Introduction

Voci: Corso elementare di lingua e culture italiane is an OER textbook that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion by ensuring that all students have immediate access to a no-cost learning platform and by presenting a realistic, diverse picture of Italian culture. Incorporating authentic materials such as songs, film clips, commercials, and literary excerpts, Voci provides a diverse student body with rich learning stimuli. Its open structure permits language instructors to update the material to better reflect the issues of the time, such as the changing standards of femininity and masculinity, racial discrimination in Italy, the struggle for citizenship of Afro-Italians, cultural diversity, and LGBTQIA+ rights. In doing so, students will have the opportunity to understand the transformations of 21st-century Italy and deepen their awareness of cultural variation through cross-cultural comparisons. They will get to know not only a culture of fine arts, major historical gestures, and great genius, but also testimonies from writers of color interpreting Italy, Italian women criticizing the male-centric view of society, and the ongoing debate on migration. Lastly, they will familiarize themselves with inclusivity issues in the Italian language given its limits in regards to non-binary genders.

The second volume of Voci: Corso elementare di lingua e culture italiane consists of 6 Units and includes a textbook, a workbook with answer keys, grammar explanations, and vocabulary lists. Designed for the second semester of Beginning Italian at Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College, Voci is a communicative, approach-based textbook that aims to foster students’ comprehension, production, and interaction in Italian by keeping in mind different ways of learning. To promote an inclusive classroom and provide an accurate portrait of contemporary Italian culture, every unit of Voci offers one or more cultural sections – “Cultura” – whose main goal is not to exercise reading and comprehension skills, but instead to refine students’ intercultural competency.

IMPORTANT: while we worked very hard to create an inclusive, engaging, and stimulating textbook based on the needs of our Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore students, we are aware that Voci is not perfect. Any comment, question, or suggestion is really appreciated. Please, feel free to contact the lead author at dbozzato@brynmawr.edu. Grazie!