Note: Placement in Italian language courses is explained under “Placement Examinations” in the Academic Policies section of this bulletin.
Fulfillment of the Morse Academic Plan (MAP) language requirement: The language requirement in Italian may be fulfilled either by two 6-point intensive courses (V59.0010 and V59.0020) for a total of 12 points, or by the extensive sequence of four 4-point courses (V59.0001, V59.0002, V59.0011, and V59.0012) for a total of 16 points. A student may follow a plan of study combining two 4-point courses with one 6-point course (V59.0001, V59.0002, and V59.0020; V59.0010 and V59.0011, V59.0012) for a total of 14 points. All students planning to study in Italy or continue their study of Italian beyond the MAP requirements are strongly advised to take V59.0010 and V59.0020 since this permits completion of the language requirement in two semesters.
INTRODUCTORY LANGUAGE COURSES
INTENSIVE SEQUENCE
Intensive Elementary Italian
V59.0010 Open to students with no previous training in Italian and to others on assignment by placement test. Completes the equivalent of Elementary Italian I and II in one semester. Given every semester. 6 points.
Intensive Intermediate Italian
V59.0020 Prerequisite: V59.0010, V59.0001-0002, or assignment by placement test. Completes the equivalent of Intermediate Italian I and II in one semester. Given every semester. 6 points.
EXTENSIVE SEQUENCE
Elementary Italian I
V59.0001 Open to students with no previous training in Italian and to others on assignment by placement test. Not equivalent to V59.0010. Only by combining V59.0001 with V59.0002 can a student complete the equivalent of V59.0010 and then continue on to the intermediate level. Given every semester. 4 points.
Elementary Italian II
V59.0002 Prerequisite: V59.0001 or assignment by placement test. Continuation of V59.0001. In order to continue on to the intermediate level, a student must complete both V59.0001 and V59.0002. This sequence is equivalent to V59.0010. Given every semester. 4 points.
Intermediate Italian I
V59.0011 Prerequisite: V59.0001-0002, V59.0010, or assignment by placement test. Not equivalent to V59.0020. Only by combining V59.0011 with V59.0012 can a student complete the equivalent of V59.0020 and then continue on to the postintermediate level. Given every semester. 4 points.
Intermediate Italian II
V59.0012 Prerequisite: V59.0011 or assignment by placement test. Fulfills MAP language requirement. Continuation of V59.0011. In order to fulfill MAP requirements and continue on to the postintermediate level, a student must complete both V59.0011 and V59.0012. This sequence is equivalent to V59.0020. Given every semester. 4 points.
ADVANCED LANGUAGE COURSES
Advanced Review of Modern Italian
V59.0030 Prerequisite: V59.0012 or V59.0020, or permission of the instructor. This course is a prerequisite for other advanced courses in language, literature, and culture and society. Given every semester. 4 points.
Systematizes and reinforces the language skills presented in earlier-level courses through an intensive review of grammar and composition, lexical enrichment, improvement of speaking ability, and selected readings from contemporary Italian literature.
Conversations in Italian
V59.0101 Prerequisite: V59.0030 or permission of the instructor. Given every semester. 4 points.
Students entering this course should have mastered the fundamental structure of Italian. Designed to help students gain confidence and increase their effectiveness in speaking present-day Italian. Through discussions, oral reports, and readings, students improve pronunciation, become familiar with idiomatic expressions, and develop vocabulary that allow them to communicate with others on topics such as family and student life, politics, the arts, food, and fashion. Useful for students who are planning to study or travel abroad.
Creative Writing in Italian
V59.0103 Formerly Rewriting Italian. Prerequisite: V59.0030 or permission of instructor. Given every semester. 4 points.
A creative approach to writing in Italian that emphasizes transformations of texts. Students are encouraged to rewrite, parody, shift genres, with the aim of improving their writing and reading techniques.
Advanced Composition
V59.0105 Prerequisite: V59.0030 or permission of the instructor. Given every semester. 4 points.
Aims to improve the student’s written Italian and reading comprehension of difficult texts. The approach is threefold: (1) intensive study of the syntactical structures of Italian; (2) reading and analysis of contemporary texts from various sources, such as newspapers, magazines, and literary works; and (3) frequent writing of short compositions stressing grammatical and syntactical accuracy as well as variety of vocabulary.
Italian Through Cinema
V59.0107 Prerequisite: V59.0030 or permission of the instructor. Given every semester. 4 points.
