Italian · Columbia University
Just note that Felice does not use courseworks (he communicates via email) -- so you'll have to be diligent in keeping track of your assignments and grades. However, if you ever have doubts, he's always willing to answer questions. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Spring 2024 Course: ITALUN1101_001_2024_1-ELEMENTARYITALIANI : ITALUN1101_001_2024_1 - ELEMENTARY ITALIAN I Instructor: Felice Beneduce
Occasional HW, 4 quizzes, 2 presentations (extremely casual), 3 compositions (300 words <), midterm and final
Really healthy learning environment. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2023 Course: ITALUN1102_001_2023_3-ELEMENTARYITALIANII : ITALUN1102_001_2023_3 - ELEMENTARY ITALIAN II Instructor: Felice Beneduce
Essential vocab, about 6 verb tenses, essential grammar as well as some more advanced (at least for an elementary course) grammatical concepts. Basically, I learned enough to feel as though I could get by in Italy if I really needed to.
Improved speaking and writing skills, as well as learning a few new forms of conjugation and vocabulary.
Felice is a very pleasant professor and super understanding. I enjoyed every session with him and he was the reason why I looked forward to going to italian class. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Spring 2022 Course: ITALUN1101_001_2022_1-ELEMENTARYITALIANI : ITALUN1101_001_2022_1 - ELEMENTARY ITALIAN I Instructor: Felice Beneduce
I wish I could take all of my Italian classes with her! She's great at her job and also a very nice person. Workload is light but you will learn a lot in her class and does a great job at making you feel comfortable with the language. Take her if you can! (She was also very understanding and accommodating during the protests)
I would recommend this course for anyone who is interested in learning Italian. The instructor wants the students to succeed and creates an environment where every student can do so. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2023 Course: ITALUN1102_002_2023_3-ELEMENTARYITALIANII : ITALUN1102_002_2023_3 - ELEMENTARY ITALIAN II Instructor: Felice Beneduce
A whirlwind of Italian learning that I found challenging and exciting. Loved my classmates, loved Barbara <3 and I love love Italian so the stars aligned! We learned at least a tense a week and a ton of vocab, but Barbara did an amazing job connecting what we were learning to our lives. I remember one quiz on the conditional tense, I spent 20 minutes on one section trying to figure out: What exactly do I want from my job? From my life? Lemme tell you, a quiz is not the best time to have an existential crisis.
The quality of class (for me) really was affected by who was in the class. If you have people excited to learn Italian vs. people just taking it for the college requirement it really affects the class environment.