Spring 2019 / ITAL 340: Italian through Film Department of Modern and Classical Languages George Mason University Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:00 to 4:15pm, Aquia Hall 347 Prof. K. Olson,
[email protected] Office: Aquia Hall 309 Office Hours: Mondays, 4:30pm to 5:30pm, and by appointment Prerequisites: ITAL 202/250; appropriate placement score; or permission of instructor. Course Description and Objectives: This course develops linguistic proficiency and historical and cultural awareness through the study of selected films from 1945 to 1972. The course is divided into a series of pre-viewing, viewing, and post-viewing activities for each film that consist of a discussion of cultural and historical backgrounds, vocabulary in context, and a grammar review. Students will be responsible for viewing the films in their entirety outside of class while guided by these assignments. Class discussion, together with regular writing assignments and presentations, are designed to foster advanced reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, incorporating advanced-level language study in a content- based approach. At the end of this course, students are expected to communicate at the ACTFL proficiency levels for reading, speaking, listening and writing between Advanced Low and Advanced Mid-levels. Required Materials Borra, Antonello and Cristina Pausini. Italian through Film: The Classics. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007. ISBN: 0300109520 Required Films (Purchase of these films is optional. See below for online film availability via GMU library. Films also located on course reserve in the Johnson Center.) Films are listed in alphabetical order with their current distributor and Amazon listing. 1. La commare secca (The Grim Reaper).