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Sandra Palaich |
| Areas and Interests
Contemporary Italian literature, Italian fables and oral tradition, translation and interpretation, business Italian, application of technology in teaching. Professional Work and Publications At the University of Michigan I have taught all first- and second-year Italian courses. In addition to basic language courses, I have developed a topical fourth-semester Italian course entitled Italian Legends and Fables which I teach with particular pleasure. The course is designed to bridge the gap between intermediate language courses and upper-level literature courses. I also teach Intermediate Italian Business, IT 345, which focuses on the acquisition of skills not traditionally offered in Italian language programs. The course concentrates on the development of cultural knowledge, technical vocabulary and linguistic skills necessary for successful communication in a business setting. I also direct the Italian Internship program which was recently established to offer a complete experience of life and work in an Italian-speaking country. The most recent addition to the Italian program is Italian 340, Contemporary Italy: Studies in the Italian Culture. This course deals with various aspects of Italian contemporary society and relies heavily on the use of technology in the classroom. It examines Italian history, geography, economy, politics, sports, entertainment, arts, dialects and other aspects of life in Italy and their role in shaping the Italian culture. As coordinator of Italian 101, 102 and 103, I enjoy working with my colleagues on advancing our program, adapting the most current teaching methodologies and promoting the Italian language and culture. Projects: Italian Legends and Fables online: with the help of LRC staff, I developed the web component of the course, which contains texts of the fables with images and audio, as well as the accompanying activities. I am planning to develop a video to be used in computer-based listening
comprehension activities and testing. Italian 101, 102 – basic Italian Italian 103 – accelerated Italian Italian 100 – intensive Italian (summer semester) Italian 231, 232 – intermediate Italian Italian 232 Legends and Fables – topical Italian 205 – Basic Conversation Italian 345 – Intermediate Business Italian Italian 340 – Contemporary Italy: Studies in the Italian Culture
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