Course Objectives and Prerequisites

Undergraduate

(FR 0001, FR 0002, ITAL 0001, 0002)

Describe, narrate, and ask/answer questions in the foreign language in the present time about a variety of topics related to family, daily activities, eating, and traveling. Students should also be able to make short statements and ask/answer simple questions in the past in the foreign language.
Comprehend the foreign language with sufficient ability to grasp the main idea and some supporting details in short conversations (spontaneous or recorded) that pertain to the topics mentioned above.
Read and understand the main idea and some details of materials (both literary and non-literary) about a variety of topics in the foreign language.
Write sentences and short paragraphs on familiar topics relating to personal interests and practical needs.
Begin to develop an awareness and understanding of the foreign language culture.
Begin to understand on a basic level how the foreign language functions.
Course prerequisites: FR 0001 / ITAL 0001- none; FR 0002 / ITAL 0002 – FR 0001 / ITAL 0001 or equivalent.

(FR 0003, FR 0004, ITAL 0003, ITAL 0004)

Speak the foreign language well enough to ask and answer questions on a variety of topics important in the foreign language culture that go beyond needed to “survive” in the foreign culture (talking about personal identity, one’s habits, leisure time, and opinions about social issues). Students should find it easier to add more information to narratives and descriptions, to link ideas together into more complete sentences, and to discuss past or future events with less hesitation and more accuracy.
Comprehend the foreign language with sufficient ability to grasp the main idea and some supporting details in short conversations (spontaneous or recorded) that pertain to the topics mentioned above.
Read and understand the main idea and most details of materials (both literary and non-literary) about a variety of topics.
Write longer paragraphs that show more cohesion than a simple stringing together of sentences typical of writing at the elementary level.
Have a greater understanding of the foreign language cultures, and a better understanding of the cultural implications of written and visual texts.
Have mastered the most basic grammar structures and have a better understanding of how the foreign language functions.
Course prerequisites: FR 0003 / ITAL 0003- FR 0002 / ITAL 0002 or equivalent; FR 0004 / ITAL 0004- FR 0003 / ITAL 0003 or equivalent.

(FR 0055, FR 0058, ITAL 0050)

Interpersonal Communication: Engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions. This objective is addressed through pair, small group, and whole-class activities whereby each class member has the opportunity to communicate ideas and opinions in the foreign language.
Interpretive communication: Understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics. This objective is addressed by listening to conversational dialogues and music as well as by reading short articles on a variety of topics and responding in the foreign language.
Presentational communication: Present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners on a variety of topics. This objective is met as students present informal debates and sketches or a more formal oral exposé in the foreign language to classmates and as they record portfolio entries both individually and with a group.
Cultural understanding: Have a deeper understanding of the foreign language culture and of the cultural implications of written and visual texts.
Course prerequisites: ITAL 0050 - ITAL 0004 or equivalent; FR 0055 – FR 0004 or equivalent; FR 0058 – FR 0055 or equivalent.

French

Italian