ITAL 110 — Elementary Italian I, 3 credits
Training in the four basic skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. This course, the first of the two-part elementary Italian sequence, quickly takes students from knowing no Italian at all to the point where they can understand and enjoy the language. In addition to using the textbook and its online components, students also learn about Italy's culture through innovative activities in class. Oral drills, written exercises, 3 hours per week. Training in the four basic skills: speaking, reading, writing, and understanding. Text: Tutt* a tavola, vol 1.
ITAL 120 — Elementary Italian II, 3 credits
Continued training in the four basic skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Building upon what they learned in 110, students in this class are exposed to all principal grammar points that remain. Added emphasis on communication skills and on developing the ability to complete a wide range of linguistic tasks as well as on acquiring familiarity with Italian culture. Text: Tutt* a tavola, vol 2. Prerequisite: ITAL 110.
ITAL 229 — Pic Lit: The Culture of Italian Comics, 4 credits
Taught in English. This course explores the history of Italian fumetti and graphic novels beginning with comics journals of the early 1900s and ending with contemporary comic books, strips, and graphic novels. Students will learn how to read and interpret the hybrid language of comics, using an appropriate vocabulary for the medium. We will study a number of important historical moments in Italian history, including the ventennio of Fascism, the 1960s and 1970s, and the creation of the EU, connecting them to the history of the publication of Italian comics and graphic novels. With this newly-acquired historical knowledge, students will engage in critical analysis of the texts and will explore how these texts both reflect and engage with Italian society at the time of their production. Ultimately, students will acquire a general knowledge of contemporary Italian history and the ability to read and analyze the medium of comics. In addition, they will develop the skills necessary for critically engaging with pop culture and connecting art to socio-cultural history. Counts towards GenEd requirements (AT, DG).
ITAL 230 — Intermediate Italian I, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. Readings, discussion, revision of grammar, and exercises. Review of first-year grammar and further development of the four acquisitional skills: speaking, reading, writing, and listening, as well as intercultural competence. Text: Torniamo a tavola! Volume 1. Prerequisite: ITAL 120, 126 or instructor's permission.
ITAL 240 — Intermediate Italian II, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. Readings, discussion, revision of grammar, and exercises. Advanced grammar study and further development of the four acquisitional skills: speaking, reading, writing, and listening, as well as intercultural competence. Text: Torniamo a tavola! Volume 2. Prerequisite: ITAL 230 or instructor's permission.
ITAL 250 — Food, History, and Cultural Identity in Italy, 3 credits
Taught in English. Reading in Italian is available for Italian majors. Italian bread, Italian seasoning, Italian herbs, Italian breadcrumbs, Italian sausage, Italian vinaigrette, and finally "Ristorante Italiano" appear to refer, outside of Italy, to a concept of Italian cuisine that is universally recognized, though very generic and undefined. From the Alps to the coasts of Sicily, over the centuries, Italy has produced countless individual culinary traditions, which express themselves through local products, recipes, rituals, and cooking techniques. Though clearly distinct from each other, these traditions do share a sense of belonging to a national cuisine - loosely identified with the Mediterranean diet - of international recognition, which has in its dramatic diversity and almost infinite variety, its most distinctive traits. The local traditions that make Italian cuisine are the result of the interaction between centuries of history that have forged Italian culture and identity, and a territory that has shaped the inhabitants who are deeply rooted in it. This course will investigate possible strategies to elaborate a credible definition of "Italian cuisine" that is applicable to food in Italy as well as outside the country.
ITAL 251 — Hip Hop and Identity in Contemporary Italy, 4 credits
Taught in English. This course examines Italy's past and present—perhaps surprisingly—through the lens of global hip-hop music and culture, an increasingly popular form of expression among first- and second-generation Italians. The course will cover a general history of the hip-hop genre in its relation to social justice. Students will become familiar with the leading voices of Italian hip hop from the past and present, and the role their work plays in the discussion of contemporary issues of diversity, identity, and belonging in Italy. Counts towards GenEd requirements (AT, DG).
ITAL 280 — Language Suite Conversation, 2 credits
Taught in Italian. Thatcher House, by arrangement. First-year programs feature small classes or discussion sections of lecture classes taught in the residence halls. In order to participate, students must register for at least two residentially-based courses in each of their first two semesters at the university. Honors Colloquium (ITAL 280 H01) available. 1 credit.
