PORT 2050 Intensive Portuguese with Lilian Feitosa

MoWeFr 12:00pm-12:50pm

Portuguese 2050 is an accelerated Portuguese language and culture course that condenses two semesters (PORT 1110 and PORT 2120) into one. PORT 2050 is designed specifically for UVA undergraduate and graduate students who already possess an advanced level of fluency in one of the Romance languages. The pedagogical approach to PORT 2050 is both proficiency-oriented and task-based and the class will be conducted completely in Portuguese.

PORT 2120 Intermediate Intensive Portuguese with Lilian Feitsoa

MoWeFr 11:00am - 11:50pm

PORT 3030 Perspectives on Lusophone Cultures​ with Lilian Feitosa

MoWe 2:00pm - 3:15pm

Through textual analysis, discussions, and language immersion activities, including podcasts, videos, preparing food, students will continue to gain proficiency in Portuguese, while deepening their appreciation for the rich mosaic of Lusophone cultures. This course will foster critical thinking skills, cultural awareness, and linguistic competence, equipping students with the tools to engage meaningfully with the complexities of the Lusophone world. 

POTR 4240 Contemporary Brazilian Cinema with Eli Carter

TR 02:00pm-3:15pm

This seminar examines contemporary Brazilian cinema from 2002 to the present, with an emphasis on the diversity of styles, regions, and themes that animate Brazil’s film culture in the 21st century. We will explore how filmmakers represent such themes as violence, inequality, family, memory, identity, and belonging. Each film will be paired with readings that provide historical, cultural, and theoretical context. Students will engage in close analysis of both fiction and documentary works, situating them within Brazil’s broader sociopolitical landscape and global cinematic currents

KICH 1020 Introduction to K'iche' II with Esther Poveda Moreno

TuTh 04:00PM-05:15PM

This class is an introduction to the Nahualá dialect of K’iche’, a Maya language spoken in the western Highlands of Guatemala.  With about one million speakers, K’iche’ is one of the major indigenous languages in the Americas. This class aims to make the students competent in basic conversation and to introduce students to Highland Maya culture of Guatemala.

Virtual classroom:  The class is taught at Vanderbilt, but a new partnership with Duke, Vanderbilt, and UVa(link is external) allows students at consortium schools to study three important, less commonly taught languages: Haitian Creole, Maya K’iche’, and Tibetan. This is a virtual classroom, and it will be taught through the zoom platform.

KICH 2020 Intermediate K'iche' II with Esther Poveda Moreno

TuTh 02:00PM-03:15PM

Class description: This class combines formal language instructions with the discussion of topics relevant to the K’iche’ culture and language in Guatemala. The goal and focus of this semester are on advanced grammar, learning to adapt speech to various environments and speech genres, examining oral histories and an introduction to a variety of written K’iche’ texts with a focus on contemporary texts. The class will incorporate exercises strengthening listening-comprehension, reading, and composition.

To achieve this goal students are expected to study and work on their own

Virtual classroom: The class is taught at Vanderbilt, but a new partnership with Duke, Vanderbilt, and UVa(link is external) allows students at consortium schools to study three important, less commonly taught languages: Haitian Creole, Maya K’iche’, and Tibetan. This is a virtual classroom, and it will be taught through the zoom platform.

K'iche' at UVA and Vanderbilt (https://iwl.virginia.edu/language/kiche)

ITAL 1020 Elementary Italian II with Francesco Fiumara & Stella Mattioli

MoWeFr 11:00am-11:50am; 12:00pm-12:50pm

TuTh 9:30am - 10:45am; 11:00am - 12:15pm 

Elementary Italian II is the second class in the four-course sequence that is necessary to complete the world language requirement. In this course, students will learn to narrate in all tenses of the indicative, express opinions, make hypotheses, and give orders. They will improve their writing skills by producing a number of original texts, including blog posts, poems, comics, and short articles. Students will also develop their ability to understand spoken Italian by listening to songs, commercials, and movie clips, and they will read and study lyrics, newspaper headlines, poems, and some short stories. Students of Elementary Italian II will also have many occasions to learn more about life in contemporary Italy including the nation’s media, literature, and politics as they study the country’s language.

Taught in Italian.

