BUS/ITS 260
Made in Italy: The Italian Business Environment
The course analyzes the Italian Business environment, the characteristics of its culture and its inner workings. Students will be able to understand the different types of Italian corporate cultures and the role of family businesses in Italy. The course allows students to assess some of the most popular Italian brands and learn why "made in Italy" is a leading brand in the world, despite recent influences and threats from foreign investors. Company cases and special guests will be an important part of this course and will allow students to relate theory to practice.
CMS/ITS 241
Italian Cinema
(This course carries 3 semester hours of credit.)
This course surveys films, directors, and film movements and styles in Italy from 1945 to the present. The films are examined as complex aesthetic and signifying systems with wider social and cultural relationships to post-war Italy. The role of Italian cinema as participating in the reconstitution and maintenance of post-War Italian culture and as a tool of historiographic inquiry is also investigated. Realism, modernism and post-modernism are discussed in relation to Italian cinema in particular and Italian society in general. Films are shown in the original Italian version with English subtitles.
CMS/ITS 243
Cinematic Rome
(This course carries 3 semester hours of credit.)
An analysis of the social, aesthetic, political, and rhetorical implications of cinematic representations of Rome, from silent films to the present. This course will evaluate and discuss ten primary films, along with excerpts from a number of others. We will consider five main topics: Images of Ancient Rome; Before and After World War II; "Americans" in Rome, and Rome in America; Fellini’s Rome; and Urban Angst, Roman Style. As the semester progresses, we will consider how Rome functions as a "character" in the movies, as well as how The Eternal City comprises the mise-en-scène. We will assess the artistic representations of Roman monuments and streetscapes on movie sets, as opposed to location shooting. Special attention will be given to memory construction, as well as the rhetoric of "places and spaces" (how the physical/symbolic setting influences us). In this course, students will visit cinematic landmarks in Rome and write about their experiences
CMS/ITS 244
Popular Italian Cinema
This course seeks to provide frameworks for understanding the popularity of Italian cinema, its historical and cultural development, and the variety and pleasures that the category includes. This course seeks to examine the extraordinary historical popularity of cinema in Italy, providing the scholarly tools to analyze entertainment from the beginning of the sound era to contemporary cinema and will include examples of horror, peplum, melodrama, western and commedia all’italiana. It will enable students to develop critical tools of analysis both for cinema and for cultural studies, and is designed to complement – although not overlap with – other film courses on offer in the university.
CW/ITS 358
Creative Writing Workshop: The Art of Literary Translation
(Prerequisite: EN 103 or 105 with a grade of C or above; Italian studies majors should also have completed IT 301 to take this course.)
This course aims to develop the creative, editorial, and reading habits needed for literary translation; to develop an awareness of the theories associated with the practice of translating a work of literary excellence from one language into another; to foster an aesthetic sensibility for use in literary translation. Students will read and discuss theoretical texts and will create their own translations of works by authors that will be chosen by each student. These translations will be presented to the class in a traditional workshop format, with emphasis on analysis of the difficulties posed by the chosen text(s) and a justification for the choices made in rendering the texts into English. Students will compile a portfolio of the translations they produce during the term, having become familiar with the skills and sensitivities needed to translate works of literary merit and to discern the characteristics of quality literary translation.
CW/ITS 458
Advanced Art of Literary Translation
(Prerequisites: Junior Standing and two previous Creative Writing courses with a grade of B or higher)
This advanced course aims to develop the creative, editorial, and reading habits needed for literary translation; to develop an awareness of the theories associated with the practice of translating a work of literary excellence from one language into another; to foster an aesthetic sensibility for use in literary translation. Students will read and discuss theoretical texts and will create their own translations of works by authors that will be chosen by each student. These translations will be presented to the class in a traditional workshop format, with emphasis on analysis of the difficulties posed by the chosen text(s) and a justification for the choices made in rendering the texts into English. Students will compile a portfolio of the translations they produce during the term, having become familiar with the skills and sensitivities needed to translate works of literary merit and to discern the characteristics of quality literary translation.