ITAL 285 Introduction to Italian Culture, 3 credits
Taught in English. This course gives an overview of Italian culture through the aspects that most crucially influenced world culture: geography, material culture, food, lyrical poetry, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the courts, politics, opera, and democratic reaction to dictatorship. Authors include Dante, Boccaccio, Machiavelli, Castiglione, Verdi, and Gramsci. Texts will be in English translation by general students and in the original Italian by the majors and minors.
ITAL 303 — Writing on Language, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. Readings and discussions will be in Italian; written assignments for most students will be in English, as this course satisfies the departmental junior-year writing requirement (JYW). Students examine various genres of Italian cultural expression, including poetry, songs, short stories, theater, cinema, novels, and, to a limited extent, art history. Emphasis is placed on developing and refining students' written critical responses to the objects of study. Each year the thematic content of the course will vary. Students should contact the designated instructor to apprise themselves of upcoming thematic content. (Past thematic emphases have been 'La Cultura e la letteratura del Mezzogiorno d'Italia' and 'Il paesaggio letterario italiano.') Prerequisite: Italian 240 or 246.
ITAL 324 — Introduction to Italian Literature I, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. Designed as one of the first courses in which students read to learn (as opposed to learning to read), Intro to Italian Literature gives a general overview of the main works and trends of pre-modern Italian culture. Authors studied in this course include some of the greatest figures of all time: Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, and more. Counts toward the Medieval Studies Certificate, and a required course for the Italian major and minor. Prerequisite: Italian 240 or 246.
ITAL 325 — Introduction to Italian Literature II, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. This course will examine the principal literary movements of the Italian tradition from the 16th century to contemporary times. Works by Galileo Galilei, Cesare Beccaria, Alessandro Manzoni, Giacomo Leopardi, Giovanni Verga, Cesare Pavese, and Natalia Ginzburg, among others, will be studied. Discussions of modernity, Italian history, and literary genre will provide a context for the readings. Required course for the Italian major and minor. Prerequisite: Italian 240 or 246.
ITAL 328 — Intro to Italian Linguistics, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. Students in this course will become familiar with the main themes of historical linguistics in the study of Italian, including the language's development from Latin, its evolution in the Middle Ages, and its most characteristic idiosyncrasies. Special emphasis will be placed on phonology and on helping students to eliminate their English accents. Prerequisite: Italian 240 or 246.
ITAL 333 — Women's Bodies: Poetry, Politics, and Power, 4 credits
Taught in English. This course analyzes selected texts, films, speeches, and art that were produced in Italy from 1900 until today. Lectures will make reference to the Italian literary canon, as well as introduce works by emerging female authors who represent different perspectives within Italian culture and politics. We will read the works of established women writers from the twentieth century, as well as members of the G2, and emerging migrant and queer female voices. Starting with futurism and fascism, we will explore questions of how popular music, literature, films, and politics contain subtle (and not so subtle) messages about the role of women and political and private implications. The works we examine place women's experiences in a global context and encourage students to reflect on how the issues we study (abortion, the erosion of women's rights, civil rights struggles, etc.) connect to students' experiences at UMass and in the United States today. Counts toward Italian major and minor as well as Medical Humanities Certificate and GenEd (AL, DG).
ITAL 334 — The Italian American Experience, 4 credits
Taught in English. This seminar examines the history and cultural production of Italians in the United States from 1870 to today. The first part of the course discusses the conditions that spurred mass emigration from Italy and led to the constitution of Italian Americans as the fourth largest ethnic group in the United States today. Analyzing literary texts, films, and historical documents, this course follows the evolution of Italian American culture and identity, both collective and personal. The second part of the course focuses in on identity politics and migration in contemporary Italy to show how the Italian American experience has continued to evolve in the new millennium. Counts toward Italian major and minor as well as GenEd (AL, DU).
ITAL 339 The Medici, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. Although the term 'Renaissance' wasn't invented until centuries later, Florence's fascination with bringing the ancient world back to life ushered in one of the most meaningful intellectual and artistic revolutions of world history. After the Black Death took half of Florence's population and its large banking families had caused and then suffered through ? one of the worst financial disasters in history, Florence was set to spring back to life as well. In those lean years, a rather ordinary man named Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici began a small business that would become an empire and a family that would produce three popes and European royalty. Authors to be studied include fascinating characters like Lorenzo de' Medici, Niccolò Machiavelli, Giovanni Boccaccio, Cosimo de' Medici, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and many more. You'll discover, as you read, that almost everything you thought was modern has actually been around a long, long time.
