Syllabus
Italian 203
Spring 2008
INSTRUCTOR:
CLASS TIME:
CLASS LOCATION:
OFFICE HOURS:
Prof. Cristina Pausini
Monday through Friday, 9:50-11:00 a.m.
Green Hall 428
Monday through Thursday,
8:30-9:30; 11:00-11:30 p.m. (FND 224)
OFFICE PHONE NUMBER:
(781) 283-2966
EMAIL:
cpausini@wellesley.edu
_______________________________________________________________________
Required Texts: (Available at the Wellesley Bookstore)
Tognozzi & Cavatorta: Ponti. Italiano Terzo Millennio (Textbook+Workbook)
Niccolò Ammaniti: Io non ho paura (novel)
Susanna Tamaro: Va’ dove ti porta il cuore (novel)
We will be watching four movies, which are on reserve at the Knapp Center:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Caro diario (Nanni Moretti)
Il postino (Michael Radford)
Pane e tulipani (Silvio Soldini)
La meglio gioventù (Marco Tullio Giordana)
Additional course materials will be provided by Prof. Pausini on a daily basis. It is
recommended that you have a folder in which to collect and organize these extra
materials.
Course Description: Italian 203 is an intensive intermediate course in Italian. This
course is for students who have previously taken either Italian 101 &102 or Italian 103. It
covers comparable materials presented in Italian 201 and 202 over five class periods. The
aim of the course is to reinforce and refine skills in speaking, oral and reading
comprehension, writing, and grammar. This course is worth 1.25 credits. It is very
demanding and it is especially recommended for students who intend to spend their
junior year or a semester abroad.
Attendance, Homework and Participation: Regular attendance is mandatory and the
roll will be called every day. You are allowed a maximum of five absences during the
semester. Each additional absence after 5 will affect your final grade: 1 absence (after 5)
3% off, 2 absences (after 5) 6% off, etc. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find
out what was covered in class and come prepared to the next class. Students are also
required to come to class on time. Repeated tardiness will count towards an absence.
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In addition to good attendance, good participation is also required. Participation involves
daily preparation of assigned work for class (grammar points, mini oral presentations,
compositions), arriving on time, and actively participating in pair work or group work
activities. Homework (Workbook and Lab Manual) should be done on a daily basis to
reinforce what was covered in class, and will be submitted in its entirety on a weekly
basis on Fridays. Detailed instructions will be found on the course Firstclass conference.
Quizzes and Exams: Quizzes are all mandatory and students will take them regularly on
Fridays during the semester. Students will take a written mid-term test (scheduled for
Thursday, March 13th), a written final test (scheduled for Wednesday, May 7th), and an
oral final presentation (scheduled over two weeks at the end of the semester).
Final grade





10 quizzes (40%)
Mid-Term Written Exam (15%)
Attendance, Homework and Participation (15%)
Final Written Exam (15%)
Final Oral Presentation* (15%)
*As part of a project between the Italian Department and the Italian Consulate, this
year’s presentation will be in Powerpoint format and will include videoclips and other
materials from the RAI websites.
Grading Scale
94 – 100
90 – 93
87 – 89
84 – 86
80 – 83
77 – 79
75 – 76
72 – 74
70 – 71
Below 70
A
AB+
B
B-
C+
C
CD
F
The Honor Code: The Italian Department fully supports the Wellesley College Honor
Code of honesty, integrity and respect. All of the work you submit in this class is
expected to be your own original effort. As part of the honor code, you will receive
answer keys to all homework exercises. You will use them strictly according to the
instructions and will avoid any other fraudulent use.
Tutoring is available and highly recommended. An Italian Student Assistant from the
University of Bologna will be working in the Department 20 hours a week. Other tutors
are also available through the Learning and Teaching Center. Prof. Pausini will
encourage you to get one if she sees the need for some help.
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Calendario settimanale
Settimana 1 (28 gennaio-1 febbraio)
Ammaniti: pp. 5-12; 12-20; 20-33
Ponti 1
Introduzione al film La meglio gioventù (MG)
Quiz 1
Settimana 2 (4-8 febbraio)
Ammaniti: pp. 34-46; 47-54; 54-70
Ponti 2
MG: sequenze 1-2
Quiz 2
Settimana 3 (11-15 febbraio)
Ammaniti: pp. 70-86; 86-103 + 97-106
Ponti 3
MG: sequenze 3-4
Quiz 3
Settimana 4 (18-22 febbraio)
18 febbraio= no class
Ammaniti: pp. 106-118; 118-131; 131-141
Ponti 4
Preparazione film 1 (Caro diario)
MG: sequenze 5-6
Quiz 4
Settimana 5 (25-29 febbraio)
Ammaniti: pp. 141-152; 152-162; 163-177
Ponti 5
Discussione film 1 (Caro diario)
MG: sequenze 7-8
Quiz 5
Settimana 6 (3-7 marzo)
Ammaniti: pp. 178-191; 192-201; 201-210
Ponti 6
MG: sequenze 9-10
Quiz 6
Settimana 7 (10-14 marzo)
Ammaniti: pp. 211-219
Ponti 7
MG: sequenze 11-12
13 marzo= written mid-term exam
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Settimana 8 (17-21 marzo)
Tamaro: pp. 11-31 (lettere del 16 e 18 novembre)
Ponti 8 (prima metà)
Preparazione film 2 (Il postino)
MG: sequenze 13-14
No quiz
Settimana 9 (24-28 marzo)
SPRINGBREAK
Settimana 10 (31 marzo-4 aprile)
Tamaro: pp. 33-62 (lettere del 20 e 21 novembre)
Ponti 8 (seconda metà)
Discussione film 2 (Il postino)
MG: sequenze 15-16
Quiz 7
Settimana 11 (7-11 aprile)
Tamaro: pp. 63-89 (lettere del 22 e 29 novembre)
Ponti 9
Preparazione film 3 (Pane e tulipani)
MG: sequenza 17-18
Quiz 8
Settimana 12 (14-18 aprile)
Tamaro: pp. 91-131 (lettere del 30 novembre, 1 e 4 dicembre)
Ponti 10
Discussione film 3 (Pane e tulipani)
Presentazioni
Quiz 9
Settimana 13 (21-25 aprile)
21 aprile= no class
Tamaro: pp. 133-156 (lettera del 10 dicembre)
Ponti 11
Presentazioni
Quiz 10
Settimana 14 (28 aprile-2 maggio)
30 aprile= no class (Ruhlman Conference)
Tamaro: pp. 157-186 (lettere del 12, 16 e 20 dicembre)
Ponti 12
Presentazioni
No quiz
Settimana 15 (5-7 maggio)
Tamaro: pp. 187-193 (lettere del 21 e 22 dicembre)
7 maggio= written final exam
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