Italian Program Courses
Spring 2024 OfferingsFall 2023 Offerings Summer 2023 Offerings Course Info on SIS Archives
Course Descriptions
The list below includes descriptions of all undergraduate and graduate courses offered by the Italian Program.
Review specific course requirements for a BA in Italian Studies or Minor in Italian. For up-to-date information on course offerings, schedules, room locations and registration, please visit the Student Information System (SIS).
ITAL 0001 Elementary Italian I. Development of basic language skills. This course introduces to fundamental grammar structures and vocabulary through speaking, listening activities, and short writing assignments. Italian culture presented through short readings, video clips and films. Conducted in Italian. No prerequisites.
ITAL 0002 Elementary Italian II. A continuation of Italian 001. Advances the study of basic grammar and vocabulary. Readings and films will provide the cultural context for class activities, oral presentations, and compositions. Conducted in Italian. Recommendations: Italian 001 or consent.
ITAL 0003 Intermediate Italian I. This course continues the study of grammar and vocabulary and presents a more in-depth examination/analysis of previously studied structures. Italian culture presented through short authentic readings on cultural, social and literary topics, and the viewing of an epic film in episodes. Culture-based class discussions and activities. Conducted in Italian. Prerequisite: Italian 002 or consent. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40-minute conversation group.
ITAL 0004 Intermediate Italian II. Review of grammar and syntax with emphasis on more advanced structural principles. Reading of a novel in Italian as well as other selected texts, and the viewing of four films on contemporary Italian history and society will form the basis for class discussion and activities. Conducted in Italian. Recommendations: Italian 003 or consent.
ITAL 0010 Conversational Elementary Italian. Elementary Italian with a functional and situational approach. Emphasis on listening, speaking, and building basic vocabulary and idioms in practical situations with particular attention to social norms and habits to promote cross-cultural awareness. Conducted in Italian. Does not satisfy any part of the Foreign Language/Culture requirement.
ITAL 0011 Intensive Elementary Italian. Combines ITAL 1 and 2 into one semester and aims to develop skills in speaking, oral and reading comprehension, writing, and the fundamentals of grammar. Offered in the fall semester, this course allows students to continue with second-year Italian in the Spring semester to complete the basic language requirement in one year. Especially recommended for students who want to progress faster and for those who intend to spend their junior year or a semester abroad. Conducted in Italian. Meets six times a week.
ITAL 0021 Composition And Conversation I. An introduction to contemporary Italian culture, history, and society. Specific topics of current interest (immigration, youth and women's voices, civil rights, and the national character) will be studied through films, narrative, and the integral reading of a novel. Emphasis on expanding vocabulary, reviewing advanced grammatical structures, improving and refining analytical, interpretive, and presentational skills. Class discussions, oral presentations, writing assignments, biweekly tests, and a final project. Conducted in Italian. Prerequisite: Italian 004 or equivalent, or consent. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of alternating 50-minute Tandem project sessions with students in Italy and other online-based activities.
ITAL 0022 Composition And Conversation II. Focus on aspects of Italian culture, history, and social issues from the Risorgimento, that led to the Unification of Italy in 1861, to the Resistenza against Fascism, the reconstruction in the 1950s, the industrial boom in the 1960s, the growing power of the mafia, youth and women’s liberation movements as well as domestic terrorism in the 1970s. Reading of one novel, and selected articles; emphasis on expanding vocabulary, viewing of films, reviewing advanced grammatical structures, through essays and a final project. Conducted in Italian. Prerequisite: Italian 0004 or 0021, or consent. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of 50-minute Tandem project sessions with students in Italy.
ITAL 0031 Medieval and Early Modern Italian Literature. Italian literature from the Middle Ages to the 17th centuries, with emphasis on significant literary currents including the “Scuola Siciliana,” “Dolce Stil Novo,” "Humanism, the Renaissance," and "The Counter/Reformation." Recommendations: Italian 0021 or 0022, or consent.
ITAL 0032 Modern Italian Literature: From Enlightenment to 20th Century. An introduction to Italian Literature from the eighteenth to the twentieth century, with emphasis on significant literary currents. Texts by representative authors of different genres will be examined. The course is intended to improve analytical skills and strengthen oral and written critical expression. Two short papers, oral presentations, two exams, and one final research paper. Conducted in Italian. Prerequisite: Italian 21 or 22, or consent. Counts towards the Major in Italian Studies, the Minor in Italian, the Italian Culture Option, the Distribution Requirements for Humanities, and the International Relations Culture Core Requirement (TC1A). Reading Packet: available at Gnomon Copy.
