Centro Internazionale di Studi Deradiani

Students can freely choose courses (two, three, four, five) from any different field for an average of 15 credits, but the following rules must be observed:

c. Students are free to choose courses from any of the listed fields and to match them in a personal study plan provided that he or he has prior written approval from the college dean or student advisor (Advisor Approval Form).

FIELD 1: ITALIAN LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND CULTURE

This program suits all those who not only have an interest in Italian civilization but also need to learn the Italian language as part of their university/college studies or for personal reasons.

The APT philosophy is based on the following principles: learning a foreign language develops a greater awareness of language in general; it stimulates discipline and helps increase the ability to communicate. It also encourages new learning strategies and enhances deeper cross-cultural exchange and understanding. In other words, through full immersion in the language, APT exploits the positive and natural mental attitude of those who are open-minded and eager to learn.

In addition to solid working experience, all members of our professional Italian teaching staff have studied a foreign language as L2 in various centers in Italy and abroad. For this reason they are all familiar with problems concerning learning a foreign language.

The student is exposed to many guided situations in which the use of the Italian language is necessary. These situations alternate with written work, oral comprehension exercises and support activities (video exercises, meetings, conversation, outings, summaries, etc.) designed to make the student’s time in Florence a full, well-rounded experience in which each new day is filled with new situations to keep the mind active and motivation high. Students are free to choose up to 5 courses. Each course is 3 credits and Italian Language is compulsory.

The complete program consists of Six levels which cover all main points of grammar and syntax; communication techniques are fundamental.
Basic Courses (Levels 1,2,3)
The "Threshold Level" is divided into three grades according to the guidelines of the Language Project for Cultural Co-operation of the Council of Europe.

Level outlines	Program	Certificates
"Elementary" This is the gateway to the Italian language, Indispensable for basic communication skills	The course covers the indicative mode and the essential parts of speech for building sentences. Special emphasis is placed on phonetics. Everyday situations are recreated in class.	Certificate of Attendance
"Intermediate" Building basic elements to enable the student to actively participate in conversations.	Grammar covers more complex parts of speech. Simple and compound conditional, simple past, past, perfect. Indirect pronouns. Combined pronouns. Sequences of tenses using the indicative mode. Commonly used idioms and expressions.	Certificate of Attendance
"Advanced" Introduction to tools that permit a full and well-defined range of expression.	The student learns the subjunctive mode, the imperative mode, the sequence of tenses. The course is taught with wide scale use of audio-video materials. Idiomatic Expressions. Reading newspapers. Radio and TV news broadcasts.	Mastery of the Italian Language

Specialization Courses (Levels, 4, 5, 6)
These courses lead to the discovery and use of a rich, vibrant and up-to-date Italian, that also reflects the student’s personality.

Level outlines	Program	Certificates
Upper level 1 This course goes deeper into the main aspects of grammar.	The teacher establishes correlations between grammar and syntax and pursues the goal of correct usage in everyday language. The language of the media. Use of synonyms. Neologisms.	Upper Course 1
Upper level 2 This course is the logical continuation and completion of "Upper level 1"	We reinforce grammar and syntax so that students can express themselves in modern, colloquial Italian. Distinctions between levels of communication. Sequences of tenses in the indicative and subjunctive modes.	Upper Course 2
Upper level 3 The course adds the "Final touches" to the students' knowledge, and improve both oral and written expression.	The students' communication skills enable them to fully participate in Italian life-style. Political language. The influence of dialects. The students continue to personalize their knowledge of Italian and by the end of the course they can "think" in Italian.	"APT"Diploma

In particular, the APT aims at a gradual linguistic progression based on the following skills:

~ the ability to discover opinions and ideas of an individual or a group by asking questions.

~ the ability to make telephone calls to find housing, to request information, to apply for a job, etc.

~ the ability to converse/argue about: lost baggage, theft, illness, a late or non cashable check, etc.

~ the ability to write letters (whether for business or personal reasons), work-related documents, summaries (from books, magazines, newspapers, films), job applications, requests for information, payments, etc.

~ the ability to read and discuss a new article, to make comments on literary works, to read short stories or a novel and to write a review on it

~ -the ability to have a conversation using work terminology (intermediate level students)

~ the ability to teach Italian to beginning and advanced level students of one's own mother tongue.

Costs vary from Euro 50 to Euro 100. Extra costs are detailed in the individual course syllabi which are available on request.

- All Studio Art classes require students to buy their own materials. The material costs vary from Euro 50 to Euro 200, depending on the course. All costs are detailed in the course syllabi. We advise Studio A r t students to purchase their materials in Florence after having spoken with their instructors.

GRADES AND TRANSCRIPTS

At the end of the courses, the professors will calculate the students’ exam scores, homework, class participation, attendance, etc. and will assign an equivalent grade. Students should be aware that class attendance is mandatory. Absence due to illness will be excused, upon the presentation of a doctor’s note (we remind students that medical care is included). Absence due to travelling, religious beliefs or holidays (not recognized by the Italian State) will not be accepted as valid excuse for absence. An excess of unexcused absences (25% or more of the hours of the course) will automatically fail the student. All professors give grades according to the following system:

HOW TO MAKE YOUR STUDY PLAN

GRADES AND TRANSCRIPTS