Students entering this course should have mastered the fundamental structure of Italian. Aims to enrich knowledge of Italian language, culture, and society through screening and discussion of contemporary Italian cinema and detailed analysis of selected film scripts. Students are encouraged to use different idiomatic expressions and recognize regional linguistic variety. Special emphasis is placed on developing a more extensive vocabulary and an expressive range suited to discussion of complex issues and their representation.
Introduction to Linguistics
V59.0110 Identical to V61.0002. Given every semester. 4 points.
Focuses on the core areas of grammar: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Develops analytical and problem-solving skills. Examples are drawn from various European and non-European languages alongside English. Recommended for nonlinguistics majors, especially for foreign language and English majors.
INTRODUCTORY COURSES
Readings in Medieval and Renaissance Literature
V59.0115 Formerly Masterpieces in Italian Literature I. Prerequisite: V59.0030 or permission of the instructor. Identical to V65.0115. Given every fall. 4 points.
Introductory-level literature course that, through a close reading of authors such as Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch, Machiavelli, and Ariosto, focuses on how to understand a literary text in Italian. Covers Italian literature from its origins to the 17th century.
Readings in Modern Italian Literature
V59.0116 Formerly Masterpieces in Italian Literature II. Prerequisite: V59.0030 or permission of the instructor. Given every spring. 4 points.
Introductory-level literature course that, through a close reading of authors such as Alfieri, Foscolo, Leopardi, Manzoni, Verga, D’Annunzio, Moravia, and Calvino, focuses on how to understand a literary text in Italian. Covers Italian literature from the 17th century to the contemporary period.
Introduction to the Middle Ages
V59.0117 Ardizzone. Given every other year. 4 points.
Literature and culture of the Middle Ages with a focus on 13th and 14th centuries. Francis of Assisi, Laudi, the Sicilian poets, the “Stil Novo,” and Dante’s minor works are examined, as well as Boccaccio’s Decameron and Petrarch’s Rime. Works are considered in relation to feudal society, the Church, the communes, and other medieval political structures.
ADVANCED LITERATURE COURSES
Prerequisites for the following courses are V59.0115 or V59.0116 when the course is conducted in Italian, or permission of the instructor.
Dante’s Divine Comedy
V59.0270 Identical to V65.0270 when taught in English. Ardizzone, Freccero. Given every 2 to 3 years. 4 points.
Students study the Divine Comedy both as a mirror of high medieval culture and as a unique text that breaks out of its cultural bounds. The entire poem is read, in addition to selections from the Vita Nuova and other complementary minor works.
Boccaccio’s Decameron
V59.0271 Identical to V65.0271 when taught in English. Ardizzone. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
A study of Boccaccio’s Decameron with particular emphasis on themes, conceptual innovations, and influences on French and English literatures.
Petrarch and Petrarchism
V59.0872 Formerly Italian Lyric Poetry. Given every two to three years. Cox. 4 points.
Examines love poetry of Petrarch, one of the most influential lyric poets of all time and a key figure in Renaissance thought. Also traces Petrarch’s influence on later Italian Renaissance poetry, focusing on the 16th century. Poets to be studied here include women writers such as Vittoria Colonna and Gaspara Stampa, and artists such as Michelangelo and Bronzino.
Court Culture in Renaissance Italy
V59.0311 Cox. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
This course offers the opportunity to study Italian Renaissance art and literature within its social and political contexts, focusing especially on the princely courts of northern Italy, which were among the most dynamic and innovative centers of cultural production in Europe in this period. Secondary source assignments are supplemented with a study of 16th-century literary texts and artworks.
Women’s Writing in the Italian Renaissance
V59.0162 Identical to V97.0163. Cox. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
The remarkable tradition of published writings by women that developed in Italy between the 15th and 17th centuries. Offers an opportunity to look in detail at the works of both well-known writers such as Vittoria Colonna, Gaspara Stampa, and Veronica Franco and less-known figures such as Moderata Fonte and Maddalena Campiglia. We address the reasons for the emergence of this tradition of writing by women and the dynamics of its relationship with contemporary male literary culture.
Topics in Renaissance Literature
V59.0760 Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Variable content course taught by regular or visiting faculty. For specific course content, see current bulletin listing.
Gender and Performance in the Italian Theatre
V59.0720 Identical to V30.0720. Tylus. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
If, as some contemporary critics maintain, gender is largely a performance, how was gender “performed” in the early modern period (1350-1700)? And how did its performance onstage differ from its performance offstage during a period that witnessed a rebirth of theatre? In this course, we read a number of plays that explicitly highlight and question the status and performance of gender, as well as selections from political treatises, books of manners, and historiography. Topics such as cross-dressing, the emergence of the actress and commedia dell’arte troupes, the dynamics of spectatorship, the development of perspective in painting and theatre, and court power relations are considered, as well the “revisions” that women playwrights and writers make to a largely male-dominated canon.
