Courses
COURSE OFFERINGS
Be sure to check for any course additions, cancellations, or closures, and remember to pay close attention to prerequisites and class times in order to avoid conflicts.Not all courses are offered every session. The course selection may vary and no course is guaranteed. Some courses may require additional fees for labs, equipment, etc. These fees are not included in the program cost.
Courses are available at lower- and upper-division levels. In general, 100 level courses are elementary, 200–300 level courses are intermediate, and 400 level courses are advanced. Students who choose intermediate level Italian or higher must complete a placement exam upon arrival to verify their level of proficiency. Students who do not meet proficiency standards are assigned to the appropriate course.
Note that all students must take at least one language course per semester.
When obtaining pre-approval for course selections, students should refer to the Marist College course codes and titles, as these will appear on the transcript. If you have any questions while looking at the course schedule or filling out your application, please call the API office at (800) 844-4124.
CREDIT INFORMATION
API partner universities in Italy issue credit according to the American system, whereby most courses are worth 3-4 U.S. credits each.
SERVICE-LEARNING AND INTERNSHIP OPTIONS (FOR CREDIT)
API students have the opportunity to earn valuable credits through service-learning and internship experiences with LdM in Tuscania! Students earn 3 credits for their project, which is counted toward their total academic load for the semester, and appear on the academic transcript along with a pass/fail notation. Students are assessed based on a weekly journal, a minimum of two papers, and an evaluation by their academic advisor/tutor at LdM. Options are listed on the API/LdM course schedules on the website and will focus on placements in organizations engaged in socially meaningful tasks. These may include:
- Service-learning: Working with women, children, elderly, disabled, and/or immigrants; Language exchange with local high school; Environmental projects
- Internships: Marketing/Advertising
Students should indicate their interest in an internship or service-learning option upon application, and submit a résumé/C.V., essay, and portfolio. The essay should discuss the student’s reason for applying, expectations about the placement, and a detailed description of the duties in which the student would like to partake in. An on-site interview is required of all service-learning participants. Placements are limited, so students are encouraged to apply early!
STUDIO ART COURSES
The class schedules on the API website indicate that many of the studio art courses involve two time blocks; students enrolled in those courses must attend both time blocks.
Placement exams for studio art courses are mandatory for any student wishing to register for any course at a level other than beginning. Studio art placement tests are administered during the first week of classes. Students are provided with the exact meeting time during orientation.
COURSE MATERIALS AND LAB FEES
Many studio art classes require that students purchase their own materials. The cost of materials varies depending on the type of course. While students may want to bring some basic, easily transportable materials (such as brushes or pastels) with them, most course materials should be purchased in Italy once classes start. Students can speak directly with their instructors to make sure they buy exactly what is required for the course. Many studio arts and cuisine courses require a lab fee that is paid by students upon arrival. In addition, several courses from different departments require that students pay for visits and field trips as noted in the descriptions for such courses.
Organic Agriculture
Organic agriculture of plant products is a method of production that aims to obtain quality food products while respecting the environment of the production process. This means coordinating the elements used in farming and ensuring the renaturalization of an environment compromised by intensive agriculture. Managing a farm that uses the organic agriculture philosophy entails using new operational techniques that permit productivity and quality, while respecting the constraints imposed by legislation, and at the same time optimizing business profitability. In the transition from traditional to organic farming it is important to choose techniques as well as a variety of products that generate the best results in that particular environment. True organic agriculture is not only a question of business management but it also requires knowledge of agronomy and an understanding of the systems methodology and history as well as its cultural aspect, i.e., the social, intellectual, and ethical values of this system. The course includes experiential learning with seasonal activities at a local farm and facilities, horticultural cultivation in Spring and olive harvest and pressing in Fall. The course meets for 45 hours in Fall and 90 hours in Spring.
