Italian

Professor: Patricia Zupan; Associate Professor: Sandra Carletti (chair); Assistant Professors: Stefano Mula, Thomas Van Order (on leave academic year); Instructor: Andrei Barashkov; Visiting Assistant Professors:Natasha Chang; Visiting Lecturer: Ilaria Brancoli-Busdraghi; Department Coordinator: Linda Larocque

Our programs offer students the opportunity to achieve high competence in written and spoken Italian, in understanding Italian literature and culture, and in applying this linguistic, literary, and cultural knowledge to the study of other disciplines. Our academic year program emphasizes the study of literature and culture in the context of language acquisition. The other integral components of Italian at Middlebury are the Italian School (summer on the Middlebury College campus), and the C. V. Starr-Middlebury College School in Italy (junior year or semester), where students can take courses in our magnificent Sede in Florence (in the Renaissance Palazzo Giugni) as well as at the University of Florence, or can direct-enroll in our new program at the University of Ferrara (for students who prefer immersion into the Italian university system). These rich programs encourage students to deepen and broaden their study of Italian literature, cinema, history, art history, political science, and other selected disciplines. Junior students may elect to continue their study of Italian on campus, as each year at least two courses are offered at every level from first year through senior work. Faculty members direct independent research projects (ITAL 0550) according to fulfillment of the prerequisites and schedules established below. Qualified students seeking senior honors (ITAL 0755) may elect to do either a thesis or a comprehensive exam as described below.

MAJOR PROGRAMS
     Full or Double Major in Italian: For a full or double major in Italian, students must complete eleven credits beyond ITAL 0250, including senior work (two courses at the 0400 level). (Please note: ITAL 0101, 0102, and 0250 do not count for the major).  February first-year students who begin ITAL 0101 the following fall must attend the Italian School in the summer (at level two or three) to qualify for our programs in Italy. Majors are normally expected to study a year at the C.V. Starr-Middlebury College School in Italy (Florence), or at the University of Ferrara, and must take an Italian literature course each semester, including one on medieval and/or Renaissance literature in the spring. With careful advance planning, a student can complete a major with one semester in Italy and courses at the Italian School in the summer. No more than seven of nine credits from Florence or Ferrara are applicable to major; three of four credits (fall) or four of five credits (spring) for students who go for only one semester.
     Joint Major in Italian: For the joint major in Italian, students complete seven credits or more beyond ITAL 0250, including two courses at the 0400 level, and the program in another discipline. (Please note: ITAL 0101, 0102, and 0250 do not count for the joint major). A joint project credited in either of the two disciplines is also required beyond the senior work. One semester at the C.V. Starr-Middlebury College School in Florence or at the University of Ferrara is normally expected. No more than three of four fall credits or four of five spring credits from Florence or Ferrara are applicable to the Italian part of the major. ITAL 0355 must be completed by students who opt for the fall semester in Italy; spring semester students must complete its equivalent in Florence or Ferrara.

Associated Programs
     International Studies Major with Italian: Along with other required courses and senior work as described in the international studies major section, completion of the Italian language component requires ITAL 0250-0251-0252 (academic year) or ITAL 3251-3252-3253 at the Italian School during the summer, normally with average of B, or additional course work in the summer Italian School. Then students enroll for at least one semester, and preferably a year, at the C.V. Starr-Middlebury College School in Italy (Florence) or at the University of Ferrara. Senior work comprises one or more 0400-level courses in Italian upon return from Italy.
     European Studies Track, International Studies Major: Italian courses fulfilling components of this track are, for language proficiency, ITAL 0251-0252 (normally with average of B, or further summer work in the Italian School) or ITAL 3251-3252-3253 in the Italian School (summer). For regional specialization, ITAL 0290-level courses (in English), or ITAL 2300-level courses (in Italian) taught at Middlebury, Florence, or Ferrara. For disciplinary specialization in Italian, no more than two courses from ITAL 0251, ITAL 0252, or ITAL 3251-3252-3253 (at the Italian School); four 0300-level courses, including ITAL 0355 or its equivalent in Florence or Ferrara; one 0400-level course. Students are expected to study at least a semester (and preferably a year) at the C.V. Starr-Middlebury College School in Italy (Florence) or at the University of Ferrara.  Senior work is fulfilled by one or more 0400-level courses in Italian upon return from Italy.
     Minor in Italian:The Italian minor consists of six courses: ITAL 0251, ITAL 0252, (or two courses counted from ITAL 0251-0252-0253 in the Italian School) and four 0300-level courses, including ITAL 0355, or its equivalent in Florence or Ferrara.
     Students entering the program with a standing beyond the ITAL 0252-level will be required to take at least one 0400-level course as part of the Italian minor. All courses at the 0300-level can be completed during the academic year at Middlebury, at the Italian School, or at the C. V. Starr Middlebury College School in Italy (Florence), or at the University of Ferrara.

