Italian
Associate Professor A. MINERVINI; Visiting Instructor K. SCRIBONI
Students with previous knowledge of Italian are invited to contact Dr. Amanda Minervini for placement into the most appropriate language level.
Major Requirements
NEW MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
New Requirement: 9 credits past Intermediate Italian 1
THE ITALIAN PROGRAM OFFERS TWO MAJOR OPTIONS:
a) Italian Studies Major
b) Romance Languages Major with a Primary Focus on Italian
Option a)
To fulfill the Major in Italian Studies students must complete a total of 9 units beyond IT203, Intermediate Italian 1:
- IT204 (Intermediate Italian 2)
- IT305 or IT304 (Cultural Context and Written Practice or Cultural Context and Oral Practice) (pre-requisite for IT305 and IT304: IT204)
- 6 elective courses
- Either IT431 or IT432 (IT432 Senior Thesis is meant for students who elect to write a thesis, while IT431 Research Methods is meant for students who elect not to write a thesis).
All courses taken outside the Italian Program must be directly relevant to Italian cultures and selected in consultation with advisor.
The Italian Program warmly encourages students to study abroad: options include a single block or half semester in Italy offered by the Italian Program; a semester in Italy offered by an affiliated program. As a general rule, only two courses from an unaffiliated program will be accepted into the major, unless the plan is previously discussed with the Program Director.
Transferring students should contact the department before taking any language or literature course to determine if any transfer credit fulfills major requirements.
Option b)
Romance Languages (Italian Major; second language focus in French, Spanish, or Portuguese), 9 units:
- 3 required courses beyond Intermediate Italian 1: IT204, IT305 (pre-requisite IT204) or IT304 (pre-requisite IT204), and either IT431 or IT432 (IT432 for those students who elect to write a thesis; IT431 students who elect not to write a thesis).
- 2 Italian courses from 309, 315, 316, 320, 321 (IT320 can be taken multiple times, as long as the content of the course is different).
Courses for second language focus in FRENCH:
- FR305 and two French or Francophone culture or literature courses.
- Elementary or more advanced Spanish, Portuguese, or Latin.
Courses for the second language focus in SPANISH:
- SP305 or SP312, and two Spanish culture or literature courses.
- Elementary or more advanced French, Portuguese, or Latin.
Courses for the second language focus in PORTUGUESE:
- PG305 and two additional culture or literature courses
- Elementary or more advanced French, Spanish or Latin.
TOTAL: 9 units
Minor Requirements
Italian Language Minor (6 units no pre-requisites)
Students without previous knowledge of Italian must complete 6 units. Required courses include: IT103, 104, 203, 204,and two additional courses at the 300-level, with at least one unit of 304 or 305 highly recommended. Topics courses may be taken repeatedly provided that the topic is different. Students who initially place at the 300 level must complete four CC Italian courses at the 300 level. College transfer credit will be accepted, but at least three 300-level Italian courses must be completed at ϳԹ. Only one unit from a non-CC program will be accpted into the minor.
Courses
Italian
A preliminary introduction to Italian language and culture for students with no previous Italian language experience
A preliminary introduction to Italian language and culture for students with no previous Italian language experience.
Introduction to Italian language and culture, with emphasis on the acquisition of basic oral and written proficiency in order to communicate effectively and accurately in everyday life situations Meets the Language Requirement requirement.
IT104 Elementary Italian II. This course is designed to build on skills acquired in IT101. Students will continue to develop basic oral and written proficiency in order to communicate effectively and accurately in everyday life situations. Prerequisite: IT103 or COI. (We strongly recommend that students take 104 within 8 blocks of 101.) 1 unit Meets the Language Requirement requirement.
Intensive Communication Practice for Travel, Work and Study in Italy. This half-block course is open to all students interested in significantly improving their Italian communication skills and is particularly useful to those wishing to spend time in Italy in the near future – whether as part of their travelling, working or studying plans. This class uses a communicative approach with the aim for students to achieve a good level of fluency in Italian as well as to learn more about Italy’s culture. Upon completion of the course, students will have acquired the necessary tools to express themselves in a wide range of situations, making it easier for them to deal with everyday life in Italy. No prior language knowledge is required. (Not offered 2024-25).
Meets the Language Requirement requirement. (Summer only 2024-25).
This course is open to students interested in Renaissance music and Italian culture. “The Renaissance Banchetto”, a center of wealth and power, included theatrical and musical performances, and is the perfect setting to teach music and history. Upon completion of the course, students will have acquired an understanding and an appreciation of the Italian Renaissance with the festive and sinister undercurrents of the banchetto! (Not offered 2024-25).
A half-block course involving both cultural and practical knowledge of regional cooking in contemporary Italy with special attention to the cuisine resulting from the new encounters of the traditional regional cooking (itself the result of historical cultural exchanges) with contemporary migrant cultures.
This course is intended for students on a CC study abroad program. Students will test and move into the appropriate level/course once they arrive at the host institution. (Not offered 2024-25).