CW/ITS 558
Graduate Workshop in the Art of Literary Translation
ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS: Current enrollment in an accredited graduate program in Creative Writing OR, for students not currently pursuing a graduate program in creative writing but who wish to receive graduate credit, a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution (transcripts required) and assessment of a significant writing sample or previous publications. (See JCU website for application procedures)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This graduate course aims to develop the creative, editorial, and reading habits needed for literary translation; to develop an awareness of the theories associated with the practice of translating a work of literary excellence from one language into another; to foster an aesthetic sensibility for use in literary translation. Students will read and discuss theoretical texts and will create their own translations of works by authors that will be chosen by each student. These translations will be presented to the class in a traditional workshop format, with emphasis on analysis of the difficulties posed by the chosen text(s) and a justification for the choices made in rendering the texts into English. Students will compile a portfolio of the translations they produce during the term, having become familiar with the skills and sensitivities needed to translate works of literary merit and to discern the characteristics of quality literary translation.
EN/ITS 341
Modern Italian Drama in Translation
(Prerequisite: One previous course in English literature or permission of the instructor)
An in-depth study of Italian drama of the 20th century. Plays by, among others, Betti, Chiarelli, De Filippo, Fabbri, Fo, Maraini and Pirandello are analyzed with special emphasis on plot, theme, character, structure and technique. Social and existential problems of our time, as seen by the playwrights, are given particular consideration.
IT 101
Introductory Italian I
(This course carries 3 semester hours of credit.)
This course is designed to give students basic communicative ability in Italian. By presenting the language in a variety of authentic contexts, the course also seeks to provide an introduction to Italian culture and society. Students work on all four language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing.
IT 102
Introductory Italian II
(This course carries 3 semester hours of credit. Prerequisite: Placement or IT 101(As of Fall 2022: Placement or IT 101 with a grade of C or above))
A continuation of IT101. This course aims at developing and reinforcing the language skills acquired in Introductory Italian I, while placing special emphasis on oral communication.
IT 103
Intensive Italian I
(This course, which is the equivalent of IT 101 + IT 102, carries 6 semester hours of credit.)
This course meets four times per week and covers the equivalent of a full year of elementary language study (Introductory Italian I and II) in one semester. Designed for highly motivated students who wish to develop communicative ability in Italian in a relatively short time. This course cannot be taken by students who have already completed IT 101 and/or IT 102.
IT 201
Intermediate Italian I
(Prerequisite: Placement, IT 102, or IT 103 (As of Fall 2022: Placement or IT 102 with a grade of C or above))
A continuation of IT 102. This course focuses on consolidating the student’s ability to use Italian effectively. Emphasis is given to grammar review and vocabulary expansion. Selected readings and films acquaint students with contemporary Italy.
IT 202
Intermediate Italian II
(Prerequisite: Placement or IT 201 (As of Fall 2022: Placement or IT 201 with a grade of C or above))
A continuation of IT 201. While continuing the review of grammar, the course emphasizes the development of reading and composition skills. Short stories, newspaper articles, and films supplement the textbook.
IT 203
Intensive Italian II
(This course, which is the equivalent of 201 + 202, carries 6 semester hours of credit. Prerequisite: Placement, IT 102 or IT 103)
This course meets four times per week and covers the equivalent of a full year of intermediate language study (IT 201 and IT 202) in one semester. Designed for highly motivated students who wish to consolidate language skills in a short time. This course cannot be taken by students who have already completed IT 201 and/or IT 202.
IT 250
Italian Language Through Italian Songs
(Prerequisite: Placement or IT 202 or permission of the instructor)
Open to students who have reached the 202 proficiency level in Italian, this course is designed to develop listening and oral skills as well as to consolidate Italian grammar through the study of popular Italian songs. Research demonstrates, in fact, the high efficacy of music in the learning process of a second language; neurologists have found that musical and language processing occur in the same area of the brain, and there appear to be parallels in how musical and linguistic syntax are processed. Popular Italian songs will serve as a starting point for expanding vocabulary, learning idiomatic expressions, reviewing grammar, and practicing pronunciation. In addition, the themes proposed in the songs will provide topics for class discussion.