ITAL 0051 Dante's Inferno. Reading in prose translation (with facing Italian text), we shall follow Dante's voyage through the eternal kingdom of the damned. Major themes include the interplay of human time and cosmic time; of freedom and character; of history, ethics, and politics. We shall also see how such artists as Giovanni di Paolo, Botticelli, Blake, Flaxman, and Doré have rendered Dante's experiences visually. Class discussions; three exams. Occasional outside readings, including Dante's Vita Nuova, the tale of his new life in love. Counts toward the Major in Italian Studies, the Minor in Italian, the Italian Culture Option, the Interdisciplinary Minor in Medieval Studies, and the International Relations Major; fulfills the Related Field requirement in the French Major, and the Humanities or the Social Science requirement for Engineers. No prerequisites. Taught in English.
ITAL 0052 Dante's Purgatorio And Paradiso. An intensive study of Dante's Purgatorio and Paradiso, read in English translation with facing Italian text. No prerequisites.
ITAL 0053 The Great Seduction: Italy’s Beauty, Genius, and Madness. Introduction to Italy’s cuisine, art, design, and organized crime system, and the profound influence they had in defining Italy’s national identity, economy, and social patterns. Emphasis on Italy’s innate love of beauty and food and on the way the country transformed this love into Italian businesses with a global reach. Analysis of the deep and lasting impact of the Mafia on some of Italy’s world-renowned industries and the country at large. One lecture and one field trip. Taught in English.
ITAL 0055 The Rinascimento. Major writers of the Italian Renaissance--Petrarca, Boccaccio, Castiglione, Ariosto, Machiavelli, Tasso, Cellini, and Michelangelo--studied in English translation.
ITAL 0057 The Great Seduction: Italy’s Beauty, Genius, and Madness. Introduction to Italy’s cuisine, art, design, and organized crime system, and the profound influence they had in defining Italy’s national identity, economy, and social patterns. Emphasis on Italy’s innate love of beauty and food and on the way the country transformed this love into Italian businesses with a global reach. Analysis of the deep and lasting impact of the Mafia on some of Italy’s world-renowned industries and the country at large. One lecture and one field trip. Taught in English.
ITAL 0072 Arte Povera and Post-WWII Sculpture. (Cross-listed as VISC 130) In 1967, critic Germano Celant coined the phrase "Arte Povera". Such label defined the unsystematic work of a group of contemporary Italian artists that were interested in simple materials and their physical and chemical transformations. The word “povera”, literally “poor”, also meant to criticize Pop Art, interpreted as an acceptance of consumerism. Mainly through sculpture, installation, and performance, Arte Povera offered an alternative to the traditional mediums of Classical and Renaissance art. The class will analyze Arte Povera's history, reception, and context by considering theoretical, cultural, social, political, and gender issues in 1960s and 1970s Italy. The diverse perspectives of select Italian and English speaking scholars will be taken into account.
ITAL 0075 Italian Film. (Cross-listed as FMS 77.) An excursion through the works of actresses who have made the history of Italian cinema from World War II to the 1980's. The construction of divas and antidivas will be explored in films by directors such as Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Federico Fellini. Lectures, readings, and class discussions will enable students to spot different directorial and acting styles. Examination of Italian studios and producers as well as of Italian screenwriters and their work methods. Oral presentations, two short papers (3-4 pages), and one final paper (8-10 pages). Films shown with English subtitles. Informed, engaged class participation a must.
ITAL 0077 Italian Foodways: Culinary & Cultural (R)evolution. Historical, cultural, and social overview of foodways in Italy. National culinary identity and its effects on food production, preparation, consumption, and exportation. cultural and economic significance of regional specialties officially protected by the European Union. Health benefits and social practices related to the Mediterranean diet and to nutrition in the Italian 'blue zones.' Traditional production techniques, current food systems, and their place in the environment during the era of climate change. Sustainable practices and food security initiatives; social justice; immigration and food evolution; physical and mental health. Readings, podcasts, documentaries and movies. Taught in English. No prerequisites.
ITAL 0091 Special Topics. (Conducted in English.) Courses on various topics in Italian literature or civilization.
ITAL 0092 Special Topics. (Conducted in English.) Courses on various topics in Italian literature or civilization.
ITAL 0093 Independent Study. (Conducted in English.) Guided individual study of an approved topic in Italian literature or civilization. No more than one credit in Independent Study may be counted toward the major in Italian Studies or the minor in Italian.
