Category Archives: university

Language slaves

Posted on September 21, 2007 by Charles Lambert

An update on the situation of university language teachers in Italy, otherwise known as lettori. The academic year looks set to begin with the usual mood of rage tempered by resignation as emails from colleagues throughout Italy relate the new … Continue reading →

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Mortadella turns

Posted on September 20, 2007 by Charles Lambert

The much assailed Italian PM Romano Prodi, often referred to – without affection – by his opponents as Mortadella, turned on his voters a couple of days ago from the only authoritative pulpit available: Porta a Porta, Bruno Vespa’s chat … Continue reading →

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Credit where credit’s due

Posted on March 13, 2007 by Charles Lambert

My first class after ten months away. I explain what the course involves. I tell them what they’ll be learning and how we’ll be doing it and what book we’ll be using, I give them the usual pep talk, making … Continue reading →

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The natural order

Posted on March 3, 2007 by Charles Lambert

Two friends and colleagues (lettori: if you don’t know what they are click on the label below) were summoned a few days ago to the office of a professor in their faculty, head of department and died-in-the-wool barone (ditto). He … Continue reading →

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Running Babel to advantage

Posted on February 22, 2007 by Charles Lambert

Like some mythological beast, the university language centre I work in is about to undergo what looks like its final metamorphosis. Its first director treated it as a centre of power and money cow, running the place as an occasionally … Continue reading →

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How to become a full professor in Italy

Posted on February 6, 2007 by Charles Lambert

a) Wait until the university in which you work as a lecturer invites applications for a full professorship.b) Write a book of no academic value by throwing together work from other books and stealing material from colleagues further down the … Continue reading →

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The last time I saw Richard

Posted on January 30, 2007 by Charles Lambert

…was Rome in 1984. He’d recycled himself as a tout for study holidays in England, with a windowless office in the basement of a travel agency near the station and a Battle of Britain style moustache (or maybe he’d always … Continue reading →

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Richard on the run

Posted on January 29, 2007 by Charles Lambert

I was on holiday in Amalfi with friends, over twenty years ago now. We’d taken the ferry to Capri for the day and were walking across the Piazzetta when I heard someone call my name. Richard was sitting alone at … Continue reading →

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Slow food

Posted on January 26, 2007 by Charles Lambert

I had lunch today with an old friend and colleague, between exam shifts in the engineering faculty, processing students for language credits. We were actually in a hurry, so what we were looking for was slow food served fast, rather … Continue reading →

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Three things wrong…

Posted on January 25, 2007 by Charles Lambert

The art critic Federico Zeri claimed there were three things wrong with Italy: the Mafia, the Vatican and the University. I don’t have any personal experience of the first (though I know someone who did, and I’ll get to his … Continue reading →

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