Communication in Public Administration Internship
["This internship provides professional experience in the field of Communications at a prestigious public office. The intern is monitored by both the onsite supervisor and an LdM faculty member. The grade assigned by the faculty internship supervisor reflects the assessment of weekly reports, two papers, and an overall evaluation. Ten\/twelve hours weekly at the internship site;","student internship schedules and onsite duties may vary. The internship provides an inside look into Tuscania's Public Administration. With this unique experience the students establish themselves as part of a communications team and learn valuable technical skills, while providing information to the English speaking community of Tuscania. Interns develop and carry out various activities which include, but are not limited to: translating important news and announcements from Italian into English;","finding the main points of an official document and making a short summary of those points for online publication;","using specific databases and updating a bilingual Web site;","drafting translations from English into Italian. \u000bNote: Placement opportunities are limited and subject to change. Admission is contingent on the student's CV, two reference letters, a writing sample in English, a formal letter of intent in Italian. Students who enroll must submit supporting documentation by the application deadline, and acceptance is conditional upon the result of an Italian language placement test and an onsite interview during the first week of the term. Proficiency in Italian is required. Since the translations are from Italian into English, high proficiency in writing and reading English is expected."]
Sustainable Food
This course explores food and gastronomy in the light of environmental preservation, sustainable agricultural practices, the conservation of biological and culinary diversity and global justice. Drawing on a multi-disciplinary perspective which brings together academic research and the traditional knowledge of farmers and producers, students will explore the complexity of food and food systems through an analysis of their nutritional, social, and environmental aspects. They will be encouraged to reflect on the sustainable food movement in a holistic manner, and to question the roles of individuals and consumers in today's global food system.
Cooking in Context: Traditions of Tuscania
Located between Rome, Tuscany, and Umbria, Tuscania has been an important crossroads for thousands of years, and its cuisine reflects this position and history. Tuscania is a hyperlocal market with an intimate relationship between agriculture and cuisine. Here, farm to table, zero kilometer, and cucina povera are not mere buzzwords but reveal a special perspective and even times of hardship. By engaging hands-on with the recipes and ingredients of the area, we will learn about how traditions are created and confirmed. The course links local practices, representative of central Italian cuisine, to the broader history of modern Italian cuisine, society, identity, and history.
Italian for Conversation (in Italian only)
The course, taught entirely in Italian, aims to improve conversational fluency through different structured teaching techniques (i.e., dramatization, role play, role taking, oral presentation) and also to promote different strategies for listening, another important skill to be developed in order to become a real active participant in conversation. The improvement of speaking and listening abilities, together with reading and writing, will go hand in hand with broadening knowledge of the Italian culture. In this context class discussions and students' oral presentations on themes regarding Italy and Italian people will help them become familiar with Italian society.
Religion and Culture in Italy
This course examines the interaction between culture and religion in Italy, above all modern Italy. The peninsula has been the almost uninterrupted home of the Catholic church and the Vatican State, a factor of great importance for centuries and still today in the development of Italian culture and society. At the same time Italy is a relatively young nation, democratic, industrialized, and multicultural. In the lively Italian cultural landscape religion can mean oceanic crowds at sanctuaries or a papal appearance, fierce newspaper debates, small parishes, and Muslims or Christians praying in rented spaces. Italy, indeed, epitomizes key issues in religion and culture generally. Students move between themes of diversity in religious belief and practice, coexistence of communities, continuity of tradition and local heritage, the political interface, secularism, religion in the media and popular culture, national identity, and educational, social, and health policies and activities. The course exploits the special opportunity to investigate various religious communities in Italy.
4-Hour Italian Language Elementary 1
This level is for absolute beginner students who have never studied Italian before: it is the first of six levels and its aim is to give the basis of the language, allowing students to deal with the most common everyday situations by expressing themselves in the present and past tenses. At the end of the course students will be able to understand familiar words and basic phrases and to interact in a simple way in order to satisfy their immediate needs. The course is specifically designed to make the most of the immersive learning environment, with activities outside the classroom which provide a useful complement to the academic experience and help students to build their linguistic self-confidence.
Language of Instruction: Italian
4-Hour Italian Language Elementary 2
This course focuses on the consolidation of basic structures of the language and the acquisition of some new structures, such as the means to describe one's personal background and environment, to express wishes and talk about future plans, respond to simple direct questions or requests for information. At the end of the course students will be able to understand simple exchanges of information on familiar activities and use short phrases to describe in simple terms people and living conditions. The course is specifically designed to make the most of the immersive learning environment, with activities outside the classroom which provide a useful complement to the academic experience and help students to build their linguistic self-confidence.
4-Hour Italian Language Intermediate 1
This course focuses on the acquisition of complex language structures and skills, such as the means to express personal opinions, preferences, doubts and hypothesis, the combination of different tenses when narrating past events, switching the focus in writing. In this level emphasis is given to social discourse, to the ability to effectively sustain social interactions and contribute significantly to discussions. At the end of the course students will achieve a deeper awareness of the language and a wider repertoire of vocabulary and texts . The course is specifically designed to make the most of the immersive learning environment, with activities outside the classroom which provide a useful complement to the academic experience and help students to build their linguistic self-confidence.
