULL'IMMIGRAZIONE

Week 5:

- Homework for TODAY (31/10/2016)on Italians in London (00.00-11.10):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urwwdYzYXm4

- TOPIC: Vita da espatriato

- IN CLASS: Discussion:Life Abroad and Its Discontents

Week 6:

Reading week

Week 7:

Homework for TODAY (14/11/2016):

Select an article from an Italian newspaper on any topic that interest you and be prepared to present it shortly to the class (at least 2 minutes). NB: It must be different from material already used for Oral or Writing or Translation Classes.

Consider this an occasion to 1) Practice your presentation skills 2) Suggest topics of your interest for future Oral classes.

Week 8:

- Homework for TODAY (21th November 2016)

Listen to this song, "La mia città", Edoardo Bennato: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=492m3tyGacY

Do the exercises provided in class.

Week 9:

- Homework for TODAY (28th November 2016)

Reflective practice on last weeks' presentations. Answer these questions: Come è fatta una buona presentazione? Con quali parole posso iniziare (fai un esempio)? Con quali parole posso concludere (fai un esempio)? Come posso strutturare una buona presentazione orale?

Bring back your exercise on "La mia città" by Edoardo Bennato. Those of you who have not yet prepared it, please listen to this song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=492m3tyGacY) and answer the questions here.

Week 10:

- Homework for TODAY (5 December 2016): parlando ancora di Napoli, conoscete il cantante Mika? Sta conducendo un programma sulla TV italiana, "Stasera casa Mika". Guardate un po'cosa è andato a fare a Napoli... (play the video from 1 h 08 to 1 h16) http://www.raiplay.it/video/2016/11/Stasera-Casa-Mika-a4c9df17-9eaa-42cc-9d12-81862d63a29b.html

Conoscete altri progetti simili a quello descritto nel video nelle vostre città o nelle città che avete visitato? Non necessariamente legati alla musica, ma anche al cibo, all'accoglienza, alla solidarietà. Preparate la vostra risposta.

Preparatevi perché ci sarà una piccola sorpresa di fine term...

Aims

• to develop students’ oral skills both in a class conversation context and in public speaking situations (students’ presentations/press conferences). Students’ presentations and press conferences aim at the preparation of final oral exams by making them aware of the exam mechanism (presentations+related questions);
• to familiarize students with a higher and more sophisticated register of spoken Italian and to expand their vocabulary;
• to familiarize students with recent developments in Italian current affairs and enable them to discuss relevant aspects of contemporary Italy in relation with their personal experience.

 

Course description

This course requires constant student participation and preparation. Students will be asked to prepare weekly topics by reading Italian newspapers, watching the Italian news and writing down topic-related vocabulary lists. Students will be required to prepare presentations on agreed topics. The first term will also include a brief introduction to consecutive interpreting.

 

Examination

There is an exam in May for those students who did not take an oral exam in October (i.e. second year students and finalist students who did not spend their second year in Italy)

Those students who did take an oral exam in October following return from a year abroad will also be required to do an assessed group presentation in class in Term 2.

The exam consists of a 5-8 minute presentation on a topic to be agreed with the tutor, followed by questions and general conversation.

Attendance and participation are requirements of the course: failure to fulfil tasks and lack of participation will be taken into account in the final course results.

 

 

Recommended dictionaries  

 

- Il Ragazzini 2008-Dizionario inglese-italiano, italiano-inglese, Zanichelli.

 

- Collins-Sansoni: Italian Dictionary: complete and unabridged, Collins. 

 

Suggested topics of conversation  

• Stereotipi e pregiudizi

• La famiglia

• Il mondo universitario

• Il divieto di fumo e la liberalizzazione delle droghe leggere

• La lingua italiana e i dialetti

• La televisione

• Le stragi del sabato sera

• La tecnologia

• L’eutanasia e l’aborto

• Lo sport

• Il cinema

• La musica

• La mafia

• La politica e i giovani

• La globalizzazione

• Le città italiane

• Volontariato e solidarietà

• Diritti umani e pena di morte

• Il turismo e i viaggi

• La moda

• L’Italia e la scena internazionale

IT301 Assessment details 

A guideline for your assessed presentations:

WHO? Everyone will have an assessed presentation. For students who had an Oral exam in October, the assessed presentation mark will be averaged out with your October Oral Exam mark. For students who did not have an Oral exam in October, the assessed presentation mark will be averaged out with your May Oral Exam mark.

WHEN AND WHERE? Assessed presentations will take place in your normal Oral class in week 7, 8 and 9 of Term 2. Please note that you will be recorded.

WHAT ABOUT? You can choose ANY topic of your choice, but make sure that you choose something CONTROVERSIAL AND DEBATABLE, which helps you show off your vocabulary and grammar (subjunctives, 'if' clauses, articulated sentences, hypotheses, structures like 'così... come', 'un vantaggio... uno svantaggio'... etc). Examples: 'Il ruolo del doping nello sport'; 'Europeismo in Italia e in UK', 'Sono a favore di Brexit e vi spiego perché'...

HOW? You must form couples of groups of 3 within your group. You must speak for at least 3.5 minutes EACH
You can show graphs, images and data and use a power point, but NO long paragraphs. You ARE NOT ALLOWED TO READ: you can bring ONE sheet of bullet points (max A5)
You should start a discussion at the end of the presentation. Both the presentation and the discussion will be marked.
You will receive your feedback and mark by email at the end of the term.