Spring 2017

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LOWER DIVISION COURSES


 

Italian 003. Elementary Italian (5 units)

Section Instructor Days/Times Location CRN
 001  Jay Grossi  MTWRF 9:00-9:50A  129 Wellman Hall  77212
 002  Jay Grossi  MTWRF 10:00-10:50A  129 Wellman Hall  77213
 003  Carmen Gomez  MTWRF 11:00-11:50A  129 Wellman Hall  77214

Course Description: Italian 003 is the third course of Elementary Italian.  Students in this course will continue learning the language in a setting that emphasizes communicative and interactive class activities, e.g., games and role-playing, while focusing also on form (grammar exercises).  The syllabus for Italian 003 comprises Chapters 11 to 16 of the textbook, and the related chapters in the Workbook/Lab Manual (which is available online). Students will review and practice moods and tenses of the verbs they studied in Italian 002. The conditional (present and perfect), the present of the subjunctive, the passive form and the impersonal constructions of the verb, superlative and comparative structures, suffixes in nouns and adjectives, and more uses of prepositions with nouns and verbs will complete the basic knowledge of Italian and increase the students' ability in reading, understanding, speaking and writing. Since the study of a foreign language is different from the study of other disciplines, daily class attendance is indispensable in this course. Unjustified absences will cause a student’s participation grade to drop, and his/her overall grade will suffer accordingly. Just as important as daily class participation are homework assignments.  Laboratory is required, and instructors will collect and grade the lab work as scheduled in the syllabus. Failure to comply with the lab requirements will result in a failing lab grade.

Prerequisite: Italian 002 or consent of instructor (jgrossi@ucdavis.edu or ccgomez@ucdavis.edu).

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities and World Cultures.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 5 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbook:

  • Donatella Melucci and Elissa Tognozzi, Piazza (with iLrn Access)  (Cengage Learning, 2015)


Italian 009. Intermediate Italian (4 units)
Carmen Gomez

MWF 10:00-10:50A
148 Physics Building
CRN 29256

Course Description: This is the third course of Intermediate Italian. The purpose of this course is to review and practice 1st and 2nd year language skills with a particular emphasis on reading comprehension skills.  Italian 009 prepares students for the more reading-intensive work of 3rd year Italian (upper-division language and literature courses), and encourages them to interact with the written text (short stories, newspaper and magazine articles, poems) in a communicative and task-oriented classroom, where language and culture are inseparable.  Students will continue to expand their vocabulary and language skills through a variety of class activities and homework assignments in line with the previous Italian intermediate classes (i.e., oral presentations, online lab and workbook, compositions, tutoring sessions, authentic visual materials and music).   Italian 009 covers chapters 9-12 of the textbook and the related chapters in the Workbook/Lab Manual. Grammar review covers chapters 1-8 of the textbook, while new language structures include: hypothetical clauses; passive voice; direct and indirect speech; and the indefinite moods (gerund, infinitive, participle).

Prerequisite: Italian 005/005S or consent of instructor (ccgomez@ucdavis.edu). Students who did not take Italian 005 at UC Davis are encouraged to take the Italian Placement Exam.

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities and World Cultures.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbook:

  • Elissa Tognozzi and Giuseppe Cavatorta, Ponti: Italiano Terzo Millennio Bundle  (Cengage Learning, 2012)

 UPPER DIVISION COURSES


Italian 104. Italian Translation and Style (4 units)
Carmen Gomez

TR 1:40-3:00P
140 Physics Building
CRN 91104

Course Description: In addition to contemplating the linguistic and semantic difficulties inherent to translation praxis, this course aims to increase students’ understanding of competing theories and approaches to literary translation. Special emphasis is placed on the analysis of style, genre, and context as an essential element to effectively translate a text from one language to another. Students will examine linguistic choices and idiomatic structures on a case by case basis; analyze different theories of translation through critical readings and in-class discussions; and formulate an individual approach to translation that will guide their personal practice. Translations will be predominantly from Italian to English. Lecture and discussion will be conducted entirely in Italian.

Prerequisite: Italian 009 or consent of instructor (ccgomez@ucdavis.edu).

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities and World Cultures.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

  • All readings will be available online.
     

Italian 113. Dante Alighieri, Divina Commedia (4 units)
Michael Subialka

TR 12:10-1:30P
80 Social Sciences Building
CRN 91105

Course Description: This course will examine one of the major masterpieces of Italian and world literature, the Divina Commedia by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). We will follow this medieval exile on his mystical journey of redemption through the three kingdoms of the afterlife (Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso), reading the story of his adventures in the original Italian language, and trying to frame the events in terms of their historical context, classical and modern sources, and deeper philosophical and religious meaning. Dante was a political exile forced to leave Florence and move across Italy in search of patrons who would take him in and support his work. We will place special focus on the question of how this experience as a kind of medieval refugee shapes the rich concepts and vision of Italy’s most famous poet – what is the relationship of poetry to philosophy, religion, and political resistance?
 
Students are required to be able to comfortably read literary Italian at an advanced level; however, the course books offer both the original Italian text and a poetic English translation, and students are advised to make use of both.

Prerequisite: Italian 009 or equivalent or consent of instructor (msubialka@ucdavis.edu). 

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, Oral Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

  • TBA