ABSTRACT
This paper intends to report on an Italian language and culture course offered to junior-year US liberal arts college students participating in a semester-long study abroad program in Bologna, Italy. The course, entitled “Forms of Social Activism in Italy," blended research about social movements in Italy with PBL-inspired participation in activities within social-justice-oriented organizations. In this paper, the author will present and discuss how, during the course of 14 weeks, the combination of CEL (community-engaged learning) and PBL (project-based learning) tasks enhanced students’ language learning and supported their intercultural growth. The author posits that these outcomes are the result of students’ exposure to and involvement in spoken Italian in the multicultural and diverse environments of three civic organizations working on a variety of social programs. The paper will validate the idea that spontaneous and practice-based language learning arises from the creation of a community of practice - that is, an aggregate of people coming together around a common goal - and through sustained social interaction in the target language (Italian) with native, but also non-native individuals.
