Professor: John Aherna; Associate
Professor: Rodica Diaconescu-Blumenfeld; Assistant
Professor: Eugenio Giusti; Visiting Assistant
Professor: Roberta Antognini; Visiting
Instructor: Ornella Mazzuca.
Courses are conducted in Italian, except for 170, 175,
237, 238, 242, 250, 255, 286. Medieval and Renaissance
Studies 220, or a course in Linguistics, such as
Anthropology 150 or 252, may be counted in the required 10
units.
Requirements for Concentration: 10 units including
220, 221, 222, 301.
Senior-Year Requirements: Italian 301 and 2 units
of 300-level courses. Students who wish to be considered for
departmental honors must also complete a Senior Project
(Italian 300).
Recommendations: Summer study at the Vassar
program in Siena. The department strongly recommends that
students interested in the Junior Year in Italy begin the
study of Italian in their freshman year. Majors in their
junior year are encouraged to participate in programs in
Italy in the Eastern Colleges Consortium in Bologna
(ECCO).
Advisers: The department.
Correlate Sequence in Italian: Students majoring
in other programs may elect a correlate sequence in
Italian.
Requirements: 6 units chosen from the following:
Italian 205, 206, 220, 221, 222, 260, 265, 301, 330, 331,
337, 338. At least one course must be taken at the 300
level. All courses must be taken for the letter grade.
Courses taken in
Italy or during the summer may be substituted with
department approval.
I. Introductory
105a-106b. Elementary Italian (1)
Introduction to the essential structures of the language
with emphasis on oral skills and reading. Analysis of a play
by contemporary authors and short fiction in the second
semester. The department.
Open to all classes; four 50-minute periods; one hour of
drill and one hour of videolab in the Foreign Language
Resource Center.
107b. Intensive Elementary Italian (2)
A single-semester equivalent of Italian 105-106. Mr.
Giusti.
Open to all classes; four 75-minute periods; one hour of
drill and one hour of aural-oral practice or videolab in the
Foreign Language Resource Center.
[170. Don Giovanni and His Transformations]
(1)
The opera Don Giovanni (libretto by Da Ponte, music by
Mozart) is the central representation of the Don Juan myth
in Western culture and the focus of this course. After
reading and viewing performances of this opera (Sellars,
Losey, Karajan), we examine the figure of Don Giovanni in
earlier and later representations. As we follow the myth's
development through various genres (drama, short story,
philosophical discourse, narrative poetry) we place it in
various frames (literary, historical, social, religious),
paying particular attention to Enlightenment debates on
pleasure, class conflict, as well as traditions of courtly
love. Central themes: seduction, abandonment, vengeance,
religious unbelief. Some attention is paid to twentieth
century versions of the myth such as Don Juan de
Marco. Readings include: Tirso de Molino,
Molière, Carlo Goldoni, Lorenzo Da Ponte, Lord Byron,
Sören Kierkegaard, E. T. A. Hoffman, G. B. Shaw. All
readings are in English. Mr. Ahern.
Satisfies college requirement for a Freshman Course.
Not offered in 2000/01.
175a. The Italian Renaissance in English Translation
(1)
A survey of the masterworks: Dante's Vita Nuova,
Petrarch's Canzoniere, Boccaccio's Decameron,
Castiglione's Book of the Courtier, Machiavelli's
Mandragola, and Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. Mr.
Giusti.
May not be counted towards the Italian major. Satisfies
college requirement for a Freshman Course.
II. Intermediate
205a. Intermediate Italian I (1)
Narration in popular culture, literature, and film.
Analysis of folktales by Calvino, short stories by Maraini,
Sciascia, Ginzburg, poems by Maraini, Pasolini, and Gabriele
Salvatores' film Turné. Strong emphasis on
effective oral expression. Successful completion of this
course provides a suitable background for other 200level
courses. Ms. Antognini, Ms. Mazzuca.
Three 50-minute periods and one hour of conversation.
206b. Intermediate Italian II (1)
Italy today: the image in the Italian media. Analysis and
discussion of the strategies of representation in newspapers
(La Repubblica, Paese Sera), magazines
(Espresso), television and radio, advertisements, and
cinema. Formal study of grammar. Strong emphasis on
effective oral expression. Mr. Giusti.