IT 281/381
Independent Study
IT 301
Advanced Italian I
(Prerequisite: Placement or IT 202 or permission of the instructor (As of Fall 2022: Placement or IT 202 with a grade of C or above or permission by the Instructor))
This course is designed to move students forward toward advanced proficiency in Italian language. The course will reinforce students’ oral, writing, listening, and reading skills, while refining grammar structures studied in previous levels. Contemporary literary and journalistic texts, films and film excerpts, newspaper articles and other multimedia materials will acquaint students with central elements of Italian culture and traditions, while individual and group activities drawn from real-life contexts will give them the opportunity to integrate their knowledge and skills through experience.
IT 302
Advanced Italian II
(Prerequisite: Placement or IT 301 or permission of the instructor (As of Fall 2022: Placement or IT 301 with a grade of C or above or permission by the instructor))
A continuation of IT 301, this course aims to refine and consolidate a high level of fluency in Italian, while deepening students’ understanding of the language’s cultural and intercultural components. By combining the academic study of advanced-level texts and audiovisual materials with a direct interaction with the Roman and Italian cultural and social environment, the course will acquaint students with a wide range of tools and skills to elaborate appropriate oral and written forms of expression according to context, showing a well-refined awareness of cultural differences and intercultural encounters.
IT 307
Italian Language and Gender
(Placement or IT 301 with a grade of C or above or permission by the instructor)
The course focuses on an advanced study of Italian language from a gender perspective. It aims to consolidate the language structures previously acquired as well as apprehend both the sociocultural implications of language, and how the use of language contributes in creating and recreating ideologies. Through exposure to a broad range of texts, students will be involved in the current heated debate concerning the revision of the Italian language in a gender-inclusivity and diversity key.
IT 308
Introduction to Professional Translation
(Prerequisites: Placement or IT 301 or permission of the instructor; EN 110)
This course is designed to introduce students to the world of professional translation. Though it will cover some of the fundamental theoretical concepts of translation, the focus will be on teaching practical translation skills and processes. The course will concentrate mainly on translating from Italian to English, but also vice versa, depending on student enrollment. The aim of the course is to enable participants to produce translations that reflect grammatical accuracy, a command of idiomatic language, cultural sensitivity, and appropriate register and tone. This course is designed for both advanced non-native speakers of Italian as well as native speakers who are interested in developing their translation skills. The IT 301 prerequisite does not apply to native speakers of Italian.
IT 309
Italian Language Through Literature
(Prerequisite: Placement or IT 302 or permission of the instructor)
This course investigates the main linguistic transformations of the Italian language during the last century through the language of literature. A selection of some representative short stories from the 1930s to the present day will be studied. The purpose is to analyze different narrative and rhetorical techniques, to follow the progressive definition of the linguistic standard, and to identify the influence of the spoken language on written Italian. After careful reading, students will explore these stories in class discussions on the writer’s technique, style, and ideas, through the analysis of characters, plots, and the large variety of themes and structures used.
IT 310
Elements of Italian Literature
(Prerequisite: IT 302 or permission of the instructor)
The course will introduce students to the study of Italian literature; it is designed for those students who have reached 300-level proficiency in Italian language and also functions as a preparatory course for those who wish to study Italian literature at higher levels. The first part of the course focuses on a preliminary explanation of basic literary terminology and teaches students to recognize codes and genres in a limited selection of Italian literary texts. In the second part of the course, students will read samples from significant works of Italian literature in conjunction with selected passages from the canon of Italian literary criticism. They will practice their critical and writing skills by applying the concepts learned during the course to the analysis and reading of the literary texts under consideration. At an introductory level, students will begin to appreciate the difference between commentary and criticism and between both historical and formal approaches to the study of Italian literature.