FULFILLING THE MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE WRITING REQUIREMENT
All Italian majors, joint majors, minors, and international majors with Italian or with European studies track are strongly encouraged to fulfill their college writing requirement by enrolling in LITP 0101 Introduction to World Literature.

REQUIREMENTS FOR JUNIOR YEAR/SEMESTER ABROAD
Because students going to the School in Italy or at the University of Ferrara intend to fulfill academic requirements for a full, double, or joint Italian major, an international studies major, or an Italian minor, we expect them to achieve a high level of spoken and written Italian before participation there.
     Since most of our students come to Middlebury with no prior knowledge of Italian, our prerequisites for study abroad at our programs in Italy intend to insure high competence. No matter what academic specialization students choose, there are three general requirements for participation in our programs in Italy: (1) an overall academic average of B-; (2) a minimum of five full semesters in Italian, or equivalent, normally with an average of B; and (3) continuous study of Italian up to the semester of departure.
     The proficiency requirement for participation is normally completed in one of two ways: over two academic years (ITAL 0101-0102, 0250, 0251, 0252, and possible further summer work in the Italian School), or over twelve months (ITAL 0101-0102, level-two summer work in the Italian School). First-year students who enroll in February must take the second option.
     Because of the demanding and intensive nature of both the summer Italian School and our programs in Italy, and the difficulty of finding equivalent programs either in the United States or in Italy, we discourage alternative programs preparatory to study in Florence or Ferrara.

C.V. STARR-MIDDLEBURY SCHOOL IN ITALY - FLORENCE
Students may study for a semester or for a full year in Italy. Fall and spring term students enroll for language, literature, and civilization courses in September and January. The following are courses taught at the School in Italy in 2006-2007:

Fall:

• Advanced Language Practice I
• The European Union: Problems and Perspectives of Integration
• Aspects of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Italian Literature
• Giotto and Tuscan Art from the Late-Thirteenth to the Mid-Fourteenth Centuries
• Contemporary Italian History

Spring:

• Advanced Language Practice II
• Florence from the Thirteenth to the Sixteenth Centuries
• Survey of Medieval and Early Renaissance Italian Literature
• Introduction to High Renaissance and Mannerism
• Themes and Genres of Italian Cinema
• The Genius of Michelangelo and Sixteenth-Century Florentine Sculpture

     Full-year students are expected to enroll in an elective course at the Università degli Studi di Firenze. Subject areas generally offered there include archeology, philology, Italian literature, linguistics, international relations, political science, comparative politics, sociology, history, art history, and history of economics.

C.V. STARR-MIDDLEBURY SCHOOL IN ITALY - FERRARA
Students who apply to the program at the University of Ferrara must contact the department chair to discuss their plans. Important: All students studying at the University of Ferrara must take a literature course each semester, in consultation with the department chair, preferably including a survey or monographic course on medieval or Renaissance Italian literature. Subject areas generally offered there include Italian literature, comparative literature, history, linguistics, philosophy, geography, art history, architecture, theater history, sociology, and international economics.

