Key - General Education Requirements, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences

Key - Basic Skills Requirements, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences

I   Workshop in Composition
A  Algebra

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ITAL Courses 2134

This is the first of a three-term sequence that is an introduction to the Italian language, including basic grammar, vocabulary and speech patterns. The primary goal is to achieve competency in the spoken language, along with basic skills in reading and writing. Instructors incorporate a variety of texts (written, audio-visual, etc.) to present contemporary Italian culture. Students' progress is evaluated through oral and written exams, homework assignments, participation in class, and portfolio assignments.

Prerequisite(s): none

This course is offered every term.

This is the second of a three-term sequence that aims to build upon the grammatical, linguistic and cultural structures in Italian 0001, while expanding students' knowledge of basic Italian language and culture. The primary goal is to achieve competency in the spoken language, along with basic skills in reading and writing. Instructors incorporate a variety of texts (written, audio-visual, etc.) to present contemporary Italian culture. Students' progress is evaluated through oral and written exams, homework assignments, participation in class, and portfolio assignments.

Prerequisite(s): PREQ: ITAL 0001 (MIN GRADE 'C-')

This course is offered every term.

This is the third of a three-term sequence that aims to develop skills and areas of competence acquired in ITAL 0001 and 0002, while teaching students to produce more authentic and more accurate Italian speech, comprehend more sophisticated structures in written and oral form, and broaden their understanding of contemporary Italian culture and society. Instructors incorporate a variety of texts (authentic written materials, songs, film, short stories) to present contemporary Italian culture. Students' progress is evaluated through oral and written exams, homework assignments, participation in class, and portfolio assignments.

Prerequisite(s): PREQ: ITAL 0002 (MIN GRADE

This course is offered every fall and spring.

This course aims to continue students' development in all aspects of the Italian language, with particular emphasis on those skills and tools necessary for advanced literacy in written Italian. Students in this course will encounter, discuss, interpret, and analyze articles, songs, video, films, literary excerpts, and other authentic texts, leading to both a greater understanding of contemporary Italian culture and a greater mastery of Italian forms, vocabulary, and expressions. Special attention will be paid to vocabulary-building exercises, strategies for the focused and efficient reading of texts, and carrying out different kinds of reading for different purposes. At the same time, students will continue to develop their oral proficiency in Italian by discussing and analyzing broad contemporary topics, as they emerge from the course's assigned readings. This class is conducted entirely in Italian.

Prerequisite(s): PREQ: ITAL 0003 (MIN GRADE 'C-')

This course is offered every fall and spring.

The goal of this course is to develop the student’s mastery of Italian language skills acquired in ITAL 0001 through 0004. Specifically, this course aims to perfect the student’s proficiency in spoken and written Italian (it satisfies the A&S “W” requirement) through the study and discussion of a wide range of literary texts, supplemented by non-literary texts such as journalistic articles and web sites. This version of the course explores representations of youth and youth culture in modern and contemporary Italian literary texts. Examining authors such as Enrico Brizzi, Niccolò Ammaniti, Aldo Nove, Alessandro Baricco, and Melania Mazzucco (among others), we will discuss universal issues (interpersonal and romantic relationships, the transition from adolescence to adulthood) and issues specific to Italy (the Eurozone crisis, Italian family structures). Prerequisites: successful completion of ITAL 0004 or equivalent. Language of instruction: Italian.

Prerequisite(s): PREQ: ITAL 0004 (MIN GRADE

Check with the department on how often this course is offered.

Through the close reading of major Italian thinkers, storytellers, poets and artists, as well as scientists, historians and journalists, from the Renaissance to the post-war period, this course aims to make the student aware of the richness and complexity of the Italian cultural heritage, and of the great influence it has exerted on all of Western culture in virtually every age. The instructor will introduce students to the various periods which the course is intended to encompass, and illustrate the cultural movements and historical events which served as context to the works selected. This semester, the course will pay particular attention to the relationship between power and cultural production: through the focused study of representative texts and their contexts, students will thus have the opportunity to compare and contrast the power-culture relationships at play in various periods of Italian history. Audio-visual material will be used to complement readings and class discussion. No knowledge of Italian is required. No prerequisites. This course satisfies the Foreign Culture Requirement and may be applied to all Italian major tracks and both Italian major programs.

Prerequisite(s): none

This course is offered at least once a year.

1.The word poetry comes from the Greek poein (meaning to make, to bring about, to produce, to construct, to form or fashion), and since the dawn of civilization poetry has been the privileged, imaginative mode chosen by humans to express awareness of their experiences. Adhering to the principle, implicit in this etymology, that relevant knowledge comes from “doing” and valuable learning proceeds from direct experience, this course uses an inductive, (re-)creative, hands-on approach to the study of poetry. The overarching objective is to provide students with as clear an idea as possible of the properties, functions and characteristics of Italian lyric poetry, its evolution and its role in Italian culture over the centuries, through the study of representative texts from medieval times to the present. To help students acquire such knowledge and develop the skills necessary to practice literary analysis, the instructor will guide them in a dynamic, “irreverent” exploration of the poetic texts. Class activities and discussions, as well as home assignments will be aimed at improving students’ pronunciation and intonation, focusing their attention on vocabulary and figurative use of language, helping them to master sentence structure. Students will also produce a small book of poetry, consisting of poems of their own creation. The course will be conducted entirely in Italian. 2. Prerequisites: Italian 0060, 0061 or 1041. 3. Evaluation: class participation & class activities 25%, oral & written assignments 30%, 2 tests 40%, poetry book 5%. 4. Not applicable. 5. Expected size: 15 students 6. This course is not offered on a regular basis.