IT 317
Roots of Italian Identities
(Prerequisites: IT 302 or permission of the instructor)
This course aims to give an insight into the linguistic, cultural and sociological complexity of the ‘notion of Italy.’ The topics studied, based primarily on literary texts, include some of the major themes of Italian culture as well as examples of the various ‘identities’ that Italy offers today: the question of political and cultural unity and the long-lasting question of a common national language; the role played by Italian intellectuals in the construction of Italy as a nation; the Mafia and the institution of family-based structures; the Italian literary canon and the contemporary ideas of culture and literature. The course is in Italian.
IT 319
The Image of Rome in Italian Literature and Cinema
(Prerequisite: Placement, IT 302 or permission of the instructor)
This course, which is held in Italian, explores the image of Rome in Italian twentieth century literature and cinema. Literary and cinematic representations not only mirror in different ways the actual geographical, social, and cultural landscape of a city, but they also participate in shaping its identity and its self-representation. The course aims at providing students with critical keys to understanding this multilayered relationship in its different expressions.
IT 320
Critical Study of Early Italian Literature
(Prerequisite: Placement, IT 302 or permission of the instructor)
The course will introduce students to early Italian literature, focusing on a selection of the main authors, works, and literary trends from the 13th to the 18th century. The approach takes into account historical, philosophical and political contexts, positioning literary works in their cultural context in order to provide the student with the instruments for a critical understanding of the dominant literary themes. Emphasis will be placed on the formation of literary genres and the dominance of poetry, as well as the development of the Italian language. The course will focus on the role of the classical tradition and the church on the development of the literary tradition, and the interaction of literature with figurative art, music and philosophy. Attention will also be given to the representation and presence of women in Italian literature. Students will practice close reading of the texts, reference secondary sources both in Italian and English, and develop skills of textual and critical analysis.
IT 321
Critical Study of Modern and Contemporary Italian Literature
(Prerequisite: Placement, IT 302 or permission of the instructor)
This course aims to provide a critical understanding of the main trends in modern and contemporary Italian literature. Topics include, but are not limited to, cultural and ideological implications of the Italian literary canon; the long-lasting elitist conception of literature descended from the linguistic and literary history of Italy; the long exclusion of women writers from anthologies and literary histories; the demise of the twentieth-century figure of the writer as intellectual and the rise of a more pop-culture-open notion of literary writing.
IT 322
Sociolinguistics: A Changing Language In a Changing Society
(Prerequisite: IT 302)
This course aims to analyze the interrelation between language and society in contemporary Italy. If we can say that Italian is the national language of Italy, it is not realistic to say that all Italians have always spoken just Italian or the same Italian. The history of the Italian language, in fact, shows how the process of it becoming the unitary language has been slow and how language still varies in time, social, situational and geographic space. The course will try to give an up to date account of linguistic diversity, social variation, special codes and language varieties in the Italian society and in the context of linguistic interaction between Italian and dialect, and between Italian and English within Italy. The course will be conducted entirely in Italian.
IT 335
Twentieth Century Italian Women Writers
(Prerequisite: Placement or IT 302 or permission of the instructor)
This course will deal with the writings of Italian women writers (Aleramo, Deledda, Morante, Ginzburg, Banti, etc) of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Their contribution has been crucial in the shaping of a recognizable, but still not fully acknowledged, "tradition" of women writers in Italy. Through the particular perspectives of distinguished Italian women writers, the course will explore versions of “feminine writing” and will introduce gender- and genre-related issues. Class discussion and assignments will examine themes such as the construction of female identity and the role played by women’s writings in the context of social and political emancipation for women in Italy. All work will be in Italian.
IT 349
The Divine Comedy
(Prerequisite: One previous course in Italian literature or permission of the instructor)
This course introduces the students to the Divine Comedy through a close reading of selected cantos of the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The most relevant themes and the complex structure of the poem will be studied and analysed in relationship to its political, philosophical, historical, and poetic implications.
