Posts tagged Italian

I know we're supposed to have 2 letters of recommendation so would a letter from my French teacher count or should I find other teachers? — Asked by Anonymous

Yeah, it’d totally count! Foreign language is a legit academic subject, no worries.

-Evan ‘13

[Part 1 of the Posters at Bennington Series]

One of the most common questions I’m asked on tours is “What is there to do at Bennington?” I know that before I came here I couldn’t for the life of me imagine what one would do all day at a small liberal arts school in Vermont. But when I visited campus I realized that everywhere I looked, the walls were plastered with posters advertising clubs, performances, discussions, lectures, films, and more. 

So I thought, for those of you who can’t visit campus just yet, that I’d start a weekly series where I showcase some of the posters around campus over the past year or two. All photo credits go to the folks behind the Bennington College Flickr!

-Ellie

What foreign languages can you take at Bennington? — Asked by Anonymous

We offer Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, and Italian.

The cool thing about foreign language classes at Bennington is that when you read the course descriptions (or, obviously, take the classes) you realize that they are actually about literature, culture, history, film, philosophy, anthropology, politics, art, identity, etc.

You can see some of the past course offerings in foreign languages by checking out this link!

-Ellie

This question is specifically for Kate. I noticed that you're a vegan and love to cook/bake, which is exactly like me! I was just wondering if there are nearby Whole Foods, if you're studying something that relates to food at Bennington, and if you recommend cooking over a meal plan. Also, do you often cook for your housemates and leave lots of food around! Thanks so much! — Asked by Anonymous

Hey! I’m so flattered to get a personal question. That’s awesome that you are vegan and also like to cook + bake. Unfortunately there isn’t a local Whole Foods, but there is a natural foods market, Spice n’ Nice in town. There is also a green market (to which I have not yet ventured) in town once or twice a week.

I am revising my plan of study right now to focus on food’s representation in art throughout history and now. In this, I will focus mainly in photography-to capture food photos- and Italian to study a society where food is of major importance.

About the meal plan- almost all students are on it, and it is not an easy task to get off it. I am on the meal plan, which is beneficial for getting lunch in between classes or if I have too much work to have time to cook. The vegan options are good. I usually cook for myself and friends for dinner and often leave leftovers of what I make in the house.

We have house coffee hour on Sundays, and each person in the house buys or prepares food for one in each term. My coffee hour is coming up, so I am searching for some tasty desserts (possibly chocolate peanut butter cups or these muffins.

Please email me if you want to chat (or have any dessert ideas). My email is kated@bennington.edu

If I want to start a new language as a freshmen, is that okay? I've been taking Latin in high school but thanks to my truly horrific teacher, I don't actually know anything and I'm interested in taking Italian. Will this work out? — Asked by Anonymous

That’s totally okay and encouraged! I came to Bennington after studying French for 8 years, and I decided I wanted to take Italian. It’s always helpful if you’ve taken another language (especially a romance language or Latin) and have the passion to learn a new language. 

From personal experience-and I’m sure my classmates would agree-the Italian professor, Barbara Alfano, is amazing. She puts her heart into every class, and we are always learning in a creative way (e.g. watching a film and describing scenes, learning about current Italian issues, performing little dialogues that we write, etc.). I definitely suggest you meet Barbara and chat with her. She is excited to meet with new students and always makes time. 

Good luck!

-Kate D.