ITAL 343 Medieval Myths and Maps, 3 credits
Taught in English. Everyone knows Marco Polo went to China, but few realize that his travel stories made almost no impact at all on Italian literature, culture or geography before the High Renaissance. What did medieval Italians really know about the world around them before Columbus "discovered" America? Through the literature, travel narratives and maps that were available at the birth of Humanism, students will explore two overlapping imaginary worlds: the Christian landscapes of places mentioned in the Bible (often embellished with highlights from Crusader lore and Pilgrim Guides), and the Classical Mediterranean, ubiquitous in Pliny's geographical studies, the recently rediscovered Pomponius Mela and, of course, all the mythology of ancient Greece and Rome. Students will address urgent questions (Where did Odysseus sail? Are there really places where ants are as big as cows? What's a Sciapod?) and will learn to use simple GIS to create interactive maps. Course counts toward Italian major and minor, as well as the Medieval Studies Certificate. Written assignments in Italian for Italian majors and minors.
ITAL 350 — Italian Film, 4 credits
Taught in English. This course is a historical overview of how the most modern form of visual and narrative art responded to Italian culture, i.e., one of the richest traditions in painting, mosaics, and theater. From silent movies to current productions, the history of Italian film parallels and documents also the history of a modern nation, from pre-industrial to post-industrial economy. Counts towards GenEd requirements (AT).
ITAL 371 — Advanced Grammar and Composition, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. The goal of the course is to improve the understanding of advanced Italian grammar. This will be accomplished through reading, analysis, and discussion of a wide range of Italian texts, both literary and non-literary, in order to gain familiarity with many styles, registers, and uses of the language. Students will also be involved in a substantial amount of guided writing in which they will have the opportunity to practice and experiment with topics in grammar, style, register, and literary genres as they are discussed throughout the semester. Focusing on these areas will allow students to improve their written and spoken communication skills. Active class participation is essential and will be a part of the evaluative process. Requirements include weekly assignments, formal compositions, a midterm, and a final exam. Required course for the major/minor. Prerequisite: Italian 240 or 246.
ITAL 394MI — Italy and the Mediterranean, 3 credits
Taught in English. This course will approach the rich Mediterranean tapestry by focusing on connections among the various cultures of the Mediterranean basin. Emphases on art/architecture, literature, environmental practices, commerce, and food, from a historical perspective. Examples will be taken chiefly from Sicily and Southern Italy, North Africa, Venice, Turkey (Constantinople/Istanbul) and the Middle East, Spain, and France; from the medieval period to more recent colonial occupations and contemporary migrations. Counts as Integrative Experience (IE) course. a requirement for primary majors.
ITAL 417 Medieval and Renaissance Novella, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. The birth of the Italian novella was one of the most significant events ever to shape the course of European literature. Although related to the fabliau and the exemplum, the novella developed a ?personality? all its own. From high tragedy to raucous ribaldry, from stories of love and adventure to tales of wit and cruelty, almost every type of literary form has been adapted to the specific exigencies of the Italian short story. In this course students will trace the evolution of the genre from its relatively simplistic beginnings in the late 13th century to the perfectly polished tales that so influenced Rabelais, Shakespeare, Cervantes and others. Students will get to know individual authors as well as a deeper understanding of several characteristic motifs and themes common to novellas such as the beffa, anticlericalism, misogyny and courtly love. Authors to be studied include Boccaccio, Sacchetti, Sercambi, Masuccio, Bandello and Giraldi Cinzio.
ITAL 420 — Expressions of the Modern, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. This course addresses the notion of "Modernity" in Europe through the wide rage of its expressions in different fields such as philosophy, literature, figurative arts, music, etc. Italian Modernism will be presented against the backdrop of the European modernist movement, emphasizing its constant dialogue with other national cultures, as well as with its own cultural tradition and contemporary social and political situation. Cross-listed with ITAL 520, with different requirements, for graduate students. Prerequisite: Italian 240 or 246.
