The food-insecure population in the United States is significant, with a disproportionately large food insecure population being college students. Food insecurity is an issue of great concern not only because of the presence of malnourishment, but especially because of the many negative effects on health it can have on individuals that come as a result of malnourishment. In addition to the many health issues that can arise, food insecurity has also been found to be correlated with poor academic performance in school which is especially important when it comes to the food insecure college student population. Among the many reasons that college students might be food insecure, one issue that is explored is that college students do not have the capabilities to prepare adequate meals for themselves, so their lack of ability to do so contributes to their food insecurity. One way to combat this issue is to encourage college students to take the initiative to learn how to cook meals. A survey evaluated the food insecurity status of undergraduate ASU students and explored various food habits such as meal preparation, fresh produce consumption, and various influencing factors and obstacles of eating healthy, among others. Results found that those who identified as food insecure were less likely to cook meals for themselves as often as those who are not food insecure, nor were they as likely to consume fresh produce as those who are not food insecure. Additionally, all students have reported improved academic performance and/or physical/mental wellbeing. With the support that eating healthy meals is important for college students’ academics and physical and mental wellbeing, as is having the knowledge on how to prepare healthy meals, a fresh produce resource guide was created with the purpose of encouraging ASU students to learn the basic skills of cooking and meal preparation.

The primary goal of the present study is to gain a better understanding of how one might use foreign language media as a tool for second/third language acquisition (SLA) and to evaluate its efficacy through a personal case study. Studies of second language acquisition have been done in many regions and across many languages, with many different populations, making it difficult to come to definitive, generalizable conclusions on the best way to acquire a second language. Many theories of second language acquisition have been proposed to bridge this gap. The foundation for most of these theories refers back to Stephen Krashen’s comprehensive theory of language acquisition (1981). Research in this area of study so far has thus largely been limited to children’s incidental language acquisition, with very few studies focusing on the experience of this acquisition. Because of time constraints and limited resources, this study is informed by previous longitudinal studies and takes the form of a personal case study, thus placing more focus on qualitative aspects of the experience rather than measurable, quantitative results. The author acts as a primary research subject, watching four hours of Italian media per week and taking notes on distinctive cultural aspects, important plot points, and new or difficult Italian words. The ACTFL scale was used to evaluate the level of Italian language proficiency at three stages of the media-consumption period: a base-line measurement before beginning the study; at the mid-way point of the study; and after the study was complete. This evaluation took the form of a conversational test administered by an Italian language professor at Arizona State University. Throughout the experience, a variety of studies that examined SLA were analyzed in order to better inform this study. Results of this study suggest that foreign language media can be an extremely helpful resource, even when no other language learning tools are implemented. Both my experience, and the research studies reviewed, suggest that one may be able to measurably increase one’s second language proficiency by multiple levels on the ACTFL scale by engaging in regular viewing of film/media in the language of study over a long period of time.

As technology increasingly connects people and economies around the world, learning an additional language is more useful than ever. Acquiring business proficiency in a foreign language makes one more competitive in the workforce and a valuable asset to an organization or company. This thesis is a creative project in the form of a course syllabus with the intention to expand the knowledge of and encourage critical thinking about Italy’s role in the European and global economy in addition to provide the language skills necessary to compete in the Italian economy. Upon completion of the course, students will become capable and more confident to communicate and work in an Italian work setting.

The core of international business practices revolve around conducting business with other countries, and the need to understand the differences in legal, economic, and unique cultural practices. While every country has its own unique economic practices, Italy’s major cities each have its own individual business practices. This is a result of Italy’s rich history with each of the major regions and its capitals acting as singular city-states or republics. Even after the unification of Italy in the 19th century, major cities of various regions of the country have very different economic practices. From this research, it is evident that these industrial local differences are due to the key historical discrepancies that are characteristic to each city. The geographically spaced major cities that were analyzed are: Milan, Florence, Rome, and Amalfi. We looked at what each city was known for economically, and took a step back to see why its history eventually made that city famous for that. The research showed that Milan is a known global fashion hub due to increased production in the textile industries, changes in local perceptions of fashion, and the overall ability to adapt to the fashion demands that were not being met by other fashion capitals at the time a century ago. The biggest sector of Florence’s economy is cultural tourism, and this is due to Florence’s rich prevalence in art history and the Renaissance. Next, Rome’s economy is centered on politics and services industries. This research shows that Rome was the voted capital due to its significance as the head of the ancient Roman Empire, as well as its central location within the country. Moving even more south is Amalfi and its famous coast. Economically, it is known for its production of limoncello liqueur. This is due to its agricultural history of cultivating the unique Amalfi lemons and its importance with sailors and trading with the Middle East. Each city has different cultures, economic practices, and history, because of Italy’s past as a collection of independent city-states. For the creative project element of this research, a painting was created for each city to artistically display the city’s history that influenced its current economy.