A lower-level maintenance course for students who plan to continue their study of Italian. Review of grammar with supervised oral practice.
A lower-level maintenance course for students who plan to continue their study of Italian. Review of grammar with supervised oral practice.
This course is designed to build on the communication skills acquired in elementary Italian courses. In a simulated immersive environment enhanced with Italian texts, films, and Internet resources, students focus on developing reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills as well as increasing their knowledge and understanding of Italian cultures. Note: IT204 must also be taken in order to fulfill the language requirement for graduation or to continue into 300-level Italian courses. Meets the Language Requirement requirement.
IT204 Intermediate Italian II. This course is designed to build on the communication skills acquired in IT203. In a simulated immersive environment enhanced with Italian texts, films, and internet resources, students focus on developing reading, writing, speaking and listening skills as well as increasing their knowledge and understanding of Italian cultures. Prerequisite: Italian 203 or COI. 1 unit Meets the Language Requirement requirement.
Meets the Language Requirement requirement. (Summer only 2024-25).
This ten-day course serves as an introduction to our Italy Program. Intensive Italian grammar review and orientation in Italy. Students must complete the full semester program in order to receive credit. (Not offered 2024-25).
A maintenance course for students who have taken an intermediate or advanced level Italian course. Significant supervised conversation, reading and writing practice.
A maintenance course for students who have taken an intermediate or advanced level Italian course. Significant supervised conversation, reading and writing practice
Students develop higher levels of listening comprehension, oral competence, and communicative proficiency and acquire oral strategies of expression through the study of written and recorded cultural materials dealing with a variety of aspects, issues, and realities of the Italian speaking world. (Not offered 2024-25).
Advanced composition and conversation practice through the study of Italian literary and cultural texts Meets the Language Requirement requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).
Continues the acquisition of the Italian language and trains students in the most important methods of critical analysis through readings in different genres. (Not offered 2024-25).
Textual analysis of important literary works, including at least six authors, two genres and three historical periods. Some authors to be studied are: Dante, Pulci, Leonardo, Goldoni, Manzone, Svevo, Gozzano, Pirandello and Calvino.
(Summer only 2024-25).
The nature and evolution of Italian Literature and Culture from 1150 to the 17th century with emphasis on literary form and meaning in poetry, epic and drama. (Not offered 2024-25).
The nature and evolution of Italian Literature and Culture from the 18th century to the present day with emphasis on literary form and meaning in poetry, the novel, drama and film. (Not offered 2024-25).
Study of Italian culture, genres, art, film or literature not represented in the regular curriculum. The structure of the course is determined by the topic and the preference of the instructor. May be taught in English or Italian.
Explores the intellectual contributions of Italian thinkers to the analysis of societal transformations. Includes a variety of theoretical approaches and thematic, focuses such as: philosophy, Marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis, postcolonial studies, and the history of social movements. Taught in English with work in Italian for interested students. (Not offered 2024-25).
A course analyzing the effects of objectification and the male gaze on the cinematic representations of sexuality, romance, and queer cultures, all in the context of Italian history, politics, and biopolitics. In this class, we will focus on sexual politics, and on sexualized politics, as represented in Italian cinema, in particular by women directors (a rarity of sorts in the landscape of the Italian cinema, and beyond) and queer directors. The larger questions that will be discussed include: How is sexuality politicized? How is politics romanticized? What are the major factors, agents, and ideas that have contributed, and may continue to do so, in the making and unmaking of sexual politics in modern Italian society and how do films represent such ideas? How has the feminist movement developed, or not, in Italy? Has the so-called “male gaze” been a significantly powerful force, finding its way even into the minds of radical female directors who claim to reject it? (Not offered 2024-25).
A course focused on Dante’s Inferno, along with other major works, and how they are still valuable to the contemporary world. Dante Alighieri is mostly known for The Divine Comedy, the story of a journey through the budello of the Inferno, the enormous mountain of the Purgatorio, and the infinity of Paradiso. Through vivid images and memorable verses, the vicissitudes of the pilgrim Dante offer endless insight, and severe critiques, on virtually every aspect of Medieval culture (politics, religion, theology, love, philosophy, geography, medicine, and more). What makes Dante a literary giant, still worth reading? What did he read, which themes interested him, and why? How did he discuss them? What is the system of punishment and reward he created in The Comedy? And what would Dante write about today? Through a mix of seminar and brief lectures, we will discuss these and many more questions, relatively to The Comedy, as well as to some of Dante’s other works. Together, we will also look for contemporary references to Dante, in Italy and beyond, for instance in novels, comic books, music, theater-dance, and documentaries. Possible extra sessions for those who wish to discuss in Italian. (Not offered 2024-25).
Methods of analysis and theories of literature and culture. Training in research methodology; selection of topic for senior project, portfolio, or senior thesis; research and presentation of work in progress. (Not offered 2024-25).
Intensive writing and supervised revision of senior thesis with oral defense. (Not offered 2024-25).