IT 398
Internship: Italian Studies Field
The For Credit (FC) Internship course combines academic learning with a short-term (part-time with a minimum of 150 hours) internship. Field experience allows participants to combine academic learning with hands-on work experience. For-Credit internships are unpaid. The organization or firm must be sponsored by the JCU Career Services Center (CSC). After being selected for an internship and having the CSC verify the course requirements are met, the intern may enroll in the Internship course corresponding to the academic discipline of interest. Course requirements include attending the internship class which will is scheduled for 20 in-class hours over the semester or summer session, verification of the minimum number of hours worked in the internship by the CSC; completion of a daily internship log; in-depth interview with the internship sponsor or organization; and a 2500 to 3500 word “White Paper” presenting a position or solution to a problem encountered by their employer. This course is graded on a “pass/no pass” basis. During the Fall and Spring semesters the course will begin the 3rd week of classes; in Summer it begins the 1st week of classes and ends at end of the Summer II Mini session. Students will determine with the Registrar’s Office or their Advisor which semester corresponds most closely with the timing of their internship. This course may be taken only once for academic credit.
IT 399
Special Topics in Italian Literature
(Prerequisite: One previous course in Italian literature or permission of the instructor)
An in-depth treatment of an area of concern within the field of Italian literature. Topics may vary.
May be taken more than once for credit with different topics.
IT 401
Advanced Writing
(Prerequisite: IT 302)
This course, which is conducted in Italian, aims at improving students’ ability to write texts of different types and levels of specialization, focusing on academic and professional purposes. The course has both theoretical and practical components aimed at familiarizing students with the cultural and formal elements that make texts effective, convincing and articulate.
IT 480
Senior Thesis
(Prerequisite: Senior Standing)
Thesis supervision for Italian Studies majors in their final year.
IT/BUS 303
Italian for Business
(Prerequisite: IT 302, FIN 201 or permission of the instructor)
This course, which is open to students who have completed the equivalent of two years of college Italian, is designed for those interested in doing business with or in Italy. It focuses on the Italian language of business, aiming at developing students’ written and oral skills while providing them with the technical vocabulary and professional expressions that are most often used in a variety of business situations. Topics are confronted in several ways: through readings from textbooks used in business schools, the analysis of letters, office documents and newspaper articles about business, and targeted exercises and discussions. Attention is also given to culture, manners, and customs as they relate to business practices.
IT/BUS 303
Italian for Business
(Prerequisites: IT 302 and FIN 201 or permission of the instructor)
This course, which is open to students who have completed the equivalent of two years of college Italian, is designed for those interested in doing business with or in Italy. It focuses on the Italian language of business, aiming at developing students’ written and oral skills while providing them with the technical vocabulary and professional expressions that are most often used in a variety of business situations. Topics are confronted in several ways: through readings from textbooks used in business schools, the analysis of letters, office documents, and newspaper articles about business, and targeted exercises and discussions. Attention is also given to culture, manners, and customs as they relate to business practices.
IT/GDR 335
Twentieth Century Italian Women Writers
(Prerequisite: Placement or IT 302 or permission of the instructor)
This course will deal with the writings of Italian women writers
(Aleramo, Deledda, Morante, Ginzburg, Banti, etc) of the late nineteenth
and twentieth centuries. Their contribution has been crucial in the
shaping of a recognizable, but still not fully acknowledged, "tradition"
of women writers in Italy. Through the particular perspectives of
distinguished Italian women writers, the course will explore versions of
“feminine writing” and will introduce gender- and genre-related issues.
Class discussion and assignments will examine themes such as the
construction of female identity and the role played by women’s writings
in the context of social and political emancipation for women in Italy.
All work will be in Italian.