ITAL 0101 Intensive Beginning Italian (Fall)
This course is an introduction to the Italian language that provides a foundation in both spoken and written Italian. Focus on the spoken language encourages rapid mastery of the basic structures and vocabulary of contemporary Italian. The exclusive use of Italian in dialogue situations and vocabulary building encourages the student to develop skills in a personalized context. Conversation and drill are stimulated and fostered through active reference to popular Italian music, authentic props, and slides of Italian everyday life and culture. Students are required to participate in the Italian table. 6 hrs. disc./perf.; 2 hrs. screen (extra credit) LNG (A. Barashkov, I. Brancoli-Busdraghi, S. Carletti, N. Chang, S. Mula)

ITAL 0102 Intensive Beginning Italian (Spring)
This course emphasizes increased control and proficiency in the language through audiovisual, conversational, and drill methods. Italian life and culture continue to be revealed through the use of realia. Short reading selections on contemporary Italy and discussions enlarge the student's view of Italian life and culture. Students continue to participate in the Italian table. (ITAL 0101 or equivalent) 5 hrs. disc./perf.; 2 hrs. screen. (extra credit) LNG (A. Barashkov, I. Brancoli-Busdraghi, N. Chang, S. Mula, P. Zupan)

ITAL 0250 Intermediate Italian (Fall)
A glimpse into Italian daily life, as narrated and presented by Italians themselves, will provide the context for reviewing grammar, for engaging conversation, and for writing. In exploring facets of Italian life such as school, the family, attitudes towards politics, food, and business--among others--we will formulate valuable cross-cultural comparisons. Discussion, debate, and role-playing will help us generate and practice different forms of discourse that we will use for our increasingly more sophisticated ideas expressed in increasingly more complex grammatical structures. (ITAL 0102 or equivalent). Discussion/performance. LNG EUR (A. Barashkov, I. Brancoli-Busdraghi, S. Mula)

ITAL 0251 An Introduction to Contemporary Italy (Winter)
Intended for students at the intermediate level, this course will afford the opportunity to expand conversation, writing, and reading skills while consolidating knowledge of the more difficult points of grammar. The contextual focus of the course is contemporary Italian culture, including contemporary history and politics, the economy, the division between North and South, immigration from developing countries, environmental issues, and popular music, among others. Italian films, music, and articles from newspapers and newsmagazines will enhance and complete the learning experience. (ITAL 0250, waiver, or equivalent) 3 hrs. lect./disc.; 2 hrs. screen. LNG SOC (A. Barashkov, N. Chang, S. Mula)

ITAL 0252 Italian Culture from Fascism to the Present (Spring)
To deepen the historical knowledge gained in ITAL 0251, we will discuss and analyze modern and contemporary Italian literature of various genres, as well as essays, art, and film. In the context of reading, critical viewing, textual analysis, and discussion, we will continue to develop both historical and linguistic competence. Discussion and the writing process, along with selected exercises, will continue to refine grammatical competence. (ITAL 0251) 3 hrs. lect./disc. LNG LIT (I. Brancoli-Busdraghi, S. Carletti)

ITAL/LITS 0290 Dante (in English) (Not offered 2008-09)
An introduction to Dante's major literary works, La Vita Nuova (The New Life)and the Divine Comedy. Close readings of the text will seek to give students an appreciation of Dante's place in world literature. Dante's masterpieces will also be discussed in a historical and philosophical perspective, and supplementary readings will acquaint the reader with the medieval view of life and literature. LIT EUR

ITAL 0296 Literature of the Italian Renaissance (in English) (Not offered 2008-09)
After examining some passages from Dante to understand the medieval view of humankind, we will explore the growing optimism that began to manifest itself in the late fourteenth century in Italy with regard to the human ability to realize goals, affect history, and leave an enduring legacy to posterity. We will then seek to understand why this great optimism began to wane by the end of the fifteenth century. Authors include: Boccaccio, Petrarch, Pico, Alberti, Ariosto, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Guicciardini, and Cellini. Limited spaces available for students to satisfy the College writing requirement. EUR LIT

ITAL/LITP 0299 Literary Feasts: Representations of Food in Modern Narrative (in English) (Spring)
This course will consider food and eating practices within specific cultural and historical contexts. We will analyze realistic, symbolic, erotic, and political functions surrounding the preparation and consumption of food. Readings will be drawn from several national traditions, with a focus on Europe. Authors will include, among others, Atwood, Calvino, Dinesen, Esquivel, Joyce, Harris, Hemingway, Lampedusa, Vittorini, and Yoshimoto. Viewing of films where food and eating play an important role will supplement class discussion. LIT EUR (S. Carletti)

