Instructor: Julia Dougherty
Why learn Italian in Assisi when hand gestures might do? Well, studying a language is a wonderful game, like putting pieces into a puzzle. Working on this puzzle will then lead to something truly magical – being able to communicate with local people in their native tongue and understand more about the wealth of art and history that surrounds you in the heart of Italy. To further that end, we will also wander out to markets, cafès and cultural sites during our lessons. In Italian only!
Beginners: Many people use language-learning apps these days to start understanding the rules of a new idiom. Thus some students may already have some prior knowledge of basic Italian grammar and vocabulary. Courses will be tailored to take their level into account.
Speaking, listening, reading and writing, the four components of language, will be covered during these classes. Through the acquisition of simple grammar structures, students will learn how to:
Ask and answer questions to fulfill personal needs and engage politely in public
Understand the general meaning of and some details of written texts on accessible topics
Write short texts regarding personal interests, social needs and experiences in Italy
Intermediate: Students’ greater knowledge of grammar structures at this level will allow them to start engaging more easily with local people as we go out into the town. Class discussions, instead, will be prompted by reading texts from newspapers or literature, or by listening to songs, watching films or other media. The focus will be on Italian history, art, literature, food and fashion. Participants will also write short summaries, or even compositions, and finish off with a brief oral presentation, which they will find very stimulating and fulfilling
Julia Dougherty was born in the US and graduated with a BA in History from Pomona College, California. She then moved to Rome and continued her studies at the University of Rome, La Sapienza, majoring in Languages and Literature with a focus on English, Italian and German. She taught English in Rome for over twenty years at various academies as well as LUISS University. After relocating to northern Italy, she started working in the English Department at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice. Over the years she has also taught Italian to various groups of adult learners. Julia has spent decades in the Bel Paese, traveling to different parts of the peninsula to learn more about its history and art and architectural heritage, and local varieties of its national language.