ITAL 0094 Independent Study. (Conducted in English.) Guided individual study of an approved topic in Italian literature or civilization. Variable credit. No more than one credit in Independent Study may be counted toward the major in Italian Studies or the minor in Italian.
ITAL 0121 Advanced Italian Language. Through an in-depth analysis of written and spoken Italian, focus on the study of the language with emphasis on idiomatic usage and styles of expression. Readings in both critical and fictional prose will explore women's images and voices in Italian culture, society, and literature. Review of grammatical difficulties. Intensive exercises aimed at building vocabulary. Two short papers, two exams, oral presentations, and a final project. Active class participation is essential. Recommendations: Italian 0021- and 0022, or consent.
ITAL 0155 The New Italians: Stories, Music and Cinema. Artistic production of first-generation Italians within a historical and social overview of contemporary Italy. History of Italian colonialism in Africa, recent migratory waves to Italy from different countries, birth of new identities, and current laws on citizenship for first-generation Italians. Focus on a broad variety of artistic production by the “new Italians,” from visual arts to fashion, music, cinema, theater, and literature. Analysis of song lyrics, book excerpts, visual art productions, TV shows, and movies to discuss and reflect upon relevant themes of social justice across different cultures. In Italian. Prerequisites: Italian 22 or consent.
ITAL 0170 Political Ideology In The Italian Literary Tradition. Political ideology emerges as one of the most recurring themes in Italian Literature. The course examines the power of literary and political thoughts of several masters such as Dante, Machiavelli, Beccaria, Manzoni and Gramsci, as it motivated the Italian people toward a national identity. Prerequisite: ITAL 31 and 32, or permission of instructor.
ITAL 0177 20th Century Italian Poetry. Italian poetry of the twentieth century in the context of historical, political, and social changes. Defined by the philosophy of Existentialism with its recurrent themes of human isolation and search for identity. The poetic expression traced through the dominant literary currents: Decadentism, Symbolism, Hermeticism, and the new avant-garde. Authors include Pascoli, D'Annunzio, Saba, Ungaretti, Montale, Quasimodo, Luzi, Sereni, Bertolucci, Conte, and Zanzotto. Prerequisite: ITAL 31 and 32, or permission of instructor.
ITAL 0187 Seminar on the Italian Literature of the Holocaust. Detailed textual analysis and frequent classroom discussions of the literary works of some of the most significant Italian authors on the Holocaust, with special emphasis on Primo Levi's narrative and poetry. His testimony is conveyed in a series of extraordinary books such as "Se questo è un uomo," and "Ad ora incerta," his volume of poetry. The course will also examine the literary works of other Italian Holocaust writers such as G. Bassani and E. Morante. Lectures, two papers, films, and documentaries, one final research project. Conducted in Italian. Prerequisite: Italian 31 and 32, or consent of the instructor.
ITAL 0191 Special Topics. (Conducted in Italian.) Courses on various topics in Italian literature or civilization. Topics may include Renaissance humanism; Romanticism and decadence; the realistic, futuristic, and hermetic movements; and others. Recommendations: ITAL 31 and 32, or permission of instructor.
ITAL 0192 Special Topics. (Conducted in Italian.) Courses on various topics in Italian literature or civilization. Topics may include Renaissance humanism; Romanticism and decadence; the realistic, futuristic, and hermetic movements; and others. Recommendations: ITAL 31 and 32, or permission of instructor.
ITAL 0193 Independent Study. (Conducted in Italian.) Guided individual study of an approved topic in Italian literature or civilization. Variable credit. No more than one credit in Independent Study may be counted toward the major in Italian Studies or the minor in Italian. Recommendations: Two courses above ITAL 22 and permission of instructor.
ITAL 0194 Independent Study. (Conducted in Italian.) Guided individual study of an approved topic in Italian literature or civilization. Variable credit. No more than one credit in Independent Study may be counted toward the major in Italian Studies or the minor in Italian. Recommendations: Two courses above ITAL 22 and permission of instructor.
ITAL 0199 Honors Thesis A. Open to qualified students. Recommendations: ITAL 31 and 32 and permission of instructor.
This is a yearlong course. Each semester counts as 4 credits towards a student’s credit load. Students will earn 8 credits at the end of the second semester.
ITAL 0199 Honors Thesis B. Open to qualified students. This is a yearlong course. Each semester counts as 4 credits towards a student’s credit load. Students will earn 8 credits at the end of the second semester.