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203 Syllabus - Fall 2005- Monday-Thursday Sections

COURSE GOALS:
Italian 203 is intended…

• to provide students with the language tools for communicating effectively in Italian
• to review the most challenging language structures previously introduced at elementary levels
• to provide students with the opportunity to develop intermediate language skills. Emphasis is placed equally on listening, speaking, reading and writing.
• to expose students to contemporary Italian life and culture through authentic materials such as short texts, magazine and newspapers articles, movies, and songs
• to prepare students for fourth semester Italian (Italian 204).

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Students will…

• be able to negotiate meaning on concrete and abstract topics in the past, present and future.
• develop an active vocabulary of approximately 2000 words, with a proportionally larger receptive vocabulary.
• be able to write at least 200 words in Italian on prepared topics.
• be able to converse for 10/15 minutes in Italian on a variety of prepared topics.
• be able to comprehend the meaning of a variety of authentic texts and materials.

To meet these goals and objectives...

• the course will be taught entirely in the target language (Italian) in order to give students maximum exposure to the language.
• students are expected to use Italian as the primary language of the classroom for all purposes of communication

ESAME FINALE: Lunedi', 19 dicembre, 5:05 p.m. Location TBA

COURSE POLICIES:

• Attendance Policy – You must be exposed to and use Italian in order to learn it: this means you must attend class regularly. Daily attendance is mandatory. With the exception of officially documented extracurricular activities (e.g., participation in athletic events) and religious observances, 0.5% will be deducted from your final grade beyond the 4th (fourth) absence. No distinction will be made between “excused” or “unexcused” absences. Instructors are legally prohibited from being made aware of medical or other personal information about students. In case of absence, the student is responsible for any work missed or classroom activities that occurred while they were absent. The absence is NOT an allowance for late submission work. It is necessary that reading assignments and homework be completed before the class meetings.

• Participation, Preparation, homework and laboratory – Active participation in class is a vital element of your success in learning Italian. It will be graded throughout the semester based on your effort to use Italian in the classroom, preparation for class, contribution to a cooperative classroom atmosphere, and the quality and quantity of your participation in class discussions and group activities. Specific exercises will be assigned as homework by your instructor (e.g. web-based activities, grammar exercises, reading comprehensions, etc.). Workbook assignments must be done daily. No late assignment will be accepted.

• Quizzes – Four cumulative tests focused on the grammar dealt with in class, vocabulary, or cultural issues are scheduled in this course. Make-up exams will not be granted. Note that all the quizzes are on Thursday, except for Quiz # 2, which is on a Wednesday. Quizzes, Final exam or graded activities CANNOT be re-scheduled or made up.

• Compositions – You will have two in-class compositions (10% each) in this course. For each composition, you will have a rewrite after having received some feedback from your instructor. You must staple the draft that your instructor has corrected to the final composition in order to receive credit for the final composition (do not lose your draft!) You will receive a grade for the draft, which will be raised if you make substantial corrections. If you turn in a final version without most of the changes suggested by your instructor, you may even obtain a lower grade for the final version than for the draft.

• WIKI – the assignment for WIKI is a semester long project which will culminate in the final oral presentation.

• Final Project – This project will consist of an in-class oral presentation of the result of each student’s work on the web-based WIKI project.

• Students must have an active email address that is to be kept updated with the UW Registrar (My-UW on www.wisc.edu). This course distributes materials through LIST.SERV and requires that students use and regularly check email.

For any problems contact the course chair, Prof. Tom Cravens at tcravens@wisc.edu.