20th-Century Italian Poetry
V59.0272 Ardizzone. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Course covers the major Italian poets and poetic movements of the 20th century. Works by Ungaretti, Quasimodo, D’Annunzio, Luzi, Zanzotto, and the Lombard school are examined.
Pirandello and the Contemporary Theatre
V59.0274 Identical to V30.0280 when taught in English. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
An introduction to Luigi Pirandello’s major plays as they relate to the foundation of contemporary theatre. Attention is also paid to grotesque and futurist drama. Works studied include Sei personaggio in cerca d’autore, Cosi è (se vi pare), and Enrico IV.
Modern and Contemporary Century Italian Narrative
V59.0275 Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Follows the development of the Italian narrative from Manzoni and Verga to the present-day trends in Italian prose. Emphasizes works of Tabucchi, Maraini, Pasolini, and Morante.
Novel and Society
V59.0277 Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Covers the development of the Italian novel in the context of larger social, political, and cultural developments in Italian society. Particular attention is paid to the relations between narrative and shifts in national identity following the 1870 unification of Italy and at important historical moments of the 20th century. Texts include works by Manzoni, Verga, Tommaso di Lampedusa, Moravia, De Amicis, and Volponi.
Italian Autobiographies
V59.0279 Formerly Writing the Italian Self. Identical to V42.0276. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Course examines strategies of self-representation in autobiographies, diaries, letters, and novels of selected authors. Readings include selections from Petrarch, Cellini, Goldoni, Casanova, Alfieri, Pellico, Sciascia, Aleramo, Viganò, and others.
Postmodern Italian Fiction
V59.0276 Formerly Calvino and Postmodernism. To be given pending faculty approval. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Follows the development of the Italian novel from the 1970s to the present day. Readings include contemporary classics such as Morante, Calvino, Volponi, Tondelli, and Tabucchi, as well as novels published in the last few years.
Italian Cinema and Literature
V59.0282 Identical to V30.0505. Albertini, Ben-Ghiat. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Studies the relationship between Italian literature and post-World War II cinema, including the poetics and politics of the process of cinematic adaptation. Among the authors and directors examined are Lampedusa, Bassani, Sciascia, Visconti, Moravia, De Cespedes, DeSica, and Rosi.
Oedipus’ Desire: Biography and the Making of the Self
V59.0284 Identical to V29.0173, V27.0205, V97.0173. Cavarero. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Italian American Life in Literature
V59.0286 Identical to V41.0724. Hendin. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
A study of the fiction and poetry by which Italian American writers have expressed their heritage and their engagement in American life. From narratives of immigration to current work by “assimilated” writers, the course explores the depiction of Italian American identity. Challenging stereotypes, it explores changing family relationships, sexual mores, and political and social concerns.
Topics in Italian Literature
V59.0285 Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Courses on subjects of special interest taught by either a regular or a visiting faculty member. For specific courses, please consult the class schedule.
CULTURE AND SOCIETY COURSES
Note: Prerequisite for courses taught in Italian are any two advanced language courses, or permission of the instructor.
Women Mystics
V59.0172 Given every two to three years. 4 points.
This course traces the historical, social, and literary significance of female mystics in Late-Medieval and Early-Modern Italy (roughly 1200-1600) through writing by and about them. Primary materials include letters, autobiographies, and hagiographies, while select secondary sources help to situate these women and their texts within their proper historical, literary, and theological contexts.
Machiavelli
V59.0147 Albertini. Given every other year. 4 points.
The inventor of modern political science, Niccolo Machiavelli is one of the most original thinkers in the history of Western civilization. In this course, Machiavelli’s political, historical, and theatrical works are read in the context in which they were conceived—the much tormented and exciting Florence of the 15th and early 16th centuries struggling between republican rule and the magnificent tyranny of the Medici family. The course also aims at dismantling the myth of “evilness” that has surrounded Machiavelli through the centuries, especially in the Anglo-Saxon world, through a close reading of such masterpieces as The Prince, The Discourses, and The Mandrake Root.
Dante and His World
V59.0160 Identical to V65.0801 and V41.0143. Ardizzone, Freccero. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Interdisciplinary introduction to late medieval culture, using Dante, its foremost literary artist, as a focus. Attention is directed at literature, art, and music, in addition to political, religious, and social developments of the time. Emphasizes the continuity of Western tradition, especially the classical background of medieval culture and its transmission to the modern world.