Language of Instruction: Italian
4-Hour Italian Language Intermediate 2
This course focuses on the acquisition of complex language structures and skills, such as the means to express personal opinions, preferences, doubts and hypothesis, the combination of different tenses when narrating past events, switching the focus in writing. In this level emphasis is given to social discourse, to the ability to effectively sustain social interactions and contribute significantly to discussions. At the end of the course students will achieve a deeper awareness of the language and a wider repertoire of vocabulary and texts. The course is specifically designed to make the most of the immersive learning environment, with activities outside the classroom which provide a useful complement to the academic experience and help students to build their linguistic self-confidence.
Language of Instruction: Italian
4-Hour Italian Language Advanced 1
In this level the focus is on the ability to manage conversation and cooperating strategies, to employ a wide range of language to build clear, connected and effective texts. At the end of the course students will be able to take an active part in conversations, accounting for their points of view, to give clear presentations on a range of subjects related to their interests both in speaking and in writing. The course is specifically designed to make the most of the immersive learning environment, with activities outside the classroom, which provide a useful complement to the academic experience and help students to build their linguistic self-confidence.
4-Hour Italian Language Advanced 2
This course focuses on the ability to understand extended speech, as well as technical and specialized texts. At the end of the course students will develop the ability to use language flexibly for social and professional purposes. They will be able to recognize idiomatic uses of the language and to apply register shifts. The course is specifically designed to make the most of the immersive learning environment, with activities outside the classroom, which provide a useful complement to the academic experience and help students to build their linguistic self-confidence.
Language of Instruction: Italian
LdM Courses
To choose your courses, click on this link, and select on the campus and term you are interested in.
LdM Course Link
4-Hour Italian Language Elementary 1
This level is for absolute beginner students who have never studied Italian before: it is the first of six levels and its aim is to give the basis of the language, allowing students to deal with the most common everyday situations by expressing themselves in the present and past tenses. At the end of the course students will be able to understand familiar words and basic phrases and to interact in a simple way in order to satisfy their immediate needs. The course is specifically designed to make the most of the immersive learning environment, with activities outside the classroom which provide a useful complement to the academic experience and help students to build their linguistic self-confidence.
Language of Instruction: Italian
4-Hour Italian Language Elementary 2
This course focuses on the consolidation of basic structures of the language and the acquisition of some new structures, such as the means to describe one's personal background and environment, to express wishes and talk about future plans, respond to simple direct questions or requests for information. At the end of the course students will be able to understand simple exchanges of information on familiar activities and use short phrases to describe in simple terms people and living conditions. The course is specifically designed to make the most of the immersive learning environment, with activities outside the classroom which provide a useful complement to the academic experience and help students to build their linguistic self-confidence.
4-Hour Italian Language Intermediate 1
This course focuses on the acquisition of complex language structures and skills, such as the means to express personal opinions, preferences, doubts and hypothesis, the combination of different tenses when narrating past events, switching the focus in writing. In this level emphasis is given to social discourse, to the ability to effectively sustain social interactions and contribute significantly to discussions. At the end of the course students will achieve a deeper awareness of the language and a wider repertoire of vocabulary and texts . The course is specifically designed to make the most of the immersive learning environment, with activities outside the classroom which provide a useful complement to the academic experience and help students to build their linguistic self-confidence.
Language of Instruction: Italian
4-Hour Italian Language Intermediate 2
This course focuses on the acquisition of complex language structures and skills, such as the means to express personal opinions, preferences, doubts and hypothesis, the combination of different tenses when narrating past events, switching the focus in writing. In this level emphasis is given to social discourse, to the ability to effectively sustain social interactions and contribute significantly to discussions. At the end of the course students will achieve a deeper awareness of the language and a wider repertoire of vocabulary and texts. The course is specifically designed to make the most of the immersive learning environment, with activities outside the classroom which provide a useful complement to the academic experience and help students to build their linguistic self-confidence.
