Journal of Languages for Specific Purposes (Mar 2024)
ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES: DESIGNING A COURSE ON ITALIAN FOR HEALTHCARE
Abstract
This article will discuss the design and implementation of an intermediate level Italian for HealthcareLanguage class. Since 2016, the language of Dante has experienced a marked decline in enrollment in many higher education institutions in the United States. Some recent studies related to this issue suggest that providing students with a wide variety of course options, including ones related to professional fields, is key to reversing this trend. Nevertheless, Italian presents somewhat of a challenge in this regard as it is the norm rather than the exception for learners to first encounter the language only when they begin their studies at college or university. However, in many instances, such as in healthcare, language for specific purposes courses target more advanced students. Therefore, introducing these types of classes earlier in the learning experience might prove to be instrumental in encouraging more students to continue studying Italian at advanced-level and perhaps even beyond. The present course was offered to learners who had previously completed three semesters of college-level Italian from beginner level to intermediate. People enrolled in the class had already attained an upper-intermediate level of skill in the target language. Since the course focused on healthcare, it emphasized the acquisition of new terms and communicative modes to help learners better interact with patients or clinicians in a medical setting. It was also designed around the Five C’s (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities) made popular by ACTFL’s World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. Overall, Italian for Healthcare Professionals relied on both an experiential and project-based methodology through which students completed tasks that reflected challenges that they might realistically encounter while working in the allied health professions in Italy or with Italian-speaking diasporas in other parts of the world. Learners reported benefiting from both the variety and realistic nature of the activities. This article will explore the need for such a course in Italian Studies, its structure, as well as examples of projects and activities that it might include. Ultimately, student response to the course suggests that such offerings can be made available to intermediate-level learners of Italian with promising results.
