Information
All students who are interested in fulfilling the language requirement through Italian or in continuing their study of Italian must take a Princeton Placement Test.
Even students who took the AP or SAT exams will be required to take the placement exam to receive their proper Italian course placement.
Students who meet the language requirement through the Placement test and subsequent interview with Placement Officer Dr. Daniele De Feo, will be encouraged to enroll in an upper-division class if they wish to pursue further studies in Italian. For more information about possible pathways, please contact Director of Undergraduate Studies Professor Flora Champy.
Who should take the Italian Placement Test?
All incoming students with previous experience in Italian must take the placement test and will be placed into the appropriate level of the sequence prior to course registration.
Students who previously took an Italian language class in the Italian Department (ITA 101-102-103-105) and who studied abroad during a semester or over the summer must retake the Italian Placement Test to reassess their level in order to enroll in the appropriate class level.
Students enrolled in language classes at Princeton (e.g., 102, 102-7, 103, 105, 107, 108) and who have decided to take language classes in other institutions after their Princeton language classes must retake the Placement Test once they have completed any non-Princeton courses. The Placement Test will be the only indicator of the class in which they can enroll once they return from their studies.
Credit for language courses is approved on a provisional basis and must be pre-approved. Credit will not be conferred until after they return to campus, and the department determines that you have placed beyond that level. One course credit for beginning language may be granted if the department determines that you have progressed beyond the 102 level in the language. Credit for other language classes (e.g., 107, 108, etc.) is also dependent on departmental assessment after you complete the summer class. Note that language classes must have a minimum of 60 hours and meet for at least four weeks. So if you want to take a language class, remember that everything depends on the Placement Test conducted by the Placement Officer in the Department of French and Italian that you take when you return to campus.
Class Sequencing
- The normal sequence for complete beginners or false beginners who placed into ITA 101 is the following:
- ITA 101→ITA 102 (or ITA 102-7)→ITA 107/108.
- Any other students with prior experience in Italian must take the Italian placement test and may place into ITA 101, ITA 103, ITA 105 or ITA 107, ITA 108 or a 200+ level class.
- Class sequencing for students enrolled in ITA 103 is the following:
- ITA 103→ITA 107/108
- Class sequencing for students enrolled in ITA 105 is the following:
- ITA 105→ITA 108
- Note:
- Students may also be placed directly into 108.
- Students with a high grade in ITA 101 may be admitted (with their professor's recommendation) to the accelerated double-credit spring course ITA 102-7, which also satisfies the University’s language requirement.
- Students with a high grade in ITA 102 may be admitted (with their professor's recommendation) to ITA 108, which also satisfies the University’s language requirement.
- Students who have completed 107, 108, or 102-7 are eligible to apply for the summer program in Pisa (ITA 207I) or proceed to take any 200+ level classes.
Students enrolled in language classes at Princeton (e.g., 102, 102-7, 103, 105, 107, 108) and who have decided to take language classes in other institutions after their Princeton language classes must retake the placement test once they have completed their non-Princeton courses. The Placement Test will be the only indicator of the class in which they can enroll once they are back from their studies.
Important Information for Course Planning Purposes:
- ITA 101 is NOT offered in the spring. If students place into 101 and do not enroll during the fall semester, they will have to wait until the following academic year to enroll in that class.
- ITA 102 is only offered in the spring and is in sequence with ITA 101.
- Students can only take the Placement Test TWICE a year, either in the summer or in January.
For any questions related to the Placement Test, Please contact Dr. Daniele De Feo.
Instructions
Students with valid netIDs can access the online placement tests following the instructions below:
- From the list of Language Placement Test Self-Enrollment Links below, click on the link to self-enroll into the Language Placement Test course site of your choosing in Canvas.
(Note: You may be prompted to log in to Canvas. If so, click the Princeton netID button and enter your credentials in the space provided.) - When the Canvas site loads, click the Enroll in Course button.
- At that point, you’ll be added to the course roster. You are not required to take the test immediately; you can return to the test site at any time during the testing period by following the link that will appear in your Canvas dashboard. (Allow enough time to complete the test by the deadline.)
- If the course site is available, you will be given the choice to visit the Language Placement Test site or return to your Canvas Dashboard. If you do not access the Placement Test site immediately, you can always access it from your Canvas Dashboard.
- If the course site is NOT available, you will receive an email from Canvas once the site is made available.
Italian Language Placement Test Self-Enrollment Link.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Daniele De Feo.
Fall
To develop the skills of speaking, understanding, reading and writing Italian. The main emphasis is on oral drill and conversation in the classroom. Aspects of Italian culture and civilization are integrated in the course. The Italian Language Program uses a new digital portfolio that serves as students' textbook. Through this medium, students are exposed to a more dynamic mode of language acquisition.
Italian 105 provides the opportunity to further develop Italian language proficiency in all three modes of communication: Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational. Students will interact with various types of texts (literature, film, visual culture, music, interviews, etc.) and will develop the intercultural competency necessary to better understand and embrace Italian language and culture as a whole. At the end of ITA 105 students are ready to enroll in ITA 108.
This course analyzes Italian culture and cultural changes through products such as newspaper articles, essays, comic books, music, film, food, and visual artifacts in connection with Italian history and society. Italian 107 is intended to provide students with tools for communicating effectively in Italian in an informal and formal context, to move students along the proficiency spectrum toward a more advanced language level, and to promote a global awareness and cross-cultural understanding of contemporary Italian life and culture. Classes are conducted entirely in Italian.
The main goal of this course is to improve fluency in Italian and prepare students for upper level courses in the Italian program. Through film clips, film screenings, and readings, students will increase their understanding of grammatical functions and vocabulary applications, and improve their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. The course has been enhanced with a digital platform, which allows students to actively interact with texts, films and each other through exercises and activities.
Spring
Summer
A four-week summer intensive language course, equivalent to 207, taught at the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, Italy. The course will be team taught by a resident Princeton faculty and a SNS faculty member. The course is designed to elevate students' writing and speaking language proficiency levels and enable understanding of Italian culture, history, and literature.