ITS 244
Stardom and Celebrities in Italy
This course examines stardom in Italy, exploring its relevance and roles in the development of Italian national identities and the country’s collective imaginary. Drawing on examples from modern and contemporary media history, the course investigates such themes as fame, fandom, charisma, sex and gender, soft power, the construction of authenticity, and celebrity industries by focusing on case studies of single personalities commonly recognized as global stars. In doing so, the course aims at providing another perspective from which we can understand Italy’s culture and the making of public opinion in it. In exploring the worldwide appeal of Italian stars and their marketing as “brands”, it also provides further context for understanding what is internationally known as ‘Made in Italy’.
ITS 291
Language, Culture, and Italian Identities
This course aims to give an insight into the linguistic, cultural and sociological complexity of the ‘notion of Italy’. The topics studied, based primarily on literary texts but also taking into consideration other areas such as contemporary history, social studies and art history, include some of the major themes of Italian culture as well as examples of the various ‘identities’ that Italy offers today: the role played by Italian intellectuals in the construction of Italy as a nation, the long-lasting question of language, as well as the question of political and cultural unity, the Mafia and the institution of family-based structures, the Italian literary canon and the contemporary ideas of culture and literature.
ITS 292
Contemporary Italian Narrative in Translation
(Prerequisite: EN 110 with a grade of C or above. *This class can substitute for one of the two EN LIT general distribution required courses. The other EN LIT course must have the EN prefix*)
This course is based on the analysis of excerpts from eight Italian novels that highlight the development of this genre in the twentieth century. Each student will also read one novel in its entirety. Through lectures and class discussions, emphasis will be placed on the author's social and political concerns and her or his role as writer and intellectual in Italian society. Students will also develop the ability to analyze literary texts according to language, style and content, and will be encouraged to participate in class discussions about the texts. In order to provide insight into the novels, as well as to stimulate classroom debate and discussion, the texts will be supplemented with selected background information, scholarly criticism, and visual media.
ITS 299
Special Topics in Italian Studies
(Prerequisite: EN 110 with a grade of C or above)
An in-depth treatment of an area of concern within the field of Italian Studies. Topics may vary.
May be taken more than once for credit with different topics.
ITS 350
Dante's Inferno in Art, Literature and Film
(Prerequisite: EN 110 with a grade of C or above)
This course undertakes an interdisciplinary reading of the Dante's Inferno from the perspectives of comparative literature, the history of art, music, and the history of cinema. Selected primary sources from across the fine arts over seven centuries of reception include architectural (Palacio Barolo, Terraglia’s ‘Danteum”) literary (from Chaucer to Heaney) visual (from medieval mss. to Blake to Rauschenberg to Greenaway), musical (Franz Liszt, Puccini) and sculptural (Rodin, etc.) "interpretations."
ITS 460
Research and Writing in Italian Studies
(Prerequisites: Senior Standing or Permission of the Instructor)
Italian Studies is an interdisciplinary field that covers the study of the Italian language, literature, art, history, politics, culture, and society. ITS 460 provides students with an overall understanding of the methodology, critical issues, and research techniques employed in the field, in preparation for the senior thesis. It explores various approaches to studying Italian literature, language, society, and culture, and equips students with the necessary skills to conduct independent research in the discipline. Through a combination of theoretical discussions, practical exercises, and case studies, students will learn how to formulate research questions, locate, and evaluate primary and secondary sources, analyze textual and visual materials, and present their findings effectively both orally and in writing.
ITS/CMS 322
Italian Media and Popular Culture
This course will introduce students to contemporary Italian media and popular cultures. The course has a thematic approach and applies the analytical theories of critical cultural studies. Students will be exposed to development of various media forms as they have been shaped by and their impact on Italian culture and society. The press, film, radio, television, popular music, comics and graphic arts, sports and digital networks will be investigated from a variety of angles with particular attention on the media’s role in the construction of collective identities, the role of power and capital in shaping national identity, media use by social movements, the question of representation, popular protest and subcultural and subaltern expressions within the national space. Italy’s role within the global media economy will also be investigated.