ITAL 422 — Literatures of Fascist Italy, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. Course cross-listed at the 400 and 500 levels, with different course requirements for graduate and undergraduate students. The course will present an overview of the many aspects of Italian literary culture during and around the years of the fascist regime: from the hi-brow poetry of Eugenio Montale and Umberto Saba to the cultural debate on pro-fascist and antifascist periodicals, to the bestsellers of the time such as the novels of fascist propaganda, those meant for educating the large public of female readers, the so-called "erotic" literature and many other aspects of Italian culture under the regime. Strong emphasis will be placed on the social and historic circumstances of which each text examined was an expression, thus providing an accurate account of the many aspects of fascism in Italy in relation with the larger European context. Requirements: Two formal assignments, midterm, presentations, and final paper. Cross-listed with ITAL 522 for graduate students. Prerequisite: Italian 240 or 246.
ITAL 427 Comedy: Italian Style, 3 credits
Taught in English. Italian cinematic comedies between the 1950s and the 1970s show the most skewering social contradictions at a time when gender roles are changing rapidly, women become more independent and powerful, and internal migrations make the Italians aware of a diversity that they often ignored before.
ITAL 428 — Boccaccio's Decameron, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. An Italian masterpiece and one of the most important collections of short fiction in the history of World Literature, the Decameron is also the story of ten college-aged Florentines who isolate themselves in the countryside in an attempt to escape from the plague. Sound familiar? The community they form and the tales they tell each other are as pertinent to our lives today as they were in the years of the Black Death. Prerequisite: ITAL 240, 246 or equivalent. Counts toward Medieval Studies Certificate and cross-listed with ITAL 528 for graduate students.
ITAL 429 The Neorealist Window, 3 credits
Taught in English. The course examines those films produced in Italy right after WWII that not only signed the birth of a modern democratic nation out of a millenary tradition, but also influenced filmmaking on a global level by providing the most decisive alternative to Hollywood.
ITAL 466 The Three Crowns, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. In this course, students will gain a general familiarity with the three most influential and perennially important writers of Italian literature: Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio. We shall trace some of their principal concerns against the backdrop of their contemporary society and witness the transformation of a variety of subjects, from theology to history, from poetry to popular culture. Particular emphasis will be placed on the ways in which Petrarca and Boccaccio thought of themselves as continuators ? or innovators ? with respect to the Dantean tradition.
ITAL 507 — Dante and the Duecento, 3 credits
Taught in English. In this course, students will become familiar with the major currents of 13th-century Italian poetry and will explore Dante's Divine Comedy as an encyclopedic compendium of medieval thought as well as a very personal vision of the individual's place in the universe, a journey that is as meaningful now as it was 700 years ago. Counts toward Italian major and minor as well as the Medieval Studies Certificate.
ITAL 514 — Early Renaissance, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. This course presents a detailed look at the birth of Humanism, beginning with Petrarca, Boccaccio, Salutati, Valla, Poliziano, and Alberti. We then follow selected humanistic themes into the High Renaissance, giving special attention to Ficino, Pico, Pulci, Michelangelo, and the courtly scrittori and scrittrici. Prerequisite: ITAL 240, 246 or instructor's permission.
ITAL 531— Fellini: Film as a Veritable Lie, 3 credits
Taught in English. The course investigates how Federico Fellini's work seeks to construct the fiction now globally understood as Italian identity also through the relationship between the camera and the audience.
ITAL 570 — Mapping Reality: Italo Calvino's Narrative and Theory, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. The course addresses the relationship between literature, theory, and thinking in the creative and theoretical works of Italo Calvino, possibly the most read Italian modern author in the US and around the world. Special emphasis will be placed on Calvino's use of literature as a practical gnoseological tool to map and navigate reality as a partial solution to address the chaos of the modern human experience and kaleidoscopic multiplicity of its expressions. Students are encouraged to apply Calvino's methodological approach to other author's work or to test it on their own personal experience. Prerequisite: Italian 240 or 246.
ITAL 580 — Contemporary Italian Literature: Voices of the New Millennium, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. This course explores several significant literary works, figures, and movements of the 21st century in Italy thus far. These include the genre-bending cultural phenomenon of Roberto Saviano and Gomorra; the international juggernaut of Elena Ferrante; and the addition of "new" voices of first and second-generation writers who interrogate "Italianness" and identity in the Italy of today. These contemporary texts shed light on modern Italian history and contain themes that are both uniquely Italian and also universal. This course will also include television and cinematic adaptations of many of the literary texts and will analyze the role of mass media in contemporary literature and culture. Prerequisite: Italian 240 or 246.
