WFQS 122 - Queer Italian American Media

Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)

(Same as ITAL 122 and MEDS 122) Representations of Italian Americans are ubiquitous in American media, from the mafia patriarch, to the family-obsessed nonna, these archetypal tropes have trained audiences to understand Italian Americanism in terms of exaggerated heteorsexuality. This course looks for characters and narratives that push back against those norms, creating cracks in the foundation for other modes of embodiment. We look at movies and popular TV shows that play with the archetypes, like The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, where the hypermachismo of the blue collar greaser takes the form of a proud gay man; or Younger, where the lasagna loving zia is an out lesbian. We study the parallels between the mobster and queer in The Sopranos and Alto, and we read first-hand accounts from queer Italian Americans working in the media about what representation and the lack thereof has meant to them. This short course introduces students to the interconnected fields of media, film, gender and Italian studies. Sole Anatrone.

First six-week course.

Two 75-minute periods accompanied by film screenings.

Course Format: CLS