Italian: 2008-2009
Description
The aims of the major are to acquire a knowledge of Italian language and literature and an understanding of Italian culture. The Department of Italian also cooperates with the Departments of French and Spanish in the Romance Languages major.
Faculty
Haverford College
Instructor Ute Striker
Bryn Mawr College
Lecturer Titina Caporale
Visiting Associate Professor Dennis J. McAuliffe
Language Assistant Gabriella Troncelliti
Assistant Professor and Director of Summer in Pisa Program Roberta Ricci, Chair
Professor Nancy J. Vickers
Major Requirements
Major requirements in Italian are 10 courses: ITAL 101, 102 and eight additional units, at least three of which are to be chosen from the offerings on the 300 level, and no more than one from an allied field. All students must take a course on Dante (301), one on the Italian Renaissance (304), one on Petrarch and Boccaccio (ITAL 303), two on modern Italian literature, and one on theory. Where courses in translation are offered, students may, with the approval of the department, obtain major credit provided they read the texts in Italian, submit written work in Italian and, when the instructor finds it necessary, meet with the instructor for additional discussion in Italian.
Courses allied to the Italian major include, with departmental approval, all courses for major credit in ancient and modern languages and related courses in archaeology, art history, history, music, philosophy and political science. Each student's program is planned in consultation with the department.
Students who begin their work in Italian at the 200 level will be exempted from ITAL 101 and 102 or from ITAL 105.
Minor Requirements
Requirements for the minor in Italian are ITAL 101, 102 and four additional units including, on the 300 level, at least ITAL 301. With departmental approval, students who begin their work in Italian at the 200 level will be exempted from ITAL 101 and 102 or from ITAL 105. For courses in translation, the same conditions for majors in Italian apply.
Study Abroad
Italian majors are encouraged to study in Italy during the junior year in a program approved by the College. The Bryn Mawr summer program in Pisa offers courses for major credit in Italian, or students may study in other approved summer programs in Italy or in the United States. Courses for major credit in Italian may also be taken at the University of Pennsylvania.
Requirements for Honors
The requirements for honors in Italian are a grade point average of 3.7 in the major and, usually, a research paper written at the invitation of the department, either in Senior Conference or in a unit of supervised work.
Courses
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ITAL B001, B002 Elementary Italian I/II: Non-intensive
D.McAuliffe, R.Ricci
The course is for students with no previous knowledge of Italian. It aims at giving the students a complete foundation in the Italian language, with particular attention to oral and written communication. The course will be conducted in Italian and will involve the study of all the basic structures of the language-phonological, grammatical, syntactical-with practice in conversation, reading, composition and translation. The readings are chosen from a range that includes journalistic prose, recipe books, the language of publicity, literary prose and poetry, and use of the language is encouraged through songs, games and creative composition.ITAL B001, B002 Elementary Italian I/II: Intensive
T.Caporale
This intensive communicative course is an accelerated introduction to speaking, understanding, reading, and writing. Aspects of Italian culture and contemporary life also are introduced through the use of video, songs, film, etc. The course is taught completely in Italian, and authentic contemporary materials are used to immerse the students into an integrative linguistic environment.ITAL B101, B102 Intermediate Italian
D.McAuliffe, R.Ricci
This course provides students with a broader basis for learning to communicate effectively and accurately in Italian. While the principal aspect of the course is to further develop language abilities, the course also imparts a foundation for the understanding of modern and contemporary Italy. Students will gain an appreciation for Italian culture and be able to communicate orally and in writing in a wide variety of topics. We will read a novel, as well as newspaper and magazine articles to analyze aspects on modern and contemporary Italy. We will also view and discuss Italian films and discuss internet materials.ITAL B105 Intensive Intermediate Italian
T.Caporale
This course builds on the previous two courses of intensive Italian (001-002) in the development of speaking, understanding, reading, and writing, and completes the study of Italian grammar. In addition to enriching students' knowledge of both written and spoken Italian, this course will provide a window onto aspects of contemporary Italian culture and society. In addition we will study aspects of the evolution of Italian from a literary language through SMS messaging; festivals and folklore; political satire; popular songs as windows onto their times; and detective movies. The students will practice writing and will revise compositions after initial draft versions.ITAL B200 Advanced Conversation and Composition
T.Caporale
The purpose of this course is to increase fluency in Italian and to facilitate the transition to literature courses. The course, taught in Italian, integrates language and cultural studies. Topics include: the unification of Italy; Fascism and the Resistance; "the economic miracle" of the 1960s; students and workers' movements; the Mafia; the "years of lead" and of terrorism. The course employs a wide variety of linguistic materials and instructional media, including movies, video clips, radio and television broadcasts, songs, poetry, articles, essays, newspapers, literary writings, and internet resources.ITAL B201 Prose and Poetry of Contemporary Italy
Staff
A study of the artistic and cultural developments of pre-Fascist, Fascist and post-Fascist Italy seen through the works of poets such as Montale, Quasimodo, and Ungaretti, and through the narratives of Ginzburg, P. Levi, Moravia, Pavese, Pirandello, Silone, Vittorini, and others. Not offered in 2008-09.ITAL B204 Manzoni
D.McAuliffe