Graduate Offerings
ITAL 514 — Early Renaissance, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. This course presents a detailed look at the birth of Humanism, beginning with Petrarca, Boccaccio, Salutati, Valla, Poliziano, and Alberti. We then follow selected humanistic themes into the High Renaissance, giving special attention to Ficino, Pico, Pulci, Michelangelo, and the courtly scrittori and scrittrici. Cross-listed with ITAL 497T for undergraduate students. Prerequisite: ITAL 240, 246 or instructor's permission.
ITAL 520 — Expressions of the Modern, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. This course addresses the notion of "Modernity" in Europe through the wide range of its expressions in different fields such as philosophy, literature, figurative arts, music, etc. Italian Modernism will be presented against the backdrop of the European modernist movement, emphasizing its constant dialogue with other national cultures, as well as with its own cultural tradition and contemporary social and political situation. Cross-listed with ITAL 420, with different requirements, for undergraduate students.
ITAL 522 — Literatures of Fascist Italy, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. Course cross-listed at the 400 and 500 levels, with different course requirements for graduate and undergraduate students. The course will present an overview of the many aspects of Italian literary culture during and around the years of the fascist regime: from the hi-brow poetry of Eugenio Montale and Umberto Saba to the cultural debate on pro-fascist and antifascist periodicals, to the bestsellers of the time such as the novels of fascist propaganda, those meant for educating the large public of female readers, the so-called "erotic" literature and many other aspects of Italian culture under the regime. Strong emphasis will be placed on the social and historic circumstances of which each text examined was an expression, thus providing an accurate account of the many aspects of fascism in Italy in relation to the larger European context. Requirements: Two formal assignments, midterm, presentations, and final paper. Cross-listed with ITAL 422 for undergraduate students. Prerequisite: Italian 240 or 246.
ITAL 528 — Boccaccio's Decameron, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. An Italian masterpiece and one of the most important collections of short fiction in the history of World Literature, the Decameron is also the story of ten college-aged Florentines who isolate themselves in the countryside in an attempt to escape from the plague. Sound familiar? The community they form and the tales they tell each other are as pertinent to our lives today as they were in the years of the Black Death. Cross-listed with ITAL 428 for undergraduate students. Prerequisite: ITAL 240, 246, or equivalent.
ITAL 572 — Basic Methods of Teaching, 3 credits
Taught in English. This course will explore the teaching of foreign/second languages from theoretical, historical and practical perspectives. Students will engage in a range of activities designed to reinforce their understanding of the material and guide its application to their developing language teaching practices. The course is intended for both experienced and inexperienced language teachers.
ITAL 570 — Mapping Reality: Italo Calvino's Narrative and Theory, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. The course addresses the relationship between literature, theory, and thinking in the creative and theoretical works of Italo Calvino, possibly the most read Italian modern author in the US and around the world. Special emphasis will be placed on Calvino's use of literature as a practical gnoseological tool to map and navigate reality as a partial solution to address the chaos of the modern human experience and kaleidoscopic multiplicity of its expressions. Students are encouraged to apply Calvino's methodological approach to other author's work or to test it on their own personal experience.
ITAL 580 — Contemporary Italian Literature: Voices of the New Millennium, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. This course explores several significant literary works, figures, and movements of the 21st century in Italy thus far. These include the genre-bending cultural phenomenon of Roberto Saviano and Gomorra; the international juggernaut of Elena Ferrante; and the addition of "new" voices of first and second-generation writers who interrogate "Italianness" and identity in the Italy of today. These contemporary texts shed light on modern Italian history and contain themes that are both uniquely Italian and also universal. This course will also include television and cinematic adaptations of many of the literary texts and will analyze the role of mass media in contemporary literature and culture.
ITAL 597AF — The "Maestri" Antonioni and Fellini, 3 credits
Taught in Italian. This course examines the parallel work of two recognized masters of world cinema, Michelangelo Antonioni (1912–2007) and Federico Fellini (1920–1993), between the 1950s and the early 1970s, from their common origins and collaboration to their gradually diverging ways of coping with Italy’s progressive modernization and finally to their complementary ideas of the world and of cinema, which have now become global paradigms. Course cross-listed with ITAL 497AF, with different course requirements for graduate and undergraduate students.