Two 75-minute periods and one hour of conversation.
Prerequisite: Italian 205 or permission of
instructor.
220b. Italian Civilization: Interpreting the Texts I
(1)
From the origin of the Italian language to the
masterpieces of the Renaissance. Selected texts from the
"Dolce stil nuovo" and Dante's Vita nuova; Petrarch's
Canzoniere and Italian Humanism; Boccaccio's
Decameron and the "novella" tradition; Ariosto, Tasso
and the Italian epic; Machiavelli, Castiglione, Bembo on
politics and ideology; Michelangelo, Leonardo, Cellini on
words and images. Ms. Antognini.
Prerequisite: Italian 205 or special permission of
instructor.
[221b. Italian Civilization: Interpreting the
Texts II] (1)
The formation of modern Italy out of the experience of
the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Baroque,
Commedia dell'Arte, Arcadia, the Enlightenment, and
the role of opera in national life. Le Cinesi, an
opera by Metastasio and Gluck, selected texts by Vico,
Alfieri, Parini, Foscolo, Leopardi, Manzoni, Mazzini, and
Verga, as well as Don Giovanni (Da Ponte and Mozart)
and Cavalleria Rusticana (Verga and Mascagni). Mr.
Ahern.
Prerequisite: Italian 205 or special permission of
instructor.
Not offered in 2000/01..
237b, 238a. Dante's Divine Comedy in
Translation (1)
A close reading of the entire Comedy in its
historical, philosophical, theological, and literary
contexts. Conducted in English. Mr. Ahern.
Open to all classes. Italian majors see Italian
337-338.
242a. Boccaccio's Decameron in Translation: The
"Novella" as (1)
Microcosm
A close reading of the one hundred tales with emphasis on
social, cultural, and gender issues of the later Middle
Ages. Reference is made to classical sources (Ovid,
Petronius, Apuleius), the French Fabliaux, and Courtly
Literature. The course also analyzes contemporary rewritings
of the text in different genres and media. Conducted in
English. Mr. Giusti.
Open to all classes. Italian majors see Italian 387a.
Two 75-minute meetings.
[250a. Italian Cinema in English] (1)
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. May not be
counted towards the Italian major. Two 75-minute meetings
and one film screening.
Not offered in 2000/01.
255a. Four Italian Filmmakers (in English) (1)
For description see Italian 265. Ms. Blumenfeld.
No prerequisites. Open to sophomores, juniors, and
seniors.
May not be counted towards the Italian major
Two 75-minute meetings and two film screenings.
[260a. Italian Cinema] (1)
Cultural, ideological, and aesthetic issues in the
history of Italian cinema from neorealism to contemporary
auteurs. Ms. Blumenfeld.
Prerequisite: Italian 205 or the equivalent.
Three 75-minute meetings and one film screening.
Not offered in 2000/01.
265a. Four Italian Filmmakers (1)
Close analysis of the narrative and visual styles of
Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni, Bernardo
Bertolucci and Gianni Amelio. Ms. Blumenfeld.
Three 75-minute meetings and two film screenings.
Prerequisite: Italian 205 or the equivalent.
270a. Advanced Composition and Oral Expression
(1)
Development of oral and written skills through extensive
conversation and essay writing. The course makes use of a
variety of"texts" available in traditional formats (books,
magazines, journals, films), as well as web-based materials.
The
topics covered are in the area of contemporary issues,
with emphasis on cultural
and socio-political phenomena. Ms. Antognini.
Two 75-minute meetings.
Prerequisite: Italian 206 or 220 or 221 or 222 or the
equivalent
290. Field Work (1/2 or 1)
297.01. Reading Course in Boccaccio
(1/2)
297.02. Reading Course in Verga
(1/2)
297.03. Reading Course in Svevo
(1/2)
The department.
297.04. Reading Course in Pirandello
(1/2)
The department.
297.05. Reading Course in the Modern Italian Novel
(1/2)
The department.
