MODULE 1 - MIGRANTS & REFUGEES

In this video John Green, author of "The Fault in Our Stars" and "Paper Towns" among others, discusses the Syrian refugee crisis and the growing number of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, and Eritrea crossing the sea with the help of smugglers to seek refuge in European Union nations.

 

Module 1. List of texts and authors

Articles and excerpts to read and discuss:

Text 1 - Why migration is a fundamental human right 

Text 2 - How much do we really learn from history? 

Text 3 - The Reluctant Fundamentalist (excerpt) 

Text  4 - Walking Home by Arleen Williams - Chapter 1

The Reluctant Fundamentalist  (2013)

Movie Worksheet

End of Module 1 Test

ARE YOU ITALIAN? DO YOU SPEAK ITALISH?

Italish (Italian+English) is a word I often use to joke about us Italians speaking English. Our former Prime Minister, Mr Renzi, showed off his own Italish around the world and his videos went viral, but there are other examples and some versions of Italish can be very good, you know?
I've chosen a couple of clips to start the new school year with a smile and some music. Which Italish do you want to speak, Tanino's or Andrea's?

Tanino's Video - Transcript  

"My name is Tanino" is an Italian movie directed by Paolo Virzì in 2002. It's the story of naive Sicilian Tanino (Corrado Fortuna) who finds himself taken with Sally (Rachel McAdams), a sophisticated rich girl vacationing in Italy. The feeling is mutual -- she's thrilled with the idea of a summer fling -- but, when she goes home, Sally assumes her tryst with Tanino is a thing of the past. Tanino disagrees, and he tails her back to the United States. For Tanino, his reunion with Sally is just the first chapter in what turns out to be an eventful international excursion. 

Andrea's Video - Transcript 

Andrea Faustini and his adventure at The X Factor UK

HOW TO BE ITALIAN - A SIMPLE GUIDE FROM BABBEL

The following article was originally posted at Babbel Blog

1. Think outside the box

When a new and unexpected problem arises, don’t wait for some expert to fix it for you – get creative and fix it yourself. Don’t know how? Improvise! Are you already aware of a standard solution? Come up with ten alternatives! Even if you lack the right tools and expertise, devising your own wonky and eccentric DIY solutions is much more satisfying than going by the book. Perform such experiments with a confident, winning smile and no one will even realize that you’re making it up as you go along.