Prerequisite(s): PREQ: ITAL 0060 or 0061 or 1041

Check with the department on how often this course is offered.

This course analyses the relationship between gender and political life over the last 30 years in Italy. In particular, we will focus on the role played the media and by television to illustrate how gendered character(istic)s affect representations and recruitment in politics, mediatizing both the women’s and the collective body. We will reflect on how gender relationships and femininity are represented and depicted in the media in contemporary Italy, taking into account the uniqueness of the Italian mediascape from a political and cultural viewpoint, and the consequences of this enduring uniqueness on political life and women’s movements. Therefore, the course aims at offering an overview of Italian society through the lens of gender, as well as the political use of gender representation and identity in Italy. No prerequisites. The course will be conducted in English and may be applied to both Italian major and minor tracks.

Prerequisite(s): none

Check with the department on how often this course is offered.

A description is not available at this time.

Prerequisite(s): none

Check with the department on how often this course is offered.

A description is not available at this time.

Prerequisite(s): none

Check with the department on how often this course is offered.

1. This course will focus mainly on High Renaissance comedy as the genre which, rediscovered and put once again in circulation by Humanism, eventually upset the moral, erudite, theologizing and humanistic premises of the Italian Cinquecento. Our vantage point will be that of the role of women in the theater of the time, first of all as characters created and played by men, and featured in male-conducted ‘transactions’ concerning marriage, seduction and prostitution; and then – with the advent of Commedia dell’Arte – as actresses and playwrights, starting with Isabella Andreini. Our aim will be that of studying plays and scenarios in their performance context, in their socioeconomic context, and in the context of the laws and common attitudes which governed sexuality at the time, in order to determine – among other things - whether a critique of the fixity of boundaries defining gender and/or any change in the construction of gender in Italian theater occurred with the implementation of new theatrical devices and practices, and with the accession of female performers to the stage. Authors and plays to be considered include: Ludovico Ariosto’s The Coffer and Lena, Niccolò Machiavelli’ The Mandrake Root, Pietro Aretino’ s The Master of the Horse, Isabella Andreini’s Myrtilla and selected scenarios from Flaminio Scala’s Il Teatro delle Favole Rappresentative. The course will be conducted in English. A special extra weekly meeting will be arranged with Italian proficient graduate students to discuss the original texts in Italian.

Prerequisite(s): none

Check with the department on how often this course is offered.

“Orientalism in One Country?”: Sicily Writing and WrittenSicily, despite its geographically and topographically marginal position, has in fact played a central role in the development of an Italian political and cultural identity since even before the birth of the modern Italian state in 1860. While Sicily’s role in the complex process of identity formation has been conditioned by dynamics akin to Said’s Orientalism, this course’s texts will also reveal the extent to which Sicilian writers and intellectuals—often assuming intellectual and geographical positions firmly rooted in the Italian or European north—have themselves participated in these processes by turning their privileged (but intentionally exterior) gaze on the Sicilian island. Within this framework, we will examine selected texts in the tradition of modern Sicilian literature, including works by Giovanni Verga, Luigi Pirandello, Vitaliano Brancati, Stefano D’Arrigo, Leonardo Sciascia, Vincenzo Consolo, Goliarda Sapienza, Claudio Fava, and Andrea Camilleri. Using these texts, we will explore these writers’ use of Sicilian dialects; Sicilian essentialism; cultural genealogies that authorize Sicilian writing; Sicily as a metaphorical island space; the relationship between Sicily and Italy; and the various vantage points from which these Sicilian authors have written Sicily, and through it, Italy. We will also consider Sicilian writing within the context of the Pensiero meridiano (Southern Thought) movement and its protagonists (Cassano, Renda, etc.). 2. Prerequisites: Graduate standing. 3. Recitations: None. 4. Estimated Class Size: 10-15 5. Advanced undergraduate Italian majors should consult with the instructor regarding conditions of possible enrolment. Students from other departments and programs are encouraged to enroll; comparative final research projects are especially welcome. Students should be able to consult texts in Italian, but all readings will be available in English translation. Students may complete written work for the course in either English or Italian, though students wishing to gain credit in the Italian program should expect Italian to be the primary language of their work (and will be expected to attend Italian-only discussion sessions). Students may make classroom contributions and complete written

Prerequisite(s): none

Check with the department on how often this course is offered.

A description is not available at this time.

Prerequisite(s): none

Check with the department on how often this course is offered.

A description is not available at this time.

Prerequisite(s): none

Check with the department on how often this course is offered.

A description is not available at this time.

Prerequisite(s): none

Check with the department on how often this course is offered.

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