News and Events

Please join the departments of Black Studies, Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies, and Italian for a reception celebrating graduates in these disciplines. 

The following departments invite grads and their guests to join them in the locations listed below.

Black Studies | Abernethy Room (AXN 221) | 2:45-3:30 pm
Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies | AXN 220 | 2:45-3:30 pm
Italian | Abernethy Room (AXN 221) | 3:45-4:30 pm

St. Francis of Assisi is celebrated as the patron saint of animals and is also recognized as a symbol of pacifism and brotherhood. How then could the figure of St. Francis end up serving the Fascist political project, most tellingly by being declared the Patron Saint of (Fascist) Italy in 1939? Why, and how, would this scrawny Saint become the emblem of a nation dedicated to war?

International Karaoke is back!

The evening will begin with performances from student groups representing each language department - so come cheer on your department and help them win!

After the competition, the stage opens to everyone to sing a non-English song during Open Mic.

Come celebrate language, culture, and community at Middlebury College!

Remarks and awards for Italian department seniors and their families.

Barbara Ofosu-Somuah ‘13, both a Watson and a Fulbright recipient, is a published and recognized translator from Italian, an activist, and currently a PhD student at Duke University. Her talk will discuss the work of current Black Italian authors and the role of translation

Kwanza Musi Dos Santos is an italian-afrobrazilian activist raised in Rome, co-founder of the cultural association QuestaèRoma that has been operating since 2013 to erase any type of discrimination through culture and art. Her talk will focus on colonial-era public art in Rome, and its relationship with current erasure of Italian colonial past.

Join us in singing songs in a foreign language! You won’t be able to sing in English but there is still a variety to choose from: Russian, German, Portuguese, Chinese, Italian, French, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, and others. The details will follow up in the Language House Instagrams: @russianhousemidd @midd_chinese_house @deutschhaus_middlbry @casadeespanol @arabichouse2 @jhouse_diary @casaitalianamidd @lamaisonfrancaisemidd @casadeportuguesemidd

The Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs Program in Global Political Economy presents “How Equality Helped Italy Fight Corruption” with Lucia Manzi, SUNY Plattsburgh. Organized by Gary WInslett, Assistant Professor of Political Science.

In 1992, the “Clean Hands” anti-corruption operation resulted in hundreds of convictions and permanently changed the Italian political landscape. How was this breakthrough possible? Prof. Manzi shows how egalitarian changes in prosecutorial institutions helped the Italian government more effectively fight the Mafia as well as terrorist organizations.

How is Italy doing today? From discrimination of minority groups to the efforts towards a more inclusive language, students of “Italy Today: From the Margins to the Center” will present their findings and the challenges that Italy faces. Formats will range from posters to presentations. Even though the class is in Italian, this event and the presentations will be in English: everybody is welcome to attend!

Commencement reception for seniors and their families for the departments of Arabic, Chinese, Comparative Literature, Italian, Japanese Studies, Luso-Hispanic Studies, and Russian.