Welcome to Italian!
Get ready to embark on an exciting journey through a beautiful and amazing country, Italy. During your journey, you will explore how Italians live and think. You will also develop the necessary linguistic tools to communicate in Italian, so you can continue your journey on your own.
Buon viaggio!
Dr. James Fortney
Director of the Italian Language Program
LANGUAGE COURSES: Please click on the link provided on this page to view these courses in the USC Schedule of Classes
Italian I – ITAL 120
This course is designed for students who have studied no Italian or have placed into this level through the Department-Administered placement exam. The course meets for four hours per week and is taught entirely in Italian. The course has a fully integrated multimedia program (electronic workbook with audio, video, chapter exercises, and activities plus a related website with additional vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar practice).
This course will introduce you to contemporary Italian language and culture. The acquisition of Italian language and culture is encouraged through thematic, task-based instruction. In this dynamic course, you will be actively engaged in authentic communicative activities that have real-world relevance. Role-plays, pair and group work, will give you numerous opportunities to interact with other learners in Italian. Authentic materials, such as ads, brochures, videos, songs, newspaper and magazine articles, are used extensively to expose you to contemporary Italian language and culture. Listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills are integrated in all activities. Basic grammar structures are taught.
Italian II – ITAL 150
This second-semester elementary course is for students who have taken Italian 120 at USC or have placed into this level through the Department-Administered placement exam. The class meets four hours per week and is taught entirely in Italian. The course has a fully integrated multimedia program (electronic workbook with audio, video, chapter exercises and activities plus a related website with additional vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar practice).
This course is a continuation of Italian 120. It will introduce you to contemporary Italian language and culture through thematic, task-based instruction. In this dynamic course, you will be actively engaged in authentic communicative activities that have real-world relevance. You will learn to talk about food, health, travel and express your opinions about a number of contemporary political and social issues. Role-plays, pair and group work, will give you numerous opportunities to interact with other learners in Italian. Authentic materials are used extensively to expose you to contemporary Italian language and culture and to encourage you to make cross-cultural comparisons. Listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills are integrated into all activities. Basic grammar structures are taught.
ITAL III – ITAL 220
This intermediate course is for students who have taken Italian 150 at USC or have placed into this level through the Department-Administered placement exam. The class meets four times per week and is taught entirely in Italian. The course has a multimedia companion website with self-correcting grammar and vocabulary activities as well as audio recordings and a self-correcting Workbook.
In this course, you will learn more about contemporary Italy. You will learn to discuss and express opinions on such topics as, the European Union, globalization, and migration. Authentic reading materials are used extensively to encourage you to think analytically about both Italian culture and your own culture. All basic grammar structures are reviewed. This course emphasizes reading, speaking, and writing skills.