Why is "I promessi sposi" considered by many the best historical novel in Italian and one of the best in any language? What contribution did Manzoni's novel make to the development of the Italian language? to the Italian unification movement? to the understanding of Italian Catholicism? to the Italian romantic movement? Seminar discussions will be based on a close reading of the novel, as well as short selections of Manzoni's other works. A variety of critical methods of interpretation will be explored both in class and in research projects leading to a critical analytical research paper. Conducted in Italian.ITAL B205 The Short Story of Modern Italy
Staff
Examination of the best of Italian short stories from post-unification to today's Italy. In addition to their artistic value, these works will be viewed within the context of related historical and political events. Among the authors to be read are Buzzati, Calvino, Ginzburg, P. Levi, Moravia, Pirandello and Verga. Not offered in 2008-09.ITAL B207 Dante in Translation
D.McAuliffe, R.Ricci
A reading of the Vita Nuova and Divina Commedia in order to discover the subtle nuances of meaning in the text and to introduce students to Dante's tripartite vision of the afterlife. Dante's masterpiece lends itself to study from various perspectives: theological, philosophical, political, allegorical, historical, cultural and literary. Personal and civic responsibilities, love, genre, governmental accountability, church-state relations, economics and social justice, the tenuous balance between freedom of expression and censorship—these are some of the themes that will frame the discussions.ITAL B208 Petrarca and Boccaccio in Translation
D.McAuliffe, R.Ricci
The course will focus on a close analysis of Petrarch's Canzoniere and Boccaccio's Decameron, with attention given also to their minor works and the historical/literary context connected with these texts. Attention will also be given to Florentine literature, art, thought, and history from the death of Dante to the age of Lorenzo de' Medici. Texts and topics available for study include the Trecento vernacular works of Petrarch and Boccaccio; Florentine humanism from Salutati to Alberti; and the literary, artistic, and intellectual culture of the Medici court in the 1470s and 80s (Ficino, Poliziano, Lorenzo de' Medici, Botticelli). Not offered in 2008-09.ITAL B209 Humanism and the Renaissance in Translation
D.McAuliffe, R.Ricci
As well as detailed analysis of some of the most fascinating texts of the period, the opportunity is offered to explore broader questions, such as the impact of the massive expansion of the printing industry on literary culture, the nature of the cultural impact of the Counter Reformation on literature, the construction of gender and the place of women in Cinquecento literary culture, the Questione della lingua and its impact on literary culture, chivalric and epic genre, the Counter Reformation and its cultural effects, and the neo-Platonic debate on beauty. Prerequisite: two years of Italian or the equivalent. Not offered in 2008-09.ITAL B211 Primo Levi, the Holocaust and Its Aftermath (Cross-listed as COML B211 and HEBR B211)
Staff
A consideration, through analysis and appreciation of his major works, of how the horrific experience of the Holocaust awakened in Primo Levi a growing awareness of his Jewish heritage and led him to become one of the dominant voices of that tragic historical event, as well as one of the most original new literary figures of post-World War II Italy. Always in relation to Levi and his works, attention will also be given to other Italian women writers whose works are also connected with the Holocaust. Not offered in 2008-09.ITAL B212 Italia D'Oggi
Staff
This course, taught in Italian, will focus primarily on the works of the so-called "migrant writers" who, having adopted the Italian language, have become a significant part of the new voice of Italy. In addition to the aesthetic appreciation of these works, this course will also take into consideration the social, cultural and political factors surrounding them. Not offered in 2008-09.ITAL B225 Italian Cinema and Literary Adaptation
R.Ricci
A survey, taught in English but also valid for Italian languages credit for those who qualify to do reading and writing in Italian, of Italian cinema with emphasis placed on its relation to literature. The course will discuss how cinema conditions literary imagination and how literature leaves its imprint on cinema. We will "read" films as "literary images" and "see" novels as "visual stories." The reading of the literary sources will be followed by evaluation of the corresponding films (all subtitled) by well-known directors, including Bellocchio, Bertolucci, Rosi, the Taviani brothers and L. Visconti. Not offered in 2008-09ITAL B235 The Italian Women's Movement
R.Ricci
This course aims to dispel the amazement of those who wonder how feminism could have taken root in a country where, for centuries, women have been wearing black shawls and their public life has been limited to an appearance at mass. Emphasis will be put on Italian women writers and film directors, who are often left out of syllabi adhering to traditional canons. Topics to be explored are: the construction of gender, the relationship of writing to identity and subjectivity, the maternal discourse, and the continuity among women (mothers, daughters, and grandmothers).ITAL B301 Dante
D.McAuliffe, R.Ricci
Prerequisite: Two years of Italian or the equivalent. Taught in Italian. See course description for ITAL B207.ITAL B303 Petrarca and Boccaccio
D.McAuliffe, R.Ricci
Prerequisite: Two years of Italian or the equivalent. Taught in Italian. See course description for ITAL 208. Not offered in 2008-09.ITAL B304 The Renaissance in Italy: Literature and Beyond
D.McAuliffe, R.Ricci
Prerequisite: Two years of Italian or the equivalent. Taught in Italian. See course description for ITAL 209.ITAL B398 Senior Seminar
D.McAuliffe, R.RicciITAL B399 Senior Conference
D.McAuliffe, R.Ricci
Under the direction of the instructor, each student prepares a paper on an author or a theme that the student has chosen. This course is open only to senior Italian majors.ITAL B403 Supervised Work
D.McAuliffe, R.Ricci
Offered with approval of the Department.
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