middCourses
with Ilaria Brancoli Busdraghi8 months ago

This is a great beginning language class. Ilaria's teaching is very easy to follow and she is extremely knowledgeable, passionate, and understanding. If you don't understand a concept or need her to repeat something she is always more than happy to help. I am not very good at learning new languages but I never felt lost or in over my head in this class. Participation is absolutely key - you won't be able to just sit back and be invisible. Language tables and coffee hours are required, but not very time consuming. Small weekly quizzes, but no midterm or final. Would definitely recommend this class and Ilaria!

This is a great beginning language class. Ilaria's teaching is very easy to follow and she is extremely knowledgeable, passionate, and understanding. If you don't understand a concept or need her to repeat something she is always more than happy to help. I am not very good at learning new languages but I never felt lost or in over my …Read more

Chill and RelaxedFair GradingEasy Exams
3hrs / week Average difficulty Average value Would not take again
with Thomas Van Order11 months ago

Van Order gifted me great introduction to Middlebury and the Italian language. He is one of many incredible professors in the Italian department and made class fun and enjoyable each day (at 8am). I would reccomend Italian at Middlebury in general but the only reason not to take his class is if you have the option to take it with Illaria; Even he might agree with this as she is out of this world.

Van Order gifted me great introduction to Middlebury and the Italian language. He is one of many incredible professors in the Italian department and made class fun and enjoyable each day (at 8am). I would reccomend Italian at Middlebury in general but the only reason not to take his class is if you have the option to take it with Ill …Read more

Chill and RelaxedLots of HomeworkFair Grading
5hrs / week Average difficulty Extremely high value Would take again
with Sandra Carletti4 months ago

I love Professor Carletti, she's so fun and always makes the lesson so engaging. There is homework every day, but they are really chill and allow you to take it again for more understanding. There are quizzes every week that are graded so fairly, she is oh so generous. Definitely would take 101 again

Chill and RelaxedLots of HomeworkFair Grading
5hrs / week Average difficulty High value Would take again
with Ilaria Brancoli Busdraghi5 months ago

Ilaria is an amazing professor and teaches this course really well. There is a lot of material to learn, but it does not take up much time outside of class. There are quizzes every week and exams every three weeks but they are not difficult and are low stress. It is a fun class to take and you learn a lot of Italian in a short amount of time.

Chill and RelaxedEasy GradingEasy Exams
1hrs / week Very low difficulty Above average value Would take again
with Thomas Van Order4 months ago

Van Order is a super engaging teacher. Though cold calling is hard to get used to at first, his teaching methods are extremely effective and I feel like I've learned more Italian in the past few months than I did in 6 years of Chinese pre-college. There's a lot of material and it's very fast paced which makes it difficult, but the pay off is super worth it.

Fast-PacedFair GradingEasy Exams
6hrs / week Average difficulty Average value Would take again
with Sandra Carletti4 months ago

Italian 101 is a very fun course and is very low-stress. As someone who was scared to start a new language, this class was perfect. Overall, the workload is very easy. Just be sure to keep up with assignments and study outside of class so lectures make more sense.

Chill and RelaxedFair Grading
4hrs / week Low difficulty High value Would take again
with Thomas Van Order4 months ago

Professor Van Order was extremely nice and enthusiastic throughout the entirety of my first semester here. He made learning a brand new language fun and exciting. His class was super engaging and I looked forward to it every day.

Chill and RelaxedLots of HomeworkEasy Exams
5hrs / week Average difficulty High value Would take again
with Thomas Van Order4 months ago

I was scared to learn a new language but lessons were engaging and Van Order's teaching style made it easy to grasp new material. Homework offers practice. I did not need to study much outside of class.

Chill and RelaxedLots of HomeworkEasy Exams
2hrs / week Low difficulty High value Would take again