A fresher's guide to 1st year italian language
Much is made of the culture modules for the first year - the study of Dante, Pirandello and aspects of Italian history, from the Risorgimento to the modern day, are often new to first years, and thus are seen as more interesting and exotic. The other key aspect of the first year course is the language unit, which is perhaps less glamorous, but is nonetheless a vital area of the Italian course at Bristol, covering the core skills of grammar, speaking, reading and writing.
The grammar classes are fairly straight forward - with one grammar topic covered each week, with groups assigned to do presentations explaining the topic using Xerte; a rather fiddly and confusing PowerPoint substitute. While not everyone agreed on the benefits of Xerte, this style of learning is generally very useful - rather than simply being lectured on how the particular grammar item works, the presentation allows for more interactivity. Furthermore, as it is students presenting to the rest of the class, it provides a change of pace from the usual seminars one has during the week. Another positive aspect of this group work is that one gets to know one's course mates fairly quickly.
lingua
Photography: Paukrus - Flickr
BY JOEL DWEK