Italian

This course has three main components. First, it discusses a coherent analytical framework for understanding some of the key ideas and issues informing the debate about the environment and about sustainability today. It examines the principles and practices of sustainable development in the context of urban development. More than half of the world's population are already living in cities and by the middle of this century that figure will rise to more than 65 percent. With rapid urbanization, cities face environmental, economic, and social challenges that pose threats to sustainability of urban development. Second, the course investigates the historical conditions for the contemporary debate about sustainability, reviewing the evolution of different approaches towards the environment from the earliest farming societies to present (post-) industrial societies. The course adopts a ‘Big History' approach to see the overall picture, seeking out common themes and patterns that can help to better address the multiplicity of socioeconomic and environmental issues faced today. The third and major part of the course looks at Tuscany and at Florence in particular, on the basis of the fruitful concept of ‘Urban Metabolisms' to focus attention on the interdependence between cities and their environments. Tuscan cities such as Florence and Siena are often considered ideal models of sustainable urban and rural development as well as of landscape preservation. This ‘Under the Tuscan Sun' image of Tuscany is contrasted by an analysis of the more complex historical realities. Students deconstruct these idealized images of the Tuscan space and to rethink the complex relationship between ‘città and contado' (city and countryside) in the Tuscan past and presence. A variety of key thematic issues and sustainability challenges are explored in the context of Tuscan urban environments, including transport, tourism, water, waste, and food issues. A variety of outdoor activities including a daytrip to the Tuscan countryside offers unique opportunities for students to engage with local community.

This course provides students with a sound basis for communicating effectively and accurately in oral and written Italian. In this course, students practice recognizing and using complex Italian grammatical and syntactic structures, such as verbs in all tenses and moods, connective words, and all uses of the subjunctive mood in hypothetical sentences, conjunctions, or indirect speech. Authentic materials (songs, videos, advertisements, and film clips) are used in a communicative-based approach, and emphasis is placed on the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students participate in several sessions of language exchange with Italian university students, and field trips take them outside the classroom to engage with the city and Romans to reinforce the grammatical skills learned in class. The course is conducted entirely in Italian.

This is an intensive elementary Italian language course designed for students with a minimum of 2 quarters/1 semester of previous Italian language (the equivalent of Italian 1A). Grammar is applied through exercises, games, communicative activities, written texts and oral monologues, and role play. Students express basic needs which enable them to communicate in familiar situations regarding everyday topics. Students read brief, simple texts and write brief descriptive and narrative texts. Grammar topics covered include: regular and irregular verbs, regular and irregular participles, reflexive forms, auxiliary and modal verbs (eg. potere, dovere, volere), and use of the verb "piacere." Students learn active conjugation of the auxiliary verbs, "essere" and "avere" and regular verbs in the indicative tense (present, past tense, imperfect, future simple); the conditional present and the imperative. Other grammatical elements include forms and uses of simple and articulated prepositions, adverbs, connectives, determinate and indeterminate articles, gender and number of adjectives, common regular and irregular nouns, demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, subject pronouns, direct and indirect pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and possessives. Student performance is evaluated based on quizzes and a final exam. Texts include a reader provided by Bocconi.

This is an intensive beginning Italian language course designed for students with 0-1 quarters of previous Italian language. This course serves as an introduction to Italian language for Bocconi students. Basic grammar is applied through exercises, games, communicative activities, short written texts and oral monologues and role play. Students learn to express basic needs, enabling them to communicate in familiar situations regarding familiar topics. Students read brief, simple texts and write brief descriptive and narrative texts. Grammar topics covered include: regular and irregular verbs, regular and irregular participles, reflexive forms, auxiliary and modal verbs (eg. potere, dovere, volere), and use of the verb 'piacere'. Students learn active conjugation of the auxiliary verbs, 'essere' and 'avere' and regular verbs in the indicative tense (present, past tense, imperfect, future simple); the conditional present and the imperative. Other grammatical elements include forms and uses of simple and articulated prepositions, adverbs, connectives, determinate and indeterminate articles, gender and number of adjectives, common regular and irregular nouns, demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, subject pronouns, direct and indirect pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and possessives. Student performance is evaluated based on quizzes and a final exam. Texts include a reader provided by Bocconi.

