Italian Basic Language Program

If you have had exposure to Italian prior to enrolling at USC and you plan to continuing your study of Italian language you must take a placement exam.

New to Italian?

Start with ITAL 120 and continues with ITAL 150 (or ITAL 175 if you speak French, Spanish, or Portuguese already), ITAL 220, and ITAL 240.

If you have no prior knowledge of Italian, you begin your journey of the language and culture with this course! You will learn to introduce yourself and to describe your campus and where you study.  Developing confidence in comprehension and language production, you’ll navigate basic conversations discussing your likes/dislikes, your hobbies, your daily routines, and your family.  You will explore the richness of Italy and the Italian culture, concluding the course inspired to continue your studies on campus and perhaps even on the Maymester in Rome!

Once you have the foundations of Italian I continue your studies of the Italian language and culture with ITAL 150.  You’ll expand your vocabulary to describe your homes, important holidays and ingredients in meals and in dishes.  Building greater confidence in comprehension and language production, you will shift your focus to recounting the past about what you did that day, last weekend, what you were like as a child and as elementary and middle school student, before ultimately becoming a storyteller negotiating past tenses about important events, misadventures, and vacations. 

This accelerated course invites all native, heritage and/or proficient speakers of Spanish and other Romance Languages with no prior knowledge of Italian to begin their journeys of the language and culture!  Students learn to introduce themselves and to describe their campus and where they study.  Reflecting upon the fundamental features of their own languages students rapidly develop confidence in comprehension and language production and navigate basic conversations discussing their likes/dislikes, their hobbies, their daily routines and their families.  Students expand their vocabularies to describe their homes, important holidays and ingredients in meals and in dishes.  Building greater confidence through reading and listening activities, students shift their focus to recounting the past about what they did that day, last weekend, what they were like as children and as elementary and middle school students, before ultimately becoming storytellers negotiating past tenses about important events, misadventures and vacations.  

If you have completed Italian I and Italian II further expand your vocabularies to interact effectively in Italian markets and shops, to give and receive directions and to make reservations and other travel plans.  Building even greater confidence in comprehension and language production, you will describe tasks and errands you will do in the next few days, future career goals, dreams and aspirations before moving on to express opinions, desires and uncertainties regarding matters important to contemporary Italians such as health, food, agriculture, technology and the environment. You will further explore the richness of Italy and the Italian culture, concluding the course inspired to continue your language studies on campus and in the community through the Italian Professional Internship with the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce West and perhaps even on the Maymester in Venice!

Students who have completed their basic language requirement in Italian nuance and refine their vocabularies to tell even richer stories in the past, to express their opinions and feelings about issues impacting Italy and the world and to function appropriately in both academic and professional settings.  Already having achieved confidence in comprehension and language production, students give advice, make suggestions, hypothesize, agree and disagree and make compelling arguments regarding current events in Italy, social media, sports and entertainment.  Students expand upon their existing familiarity with the Italian culture in their research and discussions about regional and geographical differences, local festivities and celebrations, food culture and much more.  Students complete this course with the confidence to continue upper division course work in the Italian language, literature, and cinema and complete a minor or major in Italian.