ITS/CMS 322
Italian Media and Popular Culture
This course will introduce students to contemporary Italian media and popular cultures. The course has a thematic approach and applies the analytical theories of critical cultural studies. Students will be exposed to development of various media forms as they have been shaped by and their impact on Italian culture and society. The press, film, radio, television, popular music, comics and graphic arts, sports and digital networks will be investigated from a variety of angles with particular attention on the media’s role in the construction of collective identities, the role of power and capital in shaping national identity, media use by social movements, the question of representation, popular protest and subcultural and subaltern expressions within the national space. Italy’s role within the global media economy will also be investigated.
ITS/EN 295
Dante's Divine Comedy
(Prerequisite: EN 110 with a grade of C or above *This class can substitute for one of the two EN LIT general distribution required courses. The other EN LIT course must have the EN prefix*)
The course is an introduction to a critical reading of Dante’s Divine Comedy in its historical, philosophical, religious, and poetic contexts. Readings of Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise seek to identify Dante’s stylistic and thematic contributions to the literary world as well as to understand their relationship with medieval politics, philosophy, and culture. This course is taught in English.
ITS/GDR 335
Twentieth Century Italian Women Writers
(Prerequisite: Placement or IT 302 or permission of the instructor)
This course will deal with the writings of Italian women writers (Aleramo, Deledda, Morante, Ginzburg, Banti, etc) of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Their contribution has been crucial in the shaping of a recognizable, but still not fully acknowledged, "tradition" of women writers in Italy. Through the particular perspectives of distinguished Italian women writers, the course will explore versions of “feminine writing” and will introduce gender- and genre-related issues. Class discussion and assignments will examine themes such as the construction of female identity and the role played by women’s writings in the context of social and political emancipation for women in Italy. All work will be in Italian.
ITS/GDR 335
Twentieth Century Italian Women Writers
(Prerequisite: Placement or IT 302 or permission of the instructor)
This course will deal with the writings of Italian women writers (Aleramo, Deledda, Morante, Ginzburg, Banti, etc) of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Their contribution has been crucial in the shaping of a recognizable, but still not fully acknowledged, "tradition" of women writers in Italy. Through the particular perspectives of distinguished Italian women writers, the course will explore versions of “feminine writing” and will introduce gender- and genre-related issues. Class discussion and assignments will examine themes such as the construction of female identity and the role played by women’s writings in the context of social and political emancipation for women in Italy. All work will be in Italian.
ITS/MUS 293
Italian Music: A Modern Cultural History
This course will introduce students to Italian music from a social and cultural perspective. The course has a twofold approach: the first part explores the historical developments from national unification to date; the second part has a thematic approach and highlights a few emergent topics within critical cultural studies, at the intersection between Italian and popular music studies. Starting from the assumption that music is able to unveil many aspects of the present society by representing them in unprecedented forms, the aim of the course is that of presenting another perspective on Italy, in order to enlarge its understanding. The central role played by music in contributing to shape national character is tested through a constant comparison with other musical cultures and connections with other media and art forms (cinema, television, radio).
SOSC/ITS 220
Italian Food Culture
Italy's deep-rooted network of local food knowledge is an excellent example for students to understand what food culture is, how food scenarios changed with industrialization, and how they are evolving further today. This course presents students with the basic tools necessary for better understanding Italian food culture. Its broad perspective encompasses traditional farming and processing techniques, the industrial and global food economy and changing consumption habits. Its anthropological approach draws from classical and modern writing. Italy is world-famous for its produce diversity and vibrant peasant traditions. By exploring the complex set of influences forming the Italian food culture, students will acquire an analytical approach enabling them to read through the other "foodscapes" that they encounter in their home country or abroad, and eventually choose, value and embrace career paths into the food sector. Even apparently simple, everyday food staples contain layers of significance connecting to the following topics: the peculiar man-nature relationship needed for their production; preserving and cooking techniques; the influences from foreign cooking philosophies and/or crops; the pressure of the global market; and the type of socialization involved during the meal.