The Civilization of the Italian Renaissance
V59.0161 Identical to V65.0161 when taught in English. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Study of Italian Renaissance civilization from its roots in the Middle Ages. Concentrates on the major problems of the times: the rise of the city-states and the evolution of the signorie, the birth of new language and art forms, and the changing attitudes toward the classical world, science, and philosophy. Students also explore, through readings of chronicles, letters, and contemporary documents, the effects such transformations had on the people of the times, on their daily lives, and on self-perceptions.
“Renaissance Man” Revisited
V59.0811 Formerly Literature of Renaissance. Artist, Cox, Courtier, Prince. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Course centers on study of two key texts of Italian Renaissance social and political thought, Machiavelli’s Il principe, and Castiglione’s Libro del Cortegiano. The human ideals described in these works—Machiavelli’s ruler, and Castiglione’s courtier and court lady—are discussed in relation to those found in other texts of the period, and in relation to the historic notion of the Renaissance as the age that saw the birth of the modern individual.
Topics in Renaissance Culture
V59.0172 Formerly Renaissance Philosophy. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Variable content course taught by regular or visiting faculty. Consult current bulletin for specific topic.
Italian Fascism
V59.0165 Formerly Fascism and Culture. Ben-Ghiat. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
An interdisciplinary examination of the cultural production of the fascist period. Students examine the image that the fascist regime produced of itself through the study of popular novels, architecture, film, and political speeches.
Contemporary Italy
V59.0166 Formerly Italy 2000. Identical to V42.0164. Ben-Ghiat, Albertini. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Covers the political, cultural, economic, and social history of Italy since World War II. Starting with the transition from fascism to democracy, we examine the cold war, the growth of a mass consumer society, the social and political movements of the late 1960s and 1970s, the battle against the Mafia, postwar emigration, the rise and fall of postwar Christian Democracy and Italian communism, and the emergence of new parties in the 1990s such as Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, Bossi’s Northern League, and Fini’s neofascist Alleanza Nazionale.
Modern Italy
V59.0168 Identical to V42.0163 and V57.0168. Ben-Ghiat. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
A survey of Italian history from unification to the present. We examine political, social, and cultural history of liberalism, fascism, World War II, Christian Democracy, and communism; the political crisis of the early 1990s; and the rise of new regional and rightist parties.
Italian Colonialism
V59.0164 Identical to V57.0286. Ben-Ghiat. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Course studies Italian colonialism from the late 19th century through decolonization. Through readings of colonial travel literature, films, novels, diaries, memoirs, and histories, we address the meaning of colonialism within Italian history and culture, the specificities of Italian colonialism, and the legacies of colonialism in contemporary Italy.
Italian Films, Italian Histories I
V59.0174 Identical to V30.0503. Note: Can be taken independently of Italian Films, Italian Histories II. Albertini. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Studies representation of Italian history through the medium of film from ancient Rome through the Risorgimento. Issues to be covered throughout include the use of filmic history as a means of forging national identity.
Italian Films, Italian Histories II
V59.0175 Identical to V30.0506 and V57.0176. Note: Can be taken independently of Italian Films, Italian Histories I. Ben-Ghiat. Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Studies representations of Italian history through the medium of film from the unification of Italy to the present. Fascism, the resistance, 1968, and other events are covered, as are questions of how film functions with respect to canonical national narratives and dominant systems of power.
Topics in Italian Culture
V59.0173 Given every two to three years. 4 points.
Courses on subjects of special interest taught by a regular or visiting faculty member. For specific course, please consult the class schedule.
Topics in Italian American Culture
V59.0861.001 Taught by regular or visiting faculty members. Given every two years. 4 points.
INTERNSHIP
Internship
V59.0980, 0981 Prerequisite: permission of the department. Given every semester. 2 or 4 points per term.
The internship program offers upper-level students the opportunity to apply their studies to the outside world. Working closely with a sponsor and a faculty adviser, students may pursue internships in such diverse areas as international trade, banking, publishing, community organizations, and television and radio programs. Interested students should apply to the department of their proposed internship early in the semester.
INDEPENDENT STUDY
Independent Study
V59.0997, 0998 Prerequisite: permission of the department. Given every semester. 2 or 4 points per term.
GRADUATE COURSES OPEN TO UNDERGRADUATES
Qualified undergraduates may register for graduate courses in Italian with the permission of the director of graduate studies. A complete list of appropriate graduate courses is available in the department each semester.
