Introduction to Italian – Extend Option

Please note: This course is one of our Extend Options designed to be combined with other A Level programmes or BTEC Extended Certificate courses to make up a full timetable. If you are planning to study an A Level programme at Exeter College you will need to enrol on a four element programme, and cannot apply for this course on it’s own.

Why do this course?

This course is for you if you are interested in Italian culture. The aim of the course is to provide a broad knowledge of the Italian language and culture. The course is designed for students who never had an opportunity to study Italian at school. Develop an interest in, and enthusiasm for, learning the Italian language and culture.

What will it involve?

We will concentrate on the skills of listening, speaking and reading. We will use games, paper-based materials and online materials. There will be speaking and listening in pairs and small groups to improve your skills and confidence. At the end of this course a learner should become familiar and practiced, at an introductory level, the four skills of this foreign language: reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Be able to talk about themselves in Italian in a basic conversation: e.g. asking and answering questions relative to their world: my name, my age, what I like to do, etc.

How might it help me in the future?

Knowing Italian is greatly beneficial in several career fields. Italy is a world leader in the culinary arts, interior design, the arts, fashion, graphic design, furniture design, machine tool manufacturing, robotics, electromechanical machinery, shipbuilding, space engineering, construction machinery, and transportation equipment.

Here are a few of the many good reasons to choose Italian… Communication Skills: In many careers and free-time activities, you will find it beneficial to communicate with people who are native Italian speakers. In any realm of business, it always pays to know the client’s language. Italian instruction also encourages you to think about important details of language usage which may not have occurred to you before, thereby improving your writing and speaking skills in English as well.

Travel: To travel to Italy and experience the essence of Italian culture, knowledge of the Italian language is essential. Don’t get stuck on all-American 5-day tours of a continent! They only skim the surface and show you what someone else thinks you should see. To truly get to know Italy it takes more time and, above all, Italian language skills.

Jobs in Business: As more and more businesses are “going global” by opening offices throughout the world, knowledge of Italian is an increasingly important asset when applying for jobs. Six of the 100 biggest global companies have their headquarters in Italy, and Italy is the world’s fifth largest industrial producer of goods. Jobs in Italian business are lucrative.