SOSC/ITS 225
Sociology of Southern Italy
This course will examine the Italian Mezzogiorno starting with this paradox – the reality of a society often engaged in rapid social change but one where change itself often appears impossible. We will look at the modern history of the region briefly, moving on to major themes and questions concerning how the Italian South has developed since the Unification of Italy and especially in recent decades. Issues to be studied include underdevelopment, modernization, social capital and civic spirit or the lack of it, the argument that the South is characterized by “amoral community”, the whys and hows of the great emigration of the last century, the land reforms after World War II, the attempt to overcome the region’s underdevelopment with the Fund for the Mezzogiorno, the issue of clientelist and corrupt politics, organized crime including the Sicilian Mafia, the Neapolitan Camorra, and the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, the anti-Mafia movement, the current crisis of waste removal in Naples and its causes, the changing role of women in Southern society and others.
SOSC/ITS 226
Rome: Modern City (On-site)
This on-site course, which will be conducted in English, aims to introduce students to a sociological analysis of contemporary Rome. It focuses on the changes which are occurring in the city’s populations, its neighborhoods and patterns of daily life and commerce, and challenges conventional images of what it is to be a Roman today. On-site classes will be held in a variety of neighborhoods in the city in order to analyze the area’s role as a social entity and its relationship with the wider urban context. We will examine the issues and problems facing Rome today, such as housing, degradation and renewal, environmental questions, transportation, multiculturalism, wealth and poverty, social conflict and political identities. These issues will be contextualized within theories of urban sociology and also within an explanation of Rome’s urban development over the centuries and, in particular, since it became the national capital in 1870. Through readings, film clips, interviews and guest speakers, students will also analyze the way the city is narrated by some of its residents.
SOSC/ITS 250
Contemporary Italian Society
This course introduces students to the complexities of contemporary Italian society, taking a primarily ‘bottom-up’ social science approach by examining a wide variety of contexts and exploring the ways in which Italians express, negotiate and transform their cultural and social identities. By drawing on a growing body of anthropological and sociological research, it provides students with the tools to question rigid and dated assumptions about Italian social life and enables them to analyze its multifaceted, dynamic and often contradictory forms and practices, focusing primarily on the last two decades. Students are first introduced to key theoretical and methodological approaches in the sociological and anthropological study of contemporary Italy. We then examine local identities in urban contexts, how families and gender roles are transforming, and the pressures produced by the current economic crisis, as well as exploring why increasing numbers of Italians are returning to rural livelihoods. Next, we discuss life in the Italian work-place and the effects that de-industrialization, technological development and precarious work contracts are having on professional and class identities. We analyze the rising appeal of populist and ‘anti-political’ discourses and figures and then focus on how Italy’s strong civic movements are struggling to improve social life ‘from below’. Among the issues tackled are ones traditionally relegated to the private domain, such as disabilities and sexual identities. Lastly, we examine how migration is changing social and cultural life as the country becomes increasingly multiethnic, how religious (and secular) identities are expressed, and the effects that Italy’s dramatic brain-drain is having within the country.
SOSC/ITS 299
Special Topics in Social Sciences and Italian Studies
SOSC/ITS 380
Researching Rome: Fieldwork in the City of Rome
(Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites but it is strongly recommended that students have a background in contemporary Italian studies or anthropology/sociology/urban studies.)
This course guides students interested in executing an independent fieldwork project in the city of Rome. As a unique global city, Rome’s contemporary social, economic and political realities provide a fascinating context for observing and analyzing the production of culture, social and political change, and practices of everyday life. This seminar-style course guides students through the four main phases of their independent research project, helping them to: a) select a manageable and realistic case-study for their research, b) identify and interpret relevant theoretical and empirical literature, c) choose the most appropriate techniques of fieldwork observation, data collection and recording, and apply them in a rigorous, ethical and reflexive manner in the city of Rome, d) create a sophisticated written and visual report of their research findings and conclusions. Students will present their final projects to the JCU community during the last week of the semester.
In addition to each student's independent project, the class visits a number of Roman neighborhoods to apply theories and observation techniques learned throughout the course.
