Italian Through Film A Text for Italian Courses Antonello Borra, Christina Pausini

Focusing on contemporary Italian films, this book offers Italian-language teachers an opportunity to incorporate authentic language in their classrooms. The book is adaptable for any level of language instruction and devotes one chapter to each of ten entertaining movies - among them "Cinema Paradiso", "La vita e bella", "Mediterraneo", and "Il postino". Pre-viewing, viewing, and post-viewing activities appropriate to the various films are included in each chapter. The exercises range in difficulty from elementary to highly sophisticated and are designed to enhance students' vocabulary and cultural awareness as well as oral and written skills. Because the film chapters are arranged chronologically and not in order of increasing difficulty, teachers may place particular films in their syllabi at any stage of language instruction. Drawing on a fine selection of relevant Italian films, this book aims to effectively foster a deeper understanding of both Italian language and culture.

Antonello Borra is assistant professor of Italian at the University of Vermont. Cristina Pausini is visiting assistant professor at Wellesley College.