ITAL 0352 Cinema e Letteratura del Novecento: Rappresentazioni dell'Olocausto (Not Offered 2008-09)
This course examines the cinematic and literary representation of the Holocaust in Italian culture. Students will engage in interactive discussions on a variety of literary texts, films, commentaries, testimonies, and theoretical writings. Readings will include works by Giorgio Bassani, Primo Levi, Lorenza Mazzetti, and Liana Millu, and films by such directors as Gillo Pontecorvo, Vittorio De Sica, Francesco Rosi, Roberto Benigni, Andrea & Antonio Frazzi, Ferzan Ozpetek and others. In addition to attending regular class meeting times, students will be expected to attend all film screenings. (ITAL 0252 or waiver) 3 hrs. lect./disc./screens. EUR

ITAL 0354 Epoche della letteratura italiana I: introduzione al periodo moderno (Fall)
This course acquaints students with the major nineteenth- and twentieth-century works and movements and develops the students' linguistic, critical, and analytical skills. The readings will introduce literary genres within a chronological framework. Special emphasis will be placed on the skill of writing in Italian. (ITAL 0252 or equivalent) 3hrs. lecture/discussion; 2 hrs. screen. LIT EUR (N. Chang)

ITAL 0355 Epoche della letteratura italiana II: introduzione al Medioevo e al Rinascimento (Spring)
While continuing to develop critical and analytical skills through a careful reading of excerpts from the literary masterpieces of the Italian Middle Ages and the Renaissance, students will explore the artisitc representations of one of the most enduring facets of human experience: love. Love in all its nuances, as spritual ecstasy, volatile emotion, intellectual construction, erotic drive, insane passion, and comic interaction, has in fact dominated Italian literature and culture for centuries. Why has Italian culture produced such conflicting representations of love? How do Medieval and Renaissance texts still communicate with our deepest feelings and emotions, and, in particular, with our perception of love and sexuality? Through selective readings of Medieval prose and poetry by Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch, and of Renaissance works by Machiavelli, Ariosto, and Tasso, this course will address and discuss these questions. The analysis of films by such directors as Pasolini, Fellini, Ronconi, Benigni, and Almodovar, and of works by such artists as Vasari, Botticelli, Palma, Tiziano, and Veronese will supplement the readings. Other mixed media will offer some input for the analysis of the popular perception of Medieval and Renaissance texts and related themes. (ITAL 0354 or equivalent) 3 hrs. lect./disc. 2 hrs. screen. LIT EUR (S. Mula)

ITAL 0450 Fascist Bodies: Italian Fascism and the Corporeal Ideal (Not offered 2008-09)
The idealize image of the human body-characterized by strength, virility, impenetrability, and wholeness-played a central role in Italian culture during the years of the Fascist regime (1922-45). This interdisciplinary course examines representations of the body under Italian Fascism, focusing particularly on how the regime mobilized its politics through various concepts of the body, both male and female. Students will focus on short readings of primary texts: political speeches, oral histories, legal declarations, magazine articles, photographs, advertisements, films, fiction, and poetry. Each text will be considered carefully for the ideas and values it communicates in relation to its historical context. Emphasis will be placed on the discussion of questions such as: How is meaning about the body created? What is the relation between body and identity? What types of organismal metaphors are used to describe social, political, legislative, and cultural entities? (ITAL 0355 or equivalent) 3 hrs. disc. EUR

ITAL 0459 Modern Italian Literature and Culture (Fall)
This course will consider the works of Italian twentieth-century novelists and will explore the authors' narrative techniques within a larger discussion of the social context that their works reflect and interpret. Focusing on novels by Natalia Ginzburg, Carlo Levi, Alba de Céspedes, Italo Calvino, we will discuss issues related to gender roles, family, class, and politics. Special attention will be devoted to each author's approach to the art of storytelling. (ITAL 0355 or equivalent) 3 hrs. disc. LIT EUR (S. Carletti)

