The Power of Words: Debating Global Issues in Italian

In this course we will use the pedagogy of debate to develop advanced competency in Italian but also to work on skills that can be applied beyond the classroom, like public speaking, engaged listening, productive dissent, and teamwork. We will study in depth opposite sides of controversial, globally relevant issues, such as: environment vs. economy; immigration vs. national security; cultural preservation vs. diversity; technology/social media vs. privacy; Humanities vs. STEM. Through a variety of preparatory activities, scaffolding exercises, and contextualized vocabulary we will work toward writing about, discussing, and finally debating the issues considered in each module. (One 300 level course or by approval) 3 hrs. lect./disc.,