The Future of Italian Teaching: Media, New Technologies and Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives
This volume of essays, the product of a 2-day conference held at The American University of Rome in October 2012, brings together innovative and creative approaches to teaching Italian language, literature, culture and the arts. Featuring the perspectives of Italian professors teaching within a range of geographical contexts, from Europe (with a focus on Italy) to the UK and the USA, the essays also address a range of academic and social contexts, from university, study abroad and ERASMUS settings to the teaching of immigrants and refugees. The diversity of perspectives presented in these essays lends significant depth to the volume, making it of interest to Italian teachers in various geographical and teaching environments. The essays in the volume not only emphasize the importance of foreign language acquisition, but also propose an understanding of language as a tool for plurilingual citizens of today’s global society to achieve social mobility and cohesion.
The present volume offers an updated contribution to the field of teaching Italian as a foreign language, with suggestions on how to incorporate the latest trends in the field, such as social networks and media, into one’s teaching. Furthermore, by addressing the use of technology not only in language teaching, but also in the arts and culture, this volume represents an invaluable contribution to the field within the new digital humanities age.
Catherine Ramsey-Portolano received her PhD in Italian Literature from the University of Chicago, and is currently Associate Professor and Program Director of Italian Studies at The American University of Rome in Rome, Italy, where she teaches a range of courses, from all levels of Italian language to Italian literature and culture courses. Her principal areas of research are gender studies, 19th and 20th century Italian women writers, and Italian film, particularly from the early and fascist periods.
“The Italian language teaching profession is vibrant, diverse and in rapid expansion worldwide, and The Future of Italian Teaching: Media, New Technologies and Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives, edited by Catherine Ramsey-Portolano, is an innovative publication expanding professionals’ expertise in this area.
Divided into two sections, Italian Language Teaching with Media, Social Networks and New Technologies, and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Teaching Italian Language, Culture and the Arts, this collection of 14 articles provides a forum for world-famous language educators to present and discuss both theoretical and applied innovations in the field of Italian language instruction with a special focus on the challenges of the twenty-first century.
The reason for editing such a valuable publication stems from the international professional need to set methodological directions in an international context, address the application of new technologies and the inclusion of multi-disciplinary content in language pedagogy, develop an overall picture of the field, and shine a light on its future by means of articles discussing new methodological and cultural approaches to Italian instruction.
Visionary in approach, groundbreaking in its post-method philosophy of teaching, this volume makes a significant contribution to the Italian teaching profession. It is unique and innovative for its broad, open, inclusive, and global definition of what constitutes Italian teaching today, covering multiple interrelated areas and encompassing a complex spectrum of critical educational aspects.”
Flavia Laviosa,
Wellesley College, USA
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