Focusing on two beginner Italian courses, this study demonstrates participants' perceptions of and engagement with social justice topics and materials in a semester-long project. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of surveys, triangulated with interviews and artifacts, such as comments by students during lessons and in their video responses,…

This case study reflects on how Performative Foreign Language and Culture Education: (1) encourages students to be in charge of their learning processes through embodiment; (2) fosters community, sense of belonging, and the disruption of hierarchical norms by unleashing the power of discomfort; (3) brings to light the issue of assessment as a…

Examination of several interrelated topics on postage stamps, including their multiple functions and significance as semiotic artifacts, precedes suggestions for incorporating them into the Italian language curriculum in such activities as reading, writing, speaking, listening, and cultural understanding. (CB)

Examines the conflict between students' focus on learning the grammar and vocabulary of a foreign language instead of considering the culture that lies beneath the target language, in this case, Italian. Suggestions are made for overcoming the practical difficulty of imposing a language as a cultural entity upon the students. (25 references) (CK)

Provides an evaluation of a 30-year experience in teaching Italian to German-speaking elementary school children in an upper northeast region of Italy. Analyzes degrees of bilingualism and sociocultural contact, emphasizing the need for culturally oriented, carefully structured materials and instruction by specially trained teachers. (MES)

Argues that from the perspective of second language learning, college teachers should focus on an integrated undergraduate curriculum combining the teaching of linguistics and literature with language learning in an instructional approach informed by second language acquisition research. Emphasizes that multiple benefits are derived from a…