Language of Instruction: Italian
4-Hour Italian Language Advanced 1
In this level the focus is on the ability to manage conversation and cooperating strategies, to employ a wide range of language to build clear, connected and effective texts. At the end of the course students will be able to take an active part in conversations, accounting for their points of view, to give clear presentations on a range of subjects related to their interests both in speaking and in writing. The course is specifically designed to make the most of the immersive learning environment, with activities outside the classroom, which provide a useful complement to the academic experience and help students to build their linguistic self-confidence.
4-Hour Italian Language Advanced 2
This course focuses on the ability to understand extended speech, as well as technical and specialized texts. At the end of the course students will develop the ability to use language flexibly for social and professional purposes. They will be able to recognize idiomatic uses of the language and to apply register shifts. The course is specifically designed to make the most of the immersive learning environment, with activities outside the classroom, which provide a useful complement to the academic experience and help students to build their linguistic self-confidence.
Language of Instruction: Italian
Agricultural Economics
["The course is intended as an introduction to basic economics concepts which frames the agricultural sector within a theoretical framework. The very first part is basically an overview of the economic principles for consumer and producer behavior, price determination, elasticity, profit, demand and supply. These concepts are then applied to agriculture: definition of agriculture and introduction to it as a business;","agri-food marketing principles;","leading concepts of economics of natural resources. In the last part the course treats the economic, social and environmental roles of agriculture in relation to the challenges of food security and climate change: why should we care, and how? The course concludes with a comparative analysis of the very different roles of government in agricultural policy, in Europe and other regions."]
Wine Business
This course explores the business and marketing of wine, with special focus on U.S. markets. Wine trade and consumption in the U.S. have consistently increased in recent years. If until the early 1990s wine consumption was concentrated in a few major states, today wine is consumed by a large part of the U.S. population. Italian wine, counting for 30% of U.S. wine imports, is a major part of this economic and cultural scenario. In addition, new wine markets have emerged worldwide. This growing interest has strengthened the role of traditional key players in the wine trade such as importers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, while helping to create new professional figures such as wine writers, wine club managers, and event promoters. In this course students learn skills that help equip them to take on such roles. Given the notable diversity and quality of Italian wines, students examine issues of sourcing, shipment chains and trading channels, and market impact. The course includes business simulations, and students produce a startup or marketing project.
Medieval Civilization and Culture
["This course explores the remarkable series of transitions that Western civilization underwent between the years 313 and 1400 CE, dates corresponding to Emperor Constantine\u0092s official acceptance of Christianity, and the advent of humanistic culture. In culture, politics, and society, this long period witnessed a reorientation of values and enormous shifts in the configuration of Europe. In the visual arts, efforts to interpret classical artistic language were accompanied by innovative contributions from different cultures. As students study historical and literary sources, archaeology as well as architecture, sculpture and painting, they acquire a chronological map of the essential developments, learning to distinguish between eras, and to interrelate political, social, economic, and cultural trends. Rejecting the popular notion of a \"dark age\" of culture in the Middle Ages, we shall emphasize the concept of historic evolution. Topics include: the Late Roman Empire, the Barbarian invasions, monasticism, medieval Christianity, the Crusades, the rise of the Italian city-states, the Black Death, and the roots of the Renaissance;","Early Christian, Carolingian, Ottoman, Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic Art. Italian developments and monuments receive special attention, and site visits in Tuscania, neighboring towns (such as Viterbo, Bolsena, Orvieto), and Rome, form an essential component of the course."]
Child Psychology
This course is about the study of child development, from the prenatal period through adolescence, examining theories, findings, approaches and methods of developmental psychology. We will explore such questions as: What knowledge do infants have at birth? Is aggressiveness a stable attribute? Does early exposure to two languages confuse children? What do children understand about the causes of emotion? How do infants become attached? Why do school-age children pay more attention to their peers than their parents? Who raises altruistic children? We will cover the major domains of development -- biological, cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional -- putting emphasis on discovering the many different biological and experiential factors that influence behavior, as well as the roles familial and extra familial factors play in the course of early human development. We will look at the causes and methods of reducing aggression, as well as exploring altruism, and moral development. The course will include practical exercises where students will be expected to conduct observations of children in real-life and/or on video, and plan appropriate methods to collect developmental data, with the opportunity to explore the differences between their own culture and Italian culture.
Highlights
- Classes taught in English and Italian
- Transcript from U.S. accredited institution (Marist College)
- Immersive setting
- Agricultural Studies and Technologies Options!
- Internships and service-learning options available (for credit)
- Lauren Lund Memorial Scholarship
