Five Key Courses to Learn the Italian Language and Culture

The Italian Cultural Institute of New York is organizing five courses focusing on the Italian language and culture.

The first one is an Italian language course through the history of art: called Splendors of Italy, it leads back in time through a virtual tour to Florence, Rome and Venice of the 15th and 16th century. Along the way, students will pick up key vocabulary of art appreciation in Italian, learning about things every museum visitor wants to know.

The second one is an Italian language and cultural course through cinema: its name is Adventures in the Glocal Italy: The Art of Travel in the Italian Tradition, and it is designed to familiarize participants with the social and cultural conditions of contemporary Italy, as well as common expressions in Italian. Film screenings and discussions on regionalism and globalization will give a current perspective of Italy on the 150th anniversary of its unification, and also make the travel there more meaningful and enjoyable. Courses are in English. Key scenes from Italian films will be screened in class.

The third one is an Italian language and culture course through opera: it is thought to be a general overview of Italian opera from its beginning to the 20th century. It will include biographical and stylistic observations about the various composers, their importance in music history and comments on the historical, economic and social background of the period analyzed. Some explanations, grammatical and syntactical analysis of the librettos will also be provided, adequate to the proficiency level of the participants.

The fourth is an Italian language and cultural course through the history of food and wine. Named Flavors of Italy it leads participants in a journey through the centuries: from the kitchens of the poor, to the banquets of the rich and powerful; from the markets where the eastern spices were traded, to the ateliers where artists first introduced newly discovered products from the New World in their paintings. The course will reveal the histories hidden behind the common words that are part of the Italian daily language, not only in Italian homes but also on the menus of restaurants across the world. In addition, the use of food and wine terminology outside of the gastronomical context will be taught. This course will be held on Mondays and Thursdays and will have the following schedule: September 12 - 15 - 19 - 22 - 26 – 29; October 3 - 6 - 13 – 17. Registration is on a first-come first-served basis and is due by September 5, 2011.

The fifth one is an Italian language and culture course trough fashion: called From the Roman Empire to Modernity…Italian Style, it shows the world of Italian fashion with its roots reaching into antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. With the help of artistic masterpieces, films, photography, advertising, magazines and fascinating historical documents, an insight with concepts such as luxury, fantasy, identity, masculinity and femininity, self-fashioning and self-expression, consumption, visibility and desire will be done. From the toga to the creations of Fashion Week, a vocabulary with which to talk about dress and design in Italian will be taught.

For any further information about the courses please send an e-mail to [email protected] or make a phone call to: 212 879 4242 ext. 323.