L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2016 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 9 Mills College Welcomes the Middlebur y Italian School A s reported earlier this year, the San Francisco Bay A rea is enjoying a res urgence in all things Italian, an Italian Cultural S pring. Italian res taurants , shops, cultural organizations, celebrations and Italian language classes are all thriving and grow- ing with renewed interest. This summer, Mills College in Oakland, California, will wel- come an addition to their language department, the Middlebury Italian School. The Middlebury Italian School has its origins in V ermont and has now expanded to the Wes t Coast. L'Italo-Americano inter- viewed Middlebury Language S cho ol s taff member and Logis tics A s s is tant, P aula Matthews, to learn more. Wh en w as th e I talian Program at Mid d leb u ry C ollege in V ermo n t es tab - lished? How long has there been on-site at Mills College? The Italian S chool at Middlebury College in Vermont opened in 1932. It followed three other languages, German, French and Spanish, all initiated with the idea of offering intensive, full immersion summer language programs . Three languages , Arabic, Korean, and now Italian, are offered at Mills College. The Italian School relocated from Middlebury to Mills College in the summer of 2014. Why was the West Coast chosen for a new site for the Italian language program? There are many reasons why the Italian School relocated to the West Coast. Mills College, being in close proximity to San Francisco, is an ideal location to host an Italian program, given that there is a strong Italian- American community in San Francisco and a rich Italian her- itage. Students are able to attend culturally related Italian events and experience something that is not available at Middlebury, Vermont. Is Mills College just the site for th e s u mmer p rogram? Will programs continue to be offered during the academic year in Florence? Yes, Mills College is just the site for the summer. We offer a variety of programs at Mills: a seven week undergraduate pro- gram, a six week graduate pro- gram (both MA and DML), a three week program for adults and a one week refresher course for non-native teachers of Italian. Our students include tradi- tional college students, adults, teachers, opera singers, seminary s tudents prep aring for the Vatican, or anyone who simply has a love and passion for all things Italian. We also offer a one year academic program in Florence, Italy. Wh at mak es th e I talian School at Middlebury College one of the best in the country? There is a lot to say here! There is no program in the United States that mirrors the uniquenes s of the Italian Language School. What sets it apart is the dynamic that grows from students working, studying, eating, and living together with the faculty whom include schol- ars, professors, film directors and artis ts all dedicated to one unique passion-Italian language and culture. What happens is truly magical and the commit- ment and devotion of the faculty and staff is superb. A trademark of the program is also the Language Pledge, which each student must sign at the beginning of the s ummer, promis ing to s peak only in Italian. How man y s tu d en ts are expected to attend the Mills C ollege p rogram? Wh at courses are offered? A variety of cours e are offered. Of course, there are the traditional literature, language and film classes, but then there are others which you will find at no other campus , s uch as a course on Tarantismo in southern Italy or a course on culinary cul- ture and Italian identity. There is a strong emphasis on incorporat- ing culture into the program, and in exploring the culture from all parts of Italy. This is done through a wealth of activities and workshops, such as Italian dance, theater, games, cooking, bocce, poetry writing, opera and popu- lar singing, etc. We have 65-80 students attending each summer. R ai I n tern ation al in ter- viewed directors Antonio Vitti an d Elis ab etta D 'A man d a, both of whom highlighted the full immersion aspect of teach- ing la lingua Italiana. Please expand on this concept and its benefits. The concept of full immersion stems from the conviction that the best way to learn a foreign language is to be fully exposed to it on a daily basis and use it solely for all communication. Current foreign language peda- gogy and research supports this conviction and upholds the effectiveness of full immersion language learning. This is, in fact, the principle underlying the Language Pledge which requires all students to communicate strictly in the target language. Bringing together a group of stu- dents who diligently respect this Pledge, in an environment that is rich in the language, is the ideal way to learn it. Ms. Matthews concluded our interview by saying, "While it may seem counterintuitive, the very bes t w ay to experience Italian culture and language is, surprisingly, not going to Italy but going to Middlebury's Italian School at Mills College! Without a doubt, your exposure to the Italian language and culture is, in many ways, richer and greater. And after the Middlebury experi- ence, your appreciation and unders tanding of all things Italian will be much deeper." For more information about the Middlebury Italian School vis it the w ebs ite at http:// www.middlebury.edu/ls/italian, or contact Paula Matthews at pmatthews@middlebury.edu. 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