This is a two-hour-a-week class that will prepare students for a “multilingual student performance” to take place at the end of April. Act, sing, dance in a foreign language. Open to all UC students taking a foreign language class at any level. Students participating in the event will work in the language of their choice with a specific language instructor. One 10 minute performance per language. Contact Annamaria Bellezza for details at ambellezza@berkeley.edu

For students in the Italian Studies Department:

• Enroll in Italian 98 (Freshmen and Sophomores), and 198 (Juniors and Seniors); we will meet 2 hours every week to rehearse.
• If you are taking other classes in the Italian Studies Department, and can’t add any more units/credits to your schedule, but you want to participate in WIA, your enrollment in Italian 98/198 is optional. If you are not taking Italian 98/198, you will have to find the time outside of your own classes to join the “official” Words in Action group who meets regularly every week for a couple of hours. If you don’t have the time to be there every week, we would have to find a way to have you practice your part on your own.

For students in other Language Departments:

• you have to be enrolled in a language class (at any level), and you have to let your language instructor know that you want to participate.
• your instructor will either be the one working with you or will direct you to the ”Words in Action Instructor-in-charge in your language department who will be working with students.
• you are encouraged to enroll concurrently in Italian 98 (Freshmen and Sophomores), or 198 (Juniors and Seniors) if you want ONE UNIT EXTRA CREDIT for your participation. TO BE CLEAR: you will work with your respective language instructors all semester but you will meet with Annamaria Bellezza (WIA Organizer and Director) only a couple of times during the semester to get feedback on the piece you are working on and anything else related to the performance. This is the extent of your commitment if you enroll in Italian 98/198 (Annamaria Bellezza will make arrangements with your instructor for days and times when she can come to watch a couple of your rehearsals, and give feedback).

A note from the WIA organizer to all students:
You might not like the idea of performing, in any language. You might even hate it, but we can assure you that you will end up embracing it and loving it by the time you are up on stage at the end of the semester. It’s only a 10 minute performance, shorter than a real in-class oral presentation, and you have the entire semester to prepare for it, and an audience to cheer you on!