Italian

Course summary

Learning a modern language for GCSE is a matter of taking your first steps. You learn rudimentary grammar and vocabulary that enable you to get by but real conversations are still beyond your reach. It is at the sixth-form level that you will deepen your grammatical competence and broaden your vocabulary so that you can converse about and debate real-world issues, and immerse yourself in the culture, literature and arts of the country. Even though we live in an age where it seems English is spoken everywhere and where Google Translate will help you where it is not, there is nothing like the experience and satisfaction of being able to step inside a different way of speaking and seeing the world. The Italian A level will introduce you to Italian society, history and culture. You will read the Italian press, listen to the Italian news and watch Italian films to develop your knowledge not just of the language, but of the country where it is spoken. In the first year, you will focus on two major topic areas. The first is Changes in Italian Society, which will cover family, education and work. You will cover the changes affecting family, study the Italian education system and the world of work. The second is Politics and the Arts, where you will look at the media, society and politics, music and its impact. You will also cover a detailed analysis of the Oscar-awarded film by Roberto Benigni “Life is Beautiful” (“La vita è bella”). Interesting for both its links to Italy’s recent past, this comedy is also admired for its beauty and cinematographic techniques. In the second year, you will revise your knowledge of the first-year topics and cover two more, as well as undertake a detailed study of a play. The first of the new topics is Italy: A Society in Evolution in which you will look at immigration and the north-south divide. The second topic is From Fascism to the Present Day. This will give you an insight into Italy’s recent past from Mussolini’s regime to the Second World War and its impact on the contemporary political scene. This will lead to a focused piece of research entailing the reading of Luigi Pirandello’s play “Six Characters in Search of an Author” (“Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore”).