Slow Food is a movement whose philosophy is defined by three interconnected principles: good, clean, fair - where “slower/better” is promoted over “faster/cheaper.” This course examines how Slow Food started initially as a protest against McDonalds opening in Rome to igniting a global revolution in such diverse sectors as tourism, education, and city planning. The course studies how Slow Food governance advocates ecological and political awareness, equitable food policy, and sustainable practices that are not only good for the planet, but as the commercial success of Eataly has demonstrated, business as well. Through case studies such as Eataly, but also visits to local farms and interviews with local producers and distributers, the course examines how Slow Food philosophy intersects with business practices. This course aims to assess what happens when the tenets of sustainability, responsibility, and sharing are combined with the value proposition to provide a unique cultural experience that exports the Italian way of life on a global scale. What is the bottom line: has tradition met innovation, or exploitation? 

The course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program and is intended for advanced level students. The course is taught in Italian. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. The course has two separate modules on two different topics, PART A and PART B. Students who complete a research paper on a pre-approved topic are awarded 1 extra unit for the course. Maximum units for the course are 8, 4 for each part. The course focuses on diachronic aspects of the Italian literary tradition, the critical discussion regarding key issues about texts and authors, and the use of the principal tools of methodological analysis of texts and contexts. The topic for spring 2022 is on types of identity and women writings. Through a conceptual and thematic point of view, the course focuses on female identity in literature. PART A: The first module is dedicated to the writings of Elena Ferrante, Goliarda Sapienza, and Maria Rosa Cutrufelli. PART B: The second module is devoted to Sibilla Aleramo and Anna Banti. The course includes traditional lectures and seminars on specific texts as well as the use of audio and visual materials.

This intensive language course is conducted in Italian and is designed to provide students with basic knowledge of Italian. The course follows the language proficiency guidelines set up by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).  Students in this course generally have an entrance exam that places them between the A1.3 and the A2.1 levels. The course is intended for students who have familiarity with Spanish or French and who have a strong background in grammatical structures which allows them to proceed at a slightly faster pace compared to ITAL 10. At the end of the four-week intensive program, students are expected to be able to express themselves in a simple, fluid, and clear manner and to be able to describe events that have taken place in the past and express personal preferences. The course covers the present tense (regular and irregular verbs), the past tense (regular and irregular) and the use of the correct auxiliary verb and the concordance as well as the future tense. The course is designed to cover the first semester of Italian, roughly akin to Italian 1 and a portion of Italian 2 in the quarter system. All four abilities including speaking, listening, reading, and writing are emphasized with the support of authentic materials (videos) and real-life situations such as visits to local venues and cultural sites. The course follows a communicative approach to language acquisition and involves opportunities for role playing, group activities, games, class discussions, and exchanges with local University of Bologna students. Activities outside the classroom are organized in order to reinforce observation and communication skills that facilitate immersion in Italian culture. The course includes a major field trip. Students select the number of quarter units from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 6. The course is organized by inlingua with supervision from the Study Center. Course materials are provided by inlingua. The basic text for the course is: NUOVO CONTATTO A1 (Loescher, 2018)

This is a course for beginners with no previous knowledge of Italian, designed to give complete beginners a basic, working knowledge of spoken and written Italian. It is a communicative course developing students' understanding and production of the language at CEFR level A1/A1+. 

This course examines the evolution and cultural significance of three staple foods of Italian cuisine, bread, wine, and olive oil, from their ancient roots in the Mediterranean to their role in the enogastronomic traditions of Tuscany. The course traces the origins of these products in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome, and their changing symbolic and cultural meaning across time, from ancient Roman and early Christian civilizations to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Students discuss their contribution to the definition of an Italian national identity and their place in today's food culture. For the study of bread and pasta in modern Italy, students look at the industrialization of wheat growing and of bread and pasta-making techniques, countered by the recent revival of heritage grains, especially in Tuscany. The analysis of Italian wine culture addresses the industrialization of wine production in Italy and the natural wine movement, with a specific focus on wine production in Tuscany. Finally, olive oil is studied from a symbolic, agricultural, and dietary perspective. Comparative tastings of ancient and modern grain breads, of conventional and natural wine, as well as of traditional Tuscan organic olive oil and commercial oil, are part of the class. Field trips to mills, farms, and food sites complement the class contents.

This is a semester-long course organized by the UCEAP Bologna Study Center that offers students a chance to practice and improve oral communication skills in Italian. The course is open to all students. Small groups are organized to accommodate all linguistic levels - from beginners to advanced. The course is taught by experts in the field of language acquisition. P/NP grading only.