ITAL 0460 La seconda guerra mondiale: tra mito e storia (Not offered 2008-09)
Beginning with literature and film produced during the Second World War, this course will examine both neo-realism and later works that return to the theme of the war. The formation and development of postwar Italian national identity and the complex relationships between history, narration, memory, and myth will contextualize broader discussions of literature and film. Readings will include: works by Eugenio Montale, Elio Vittorini, Italo Calvino, Cesare Pavese, and Alberto Moravia, among others. Films by Roberto Rossellini, Federico Fellini, Lina Wertmüller, and others will supplement the readings. (ITAL 0355 or equivalent)

ITAL 0461 Dante in the Twentieth Century (Not offered 2008-09)
Dante's Vita nuovaand Divina commediaremain the undisputed source texts of the Italian canon. The terrors and the tragedies of our century, however, challenge the truth of Dante's orderly theological vision of spiritual love, other-worldly retribution, and divine justice. Here we will consider how twentieth-century Italian authors and artists both absorb and question Dante's moral and poetic authority. Authors will include: Giuseppe Ungaretti, Eugenio Montale, Primo Levi, Federico Fellini, Elsa Morante, and Umberto Eco. (ITAL 0459 or equivalent)

ITAL 0465 Representations of Urban Italy: Florence and Ferrara (Spring)
This course is a research and discussion seminar focusing on historical novels and related films about the two university cities that seniors have frequented in their junior year. To establish the historical profiles of the two cities, we will focus on the two cities' Renaissance profiles, relations, and urban iconography. In the works of Bellonci and Banti, we will consider how the Renaissance cities and personages are portrayed in historical novels written from a modern perspective. In the modern works of Bassani and Pratolini, we will consider how the cities are portrayed between and after the two World Wars. Film versions of the works will also be discussed. A special unit will be dedicated to the culinary practices of the two cities. 3 hr sem./screening and culinary practice (ITAL 0354, 0355, or equivalents) (P. Zupan)

ITAL 0480 Letteratura dell'Ottocento (Not offered 2008-09)
Course members will study the period that runs from the Romantic era to the first signs of modernism. We will study authors of this period such as Manzoni, Leopardi, and Pellico, who all work in the shadow of the gathering movement toward unification of Italy (the Risorgimento); the scapigliati, who represent the reaction against Romanticism; and the veristi, Capuana and Verga, who are influenced by French realism. The course is intended for seniors who have spent at least one semester in Italy. LIT LNG EUR

ITAL 0490 Dante in Italian (Not offered 2008-09)
This course concentrates on a close reading of the whole of Dante's Inferno. Students will learn about the historical and literary context of the work, read excerpts from the Purgatorio and the Paradiso, get acquainted with the long tradition of Dante commentaries, and contribute twice a week to an on-line discussion on the weekly readings. After two short papers that will analyze specific aspects of a canto, students will prepare as a final project a Lectura Dantis: a detailed analysis of a canto of the Inferno that will include critical material. (ITAL 0355 or equivalent) 3 hrs. disc. LIT EUR

ITAL 0550 Independent Study (Fall, Winter, Spring)
Italian faculty as a group will consider and approve requests by qualified juniors and seniors to engage in independent work. Students must submit a prospectus that includes a bibliography of no less than five sources. Interested students should contact members of the Italian faculty before the end of the preceding term to discuss their project and to see if they are available to direct the Independent Study. Students must submit a prospectus with the department chair by the end of the first week of classesfor fall and spring term approvals, by the end the last week of fall semesterfor winter term approvals. Prior to submission, sufficient advance consultation with project directors is required.Junior students are strongly encouraged to consider independent study as preparation for senior honors thesis work. (Staff)

ITAL 0755 Senior Honors (Winter, Spring)
As prerequisite, students must have an A- or above average in Italian courses and a B overall average to be considered for honors work. They may achieve honors through a one-credit thesis of 25 or more pages, whose work may extend over one or more semesters, or through a comprehensive exam. Italian faculty as a group will consider and approve requests by qualified juniors and seniors to engage in honors work. (Staff)

To file a request for thesis work with the department chair, students must present a prospectus and bibliography of no less than 10 sources within the semester preceding the honors work. Students must file with the department chair by the second week of classes for fall term approvals, and by the last week of fall term for winter or spring term approvals. To file a request for a comprehensive exam, students must notify the chair within the above dates, so the faculty may discuss the appropriate reading list and exam schedule. Prior to filing, sufficient advance consultation with thesis and exam directors is required.