298. Independent Work (1/2 or 1)
III. Advanced
Prerequisite for all advanced courses: 2 units at the
200-level or by permission.
An examination of selected topics in recent Italian
culture or of a single topic across several centuries. May
be taken more than once for credit when topic changes.
Required of all senior majors.
Topic for 2000/01: Women in Italian Cinema. We
study the signifying practices of representing women by male
and female filmmakers in contemporary Italian cinema. Films
analyzed include Marco Risi's Meri per sempre, Lina
Wertmüller's Sottosotto, Federico Fellini's
Città delle donne, Giuseppe Bertolucci'
Segreti segreti, Readings of literary and critical
texts. In Italian. Ms. Blumenfeld.
Prerequisites: Italian 220 or 221 or 222 or the
equivalent.
330b. The Italian Renaissance: The Italian Epic
Tradition (1)
from 1300-1500
A study of the epic tradition from the romances of
chivalry and the "cantari" to the epic poems, with a special
focus on the sixteenth century's debate on the canons of the
heroic poem. Selected texts from Pulci's Morgante,
Boiardo's Orlando innamorato, Ariosto's
Orlando furioso, Trissino's L'Italia liberata dai
Goti, Bernardo Tasso's Amadigi, Torquato Tasso's
Gerusalemme liberata, and others. Ms. Antognini.
Prerequisite: Italian 220 or 221 or 222 or the
equivalent.
[331a. The Italian Renaissance: Poetry, Theater,
Politics, and Ideology] (1)
A study of ethnic, religious, and sexual otherness as
represented in classical Renaissance texts. Selected
readings of Michelangelo, Gaspara Stampa, Veronica Franco
(poetry); Ariosto, Machiavelli, Aretino (theatre); Colombo,
Vespucci, Castiglione, and Della Casa (politics and
ideology). Mr. Giusti.
Prerequisites: Italian 220 or 221 or 222 or the
equivalent.
Not offered in 2000/01.
332a. Italian Autobiography from the Middle Ages to
the Early Modern Period (1)
Inasmuch as autobiography is equally a work of art and
life, portraying as it does the author's view of
himself/herself, it is also a unique literary form. It
offers its close readers a complex set of interpretive
problems. In this course we examine how different
autobiographers, at different times have dealt with the
issue of telling their own stories. We analyze various texts
which may include selections from Dante's Vita Nuova,
Petrarch's prose letters, Cellini's Vita, Silvio
Pellico's Le mie prigioni, Lorenzo Da Ponte's
Memorie, Neera's Una giovinezza del XIX secolo,
Grazia Delledda's Cosima, and Sibilla Aleramo's
Una donna. Ms. Antognini.
Prerequisite: Italian 220 or 221 or 222 or the
equivalent.
337b., 338a. Dante's Divine Comedy (1)
A close reading of the entire Comedy in its
historical, philosophical, theological, and literary
contexts. Designed for Italian majors in their senior year.
Students in this course attend the same lectures as in
Italian 237, 238, but do the reading in the original, attend
a separate discussion class, and take separate exams. Mr.
Ahern.
342a. Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron: The
"Novella" as a (1)
Microcosm
Students in this course attend the same lectures as in
Italian 242, but do the readings in the original, attend a
separate discussion class, and take separate exams. Mr.
Giusti.
Prerequisite: Italian 220 or 221 or 222.
399. Senior Independent Work
(1/2 or 1)
Vassar-Wellesley Program in Bologna
Vassar College, Wellesley College and Wesleyan University
offer a study abroad program at the Università di
Bologna in Italy. The program is committed to high academic
standards and to providing opportunities for students to
develop their knowledge of the Italian language and culture
in one of the most venerable and prestigious academic
environments in Europe. Undergraduates wishing to study
humanities and social sciences may enroll for the fall or
spring semesters or for the full academic year. Students who
enroll for the full year or for the spring semester and who
have at least an intermediate knowledge of Italian will
complete two regular university courses at the
Università di Bologna, as well as take courses in
language and Italian studies offered by the program. The
program accepts no more than 45 students from consortium
institutions and from other colleges and universities.
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