ITAL 2020 Intermediate Italian II with Sarah Annunziato & Francesco Fiumara

TuTh 02:00pm-03:15pm; 3:30pm - 4:45pm

ITAL 2020 Intermediate Italian II is the fourth class in the four-course sequence which fulfills the language requirement. In this course, students will further develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills as well as deepen their cultural literacy in Italian. You will accomplish these goals with the guidance of your instructor, through review of grammar, short readings, compositions, and listening and speaking activities. Students will have the opportunity to listen to songs, comment on works of art, watch commercials, short films, and television series, as well as read and write newspaper articles. You will also analyze how the Italian language reflects the movement towards gender parity and meet natives of Italy in your quest to become more confident and competent users of the Italian language.

Taught in Italian.

ITAL 2030 Italian for Public Relations, Television, and Social Media with Stella Mattioli

MoWeFr 10:00am - 10:50pm

This intermediate-level course develops students’ Italian language skills through the lens of modern communication, media, and professional contexts. Students expand their vocabulary and refine their speaking, listening, reading, and writing abilities while exploring how Italian is used in public relations, television, journalism, and social media.

Through interactive activities—such as creating and analyzing social media posts, simulating TV interviews, writing press releases, and discussing current media trends—students gain practical language skills relevant to today’s media landscape. Cultural topics related to Italian media and communication styles are integrated throughout the course.

By the end of the semester, students will be able to communicate effectively and creatively in Italian in media-related contexts, with increased confidence and cultural awareness.

ITAL 3020 A Journey Through Italy: Language, Culture, & Everyday Life with Nicole Bonino 

TuTh 02:00pm - 3:15pm

Imagine spending a semester traveling across Italy, moving from city to city and discovering the country through its people, food, music, and traditions. That is the spirit of this course. Every two weeks, we will “arrive” in a new Italian region, exploring its history, culture, and daily life while expanding our ability to speak and understand Italian with greater fluency and confidence. Along the way, you will learn colloquial expressions, cultural insights, and the vocabulary needed to feel at home in Italy.

As we travel, we will also revisit and strengthen key grammatical structures by putting them to work in meaningful, practical tasks. Throughout the semester, you will find yourself writing a restaurant review, designing a travel itinerary, interviewing a classmate about cultural traditions, creating a short promotional video, or staging an everyday conversation as it might unfold in real life.

The course emphasizes an experiential and communicative approach, where grammar is always tied to concrete situations and culture is inseparable from language. By the end of the journey, you will be able to communicate more spontaneously in a variety of contexts, navigate idiomatic and colloquial expressions with ease, and apply advanced grammar accurately in authentic interactions. Get prepared to travel to, live, study, or work in Italy! 

ITAL 3559 An Innovative Journey Through Italy with Sarah Annunziato 

TuTh 12:30pm - 1:45pm

From the Middle Ages to the present, Italy has always been synonymous with invention. In this course, students will explore Italian contributions to art, architecture, astronomy, design, medicine, and technology across the centuries. We will encounter noteworthy inventors and discuss their theories and pathbreaking work. Students will also investigate these topics through experiential activities on grounds and in Charlottesville. You can investigate authentic works of Italian art at the Fralin Museum, explore the architectural splendors of Andrea Palladio by visiting the Rotunda, and discuss Italy’s contribution to medicine by speaking with healthcare professionals from the birthplace of the Renaissance. Students will also have opportunities to grow as writers, readers, and especially speakers of the Italian language as they learn about Italian innovation across the centuries.

This course may fulfill requirements for the major and minor in Italian Studies. Taught in Italian

ITTR 3760 The Best of Youth: Italian Coming of Age Films with Sarah Annunziato 

TuTh 5:00pm - 6:15pm 

What does it mean to come of age? How has Italian cinema captured this process throughout its history? How do Italian films about this topic approach some of its more complex and controversial aspects? As the cinema has evolved both culturally and technologically, how has the genre changed?

This course will explore these questions by studying how psychologists define the stages of child and adolescent development and then examining how Italian films of different eras depict them. Students will examine how Italian cinema portrays concepts such as: nostalgia for childhood, relationships with parents and other adults, sense of self, bullying, lost innocence, coping with trauma and mental health struggles, sexual awakening, and transition to adulthood. We will also study how new technologies have affected the coming-of-age genre in Italy. Films to include: Amarcord, Cinema Paradiso, Io non ho paura, Caterina va in città, Tre metri sopra il cielo, Summertime, Corpo celeste, Il ragazzo invisibile, Zero, Call Me By Your Name, Sotto il sole di Riccione, Sulla stessa onda, and Il filo invisibile.

This course does not require the purchase of any materials. It can also fulfill the requirements for either the major or minor in Italian Studies. Taught in English.