ITAL 597CF — A Hard Look on Reality: Italian Neo-Realism and Beyond, 3 credits
1946–1953: after the end of the war, Italy finally gets its chance of becoming a modern nation. Political and historical contradictions, memories of the recent past, expectations for the imminent future, and social conflicts converge into some of the most important productions in the history of the film form, which historians will later regroup under the rubric "neo-realism." Actors and film directors like Vittorio De Sica, Luchino Visconti, and Roberto Rossellini revolutionized the film form and function in a way that would later prove crucial throughout worldwide filmmaking. The course investigates the writings and the major feature films of these directors and of others to understand the aesthetic and ideological implications of their ways of representing reality. Cross-listed with ITAL 497CF for undergraduate students.
ITAL 597DF — The Divas: Feminine Icons in Italian Cinema, 3 credits
Taught in English. The course explores the social role and meaning of some of the most important actresses of post-WWII Italian cinema (Anna Magnani, Sofia Loren, and Monica Vitti, among others) as both metamorphic representatives and problematic probes of a rapidly modernizing society, and proposes a model of the female figure as "the active face of the crisis" (Giorgio Tinazzi). Cross-listed with ITAL 497DF for undergraduate students.
ITAL 597FB — Italian Film/History and Memory: Fascism Revisited by Italian Democracy, 3 credits
The course examines how major film directors, novelists and poets have revisited the encumbering inheritance of the ventennio fascista ("twenty years of fascism") in a nation whose cultural identity is based on anti-fascism and whose constitution forbids the reconstitution of the Fascist Party. Questions of national identity will be addressed. Lectures and readings shall be in English, but primary texts of fiction and poetry shall be available (and required) for those who need credits in Italian. Cross-listed with ITAL 497FB for undergraduate students.
ITAL 597FL — F. Fellini: the Liar, 3 credits
The course investigates how Federico Fellini's work seeks to construct the fiction now globally understood as Italian identity also through the relationship between the camera and the audience. Cross-listed with ITAL 497FL for undergraduate students.
ITAL 597LP — Literary Periodicals/Italy, 3 credits
The 20th century in Italy is often referred to as "the century of periodicals." This is due to the lively cultural debates that took place in dozens of literary periodicals that sprung up all over the nation. Evidently, this was the result of the urgent need felt by intellectuals, often young and highly engaged, to create new opportunities outside the formal academic context to share ideas and participate in the cultural debate of one of the most interesting and exciting eras of Italian and European history. This course will provide a synchronic view of this cultural debate as it happened in real-time through the pages of some of the most representative periodical publications during the first six decades of the last century, from the pre-WWI years to the immediate WWII aftermath. Born around the tables of literary cafés in Florence, Rome, or Turin and animated by the newest literary theories, artistic avant-garde movements, and social and political turmoil, literary periodicals offered an open forum to Italian intellectuals to share ideas and explore and interact with the other European cultures, at a time - such as the fascist ventennio - of strict cultural nationalism and censorship. The UMass and Five College libraries offer an outstanding collection of literary periodicals. Throughout the semester we will hold a number of hands-on classes in our libraries in order to familiarize ourselves with the original documents and the appropriate research techniques. Cross-listed with ITAL 497LP for undergraduate students.
ITAL 597R — History of Italian Gastronomy, 3 credits
Taught in Italian and open to advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate students should register for ITAL 497S. The course provides an overview of the development of Italian cuisine and dominant taste from the Middle Ages to the late 19th century tracing the origins of modern Italian culinary tradition as we know it today. Through the analysis of original cookery manuals, we will explore the ingredients, recipes, and menus of the medieval banquet and its importance as a social event, its transformation through the Renaissance and the culinary revolution of the 18th century, leading to the creation of the new cuisine of the upcoming middle class of modern Italy.
ITAL 608 — Dante's Comedy, 3 credits
Taught in English. In this course, students will become familiar with the major currents of 13th-century Italian poetry and will explore Dante's Divine Comedy as an encyclopedic compendium of medieval thought as well as a very personal vision of the individual's place in the universe, a journey that is as meaningful now as it was 700 years ago.