Welcome to my Italian 203 portfolio! This portfolio is a reflection on my past semester in Italian 203. I have accomplished many things in this class. From conquering oral assignments, to making posters and powerpoints as visual aids for my class, to videotaping myself cooking food there have been many things that have broadened my Italian horizons. A particular favorite of mine (that can be found in Communications II: Videoblog) was filming “Uova di Becky” with Kyra. There were many aspects to making the video- writing a script, buying the food to cook, setting up the camera, talking and filming ourselves, editing the video- but it was great once we finished to see what we had accomplished while we spoke a different language!
In our third unit, our major project was an interview with a person of your choice. This person had to have a strong connection to Italy and/or the Italian language. I chose my Italian 102 teacher Della Chambless. By talking to Della I was able to better understand the Italian culture. Della is American so when she moved over to Europe she said there were different adjustments she had to make. She was able to compare the culture in the United States to that in Italy because she has lived through it. My interview with Della was one of the most interesting projects I did this semester because I felt like I learned many things by just talking to her- not because I read handouts or searched through different websites.
Our last major project for 203 was creating a film for the class. Not only did we have to brainstorm ideas for a movie, we wrote and memorized a script, filmed, and edited a movie (with subtitles). My group chose our theme to be a spin-off of “The Bachelor”- which is a famous American reality TV show. I played the part of a contestant, Rosa, and I also was the host. I was pushed out of my comfort zone, I’m not a great actress when I’m speaking English but with this film being in Italian I was especially nervous.
For one of the Tavolas I was able to watch the movie Tutta la vita Davanti. Watching this movie gave many insights into the Italian culture. The actors and actresses spoke in Italian and there were English subtitles that allowed me to completely understand the conversations spoken between the characters. I found this film very realistic- released in 2008 this is a recent film. The main character of the film is a young female, close to my age and the theme of the film was relatable as well. I have broadened my horizons by taking Italian, in particular I never thought two countries, with different languages and cultures could be similar but in watching this film I realized we’re more similar than I have given credit for.
In studying for our cumulative exam, it was a great reflection of all I’ve learned over the past three semesters. Particularly, connecting all the dots in Italian 203. From the vocabulary I studied, to the different verb conjugations, to different grammar rules, I’ve learned a lot over these semesters and I was able to apply what I have learned to my cumulative exam in Italian 203.
All-in-all I’m very happy that I decided to take Italian here at Duke. It has been a very interesting, exciting, and fascinating journey. I hope you enjoy my portfolio that shows the progress I’ve made this semester in Italian 203 with Mattia.
Ciao,
Kat