> FocusUnimore > numero 50 – settembre 2024
Parliamo italiano! Corsi e attività in Lingua Italiana all’Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Ogni semestre, il Centro Linguistico dell’Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia offre una serie di corsi di Lingua Italiana, volti a migliorare le competenze linguistiche e culturali degli studenti e di tutti gli utenti stranieri di Unimore e a promuovere il loro inserimento nell’ambiente accademico. I corsi di italiano sono gratuiti e aperti a tutti gli studenti così come ai ricercatori, borsisti, dottorandi, assegnisti e visiting professor che studiano e/o lavorano presso il nostro Ateneo.Oltre ai corsi ordinari, il CLA offre corsi intensivi e a pagamento per gli studenti che partecipano al Programma Marco Polo/Turandot e per gli studenti di due Università cinesi: l’Università di Hebei e l’Università di Lingua e Cultura di Pechino (BLCU).Il CLA, inoltre, con lo scopo di sostenere e incoraggiare l’apprendimento, anche autonomo, dell’italiano come lingua seconda, mette periodicamente a disposizione alcune attività extra, come ad esempio: il corso A1 online in autoapprendimento (che sarà presto integrato da un corso di livello A2), lo sportello on-demand di italiano per stranieri e il progetto Tandem.
Each semester, the Language Centre at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia offers a number of Italian language courses, which aim at improving foreign students’ and scholars’ linguistic and cultural competence and promoting their introduction into the Italian academic environment. Our Italian language courses are free and open to all foreign students and scholars studying and working at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
The Language Centre also offers intensive, fee-based courses for students enrolled in the Marco Polo/Turandot Programme and for those from Hebei University and Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) in China.
In addition, the Language Centre provides users with an additional set of resources aimed at supporting and encouraging the learning of Italian as a second language, even through self-study. Currently available are: the A1 online self-study course (which will soon be complemented by an A2 level course), the Italian-Language on-demand Helpdesk, and the Tandem project.
Regular courses – levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1
Our regular Italian courses are addressed to:
- exchange students (Erasmus+, Overseas, etc.)
- foreign students attending a Degree or Specialisation Programme at UNIMORE
- visiting guests at UNIMORE who are involved in international exchange projects (scholarship holders, PhD students, post-grads, researchers and lecturers)
In order to be admitted to the regular courses, students must pass a compulsory placement test which takes place at the start of each semester.
Our regular courses are offered at levels A1 – A2 – B1 – B2 – C1 of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference). Each course includes 36 hours of face-to-face lessons (a 90-minute class twice a week) and 14 hours of online self-learning activities. Students mustattend at least 80% of face-to-face lessons, take part in class activities and regularly do their homework.
At the end of each course, students have to take a final written and spoken exam. The written exam tests candidates’ comprehension and written production skills by means of:
- a reading comprehension text with open-ended questions;
- the drafting of a short text;
- a set of grammar exercises focusing on syntactic and lexical competences.
Upon passing the final exam, students receive 4 ECTS credits.
Basic course – A1.1
In addition to the regular courses for exchange students and scholars, the Language Centre offers a Basic A1.1 course to international students enrolled in English-taught Master’s Degree Programmes at UNIMORE. This course is designed for absolute beginners, with no prior knowledge of the Italian language, and is aimed at developing students’ basic language skills and promoting their integration into the Italian society. To this end, the course also welcomes students coming to our University through special international protection programmes, such as UNICORE or Invest Your Talent in Italy.
This course includes 50 hours of face-to-face lessons and a final written and spoken exam. Starting with the academic year 2023/24, the Basic A1.1 course is taught over two semesters (i.e. it starts in the first semester and covers the entire academic year). To be admitted to the final exam, students must attend at least 70% of classes.
The Basic A1.1 course does not grant Educational Credits (ECTS).
Extra activities
A1 online course for self-study (A2 online course coming soon!)
Absolute beginners who are not able to attend classes or need additional resources, as well as all the exchange students whose level in Italian is not high enough to access regular courses, can follow the A1 online course for self-study (this course does not grant Educational Credits).
The course is available online 24/7 and is divided into units providing (images, sentences, dialogues, texts), grammar and vocabulary tables, quizzes and exercises (multiple-choice, True/False, matching, fill in the gaps etc…).
Italian-Language Helpdesk
The Helpdesk consists in 30-minute online one-to-one meetings with our Italian Language Instructor. The service is targeted at foreign undergrad & postgrad students, researchers and visiting professors with a minimum language level of A2 in Italian, who would like to receive personalized advice to improve and fine-tune their competence in the Italian language.
Tandem Project
All students who are enrolled in a Degree Programme at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, as well as all foreign exchange students and scholars, can take part in our Tandem Project. The Tandem project includes both face-to-face conversations between students currently based in Modena and/or Reggio Emilia, and online meetings with students from our two main partners: the University of Notre Dame du Lac-Indiana and the University Study Abroad Consortium (USAC). Students at the Department of Studies on Language and Culture can be granted 2 Educational Credits (ECTs) if they take part in the online Tandem project following a specific activity outline and meeting a specific set of requirements.
HEBEI and BLCU students
A special agreement is in force with the HEBEI and BLCU Universities in China, whereby Chinese students from the two institutions come and study at our University and attend the Italian language classes offered by the Language Centre at Unimore. These students attend our regular courses during the first and the second semester (usually at a B1 and B2 CEFR level respectively), and an intensive course in January and February (usually at a B1+ CEFR level).
Marco Polo /Turandot Programme
The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia reserves a number of places for students enrolled in the Marco Polo/Turandot Programme each year. The Marco Polo/Turandot Programme aims to increase the number of Chinese students studying at Italian universities by offering them a preliminary university-level Italian language course and an entry visa, which allows them to attend Italian classes for ten months. The Italian course offered by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia will bring students to a B1/B2 level of language proficiency (according to the CEFR). Upon completion of the course, students will take a final exam and, if they succeed, they will be able to enroll into a University Degree Programme in Italy. No further Italian language test will be required.