CORDA Project - Latin Language

This activity is among those institutionally provided for by the regulations and the most recent directives on both guidance activities and the connection between the school and university systems. Starting in the 2001/02 academic year, a pre-university guidance initiative for students is being proposed, based on cooperation between secondary schools and universities, both for guidance itself and for activities aimed at reducing deficiencies that could lead to additional educational requirements for admission.

It is configured in the holding at the same Secondary Schools of in-depth and reinforcement courses of Latin Language, by staff of the Schools themselves but under strict control by the University regarding the program, the minimum number of hours (since the first implementation set at 40), the maximum number of students per class (usually 25), the qualification of teachers, the final exam.

The project activity takes place during the penultimate or final year of secondary education, at a stage, therefore, when the student has not yet made a final choice of Degree Course; at this stage, moreover, the student still has many months ahead of him or her to make up for any gaps that may have arisen (which is not the case with traditional "precourses" close to the university course).

Following contacts with some "pioneering" Principals, a fine timeline has been defined: since after March, the mature students are focused on the baccalaureate exam, the courses directed to the fifth classes must be completed within the first two weeks of March; then given the school trend between September and February (slow start, body of classes, maximum intensity in January for the midterms, then slowing down in February), the course must have the opposite trend (intense in October and February, but without completely shutting down in the midterm months).

The activity of the CORDA project is governed by an agreement to be entered into between the University of Parma and the individual Secondary Schools concerned.

The framework agreement has a five-year duration, and is activated annually upon authorization of the coordinator. The individual School provides a professor for each course (which usually takes place outside the normal class schedule), as well as the necessary classroom and equipment; on the day of the final examination (which takes place at the University except for the most distant hubs) the professor is granted permission to travel to the examination site, for supervisory activity.

The University of Parma provides the course program, the time scanning of the topics, takes care of the preliminary training of the teachers, takes care of the conduct, correction and communication of the results of the final test, and pays the School an amount (established in the agreement) that the School usually turns over to the professor who taught the course. The results are communicated personally to the students, with a detailed analysis that can serve as an effective means of orientation.

The program aims to deepen and strengthen skills in the area of Latin language and literature. Such a program facilitates an undergraduate career in degree courses in which at least one exam in Latin language and literature is mandatory. The CORDA course is intended for all those students who possess a good knowledge of normative grammar of the Latin language.

Professors of single course units decide on the basis of attendance or the results of self-conducted midterm tests which students can participate in the final exam. It normally takes place in the spring and contains exercises on the program conducted during the course. The papers are corrected by University of Parma professors in collaboration and coordination with single course units' professors, and a letter is prepared for EACH student, pointing out whether the test was failed (final score less than 1/3 of the total) or passed but with gaps or successfully passed.

For any information related to the Latin Language CORDA, interested Schools can ask for information to the person in charge, prof. Simone Gibertini.

Subsequently, for the activation of the convention, the interested Schools get in touch, conveniently in advance (May), with the project coordinator, and agree to join the project. Once the framework agreement has been finalized, year by year each School applies to the head of the area concerned for the activation of the agreement, specifying the number of courses it requests to be able to deliver (even none, if in certain years a School does not intend to deliver the course).

All administrative information (text of the agreement, how to sign, list of schools with an agreement, how to apply for the activation of the agreement) is available on the University website at the page:

https://www.unipr.it/en/node/13358
(Only in Italian)

Since the 2018/19 year, the CORDA project can also be made to count as a Pathway for Transversal Skills and Orientation, in fact, the University of Parma is an authorized body for PCTO certification for the affiliated Schools.

Instructions for activating the convention