Ilaria Brancoli Busdraghi
Senior Lecturer in Italian
- Office
- Voter Hall 114
- Tel
- (802) 443-3269
- ibrancol@middlebury.edu
- Office Hours
- FALL 2024: Monday, 10-11:30 Thursday, 2:30-4:00, and by appointment.
Courses Taught
FYSE 1344
Culinary History of Italy
Course Description
Time Around A Table: A Culinary History of Italy
Food is a window into the culture and values of any society. In this seminar we will explore the history of Italian culture by investigating the ever-changing issues relating to food, through books, articles, films, recipes, and cooking. How did production and consumption change over time? What did the Ancient Romans eat? What was Italian cuisine like before pasta and tomatoes? What triggered the Italian appetite to change? Such questions allow us to examine what culinary choices reveal about today’s Italy. 3 hrs. sem.
Terms Taught
Requirements
ITAL 0101
Current
Beginning Italian
Course Description
Beginning Italian
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
Terms Taught
Requirements
ITAL 0102
Upcoming
Beginning Italian
Course Description
Beginning Italian II
This course is a continuation of ITAL 0101, and emphasizes spoken and written Italian and the mastery of more complex grammatical structures and vocabulary. Students continue to work with conversation partners, but will also incorporate more specific cultural references in oral presentations and in written assignments. Students attend the Italian table and mandatory film screenings. (ITAL 0101 or equivalent)
Terms Taught
Requirements
ITAL 0103
Upcoming
Beginning Italian
Course Description
Beginning Italian III
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 0102 or equivalent) 6 hrs. disc./perf.; 2 hrs. screen.
Terms Taught
Requirements
ITAL 0123
Accelerated Beginning Italian
Course Description
Accelerated Beginning Italian
This course is an intensive introduction to the Italian language that condenses the material normally covered in ITAL 0101, 0102 and 0103. We will focus on the spoken language and encourage rapid mastery of the basic structures and vocabulary. Conversation and drill will be stimulated and fostered through active reference to popular Italian culture, film, and music. We will meet 5 times a week including two 75-minutes meetings and an additional drill session. After completing this course students will be fully prepared for second-year Italian. 6 hr. lect./disc./1.5 hr. drill
Terms Taught
Requirements
ITAL 0251
Current
Intro Contemporary Italy
Course Description
An Introduction to Contemporary Italy
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 news magazines will enhance and complete the learning experience. (ITAL 0103, ITAL 0123, waiver, or equivalent) 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
ITAL 0252
Italian Culture: Fascism-Pres
Course Description
Italian Culture II: From the Sixties to the Present Day
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.
Terms Taught
Requirements
ITAL 0356
A Culinary History of Italy
Course Description
A Culinary History of Italy (in Italian)
In this course we will examine the role of food in society by investigating the history of Italian cuisine and the ever-changing issues relating to food and foodways, through books, articles, films, and recipes. What did the Ancient Romans eat? What was Italian cuisine like before pasta and tomatoes? How did production and consumption change over time? Through such questions we will examine what culinary choices tell us about today’s Italy and how they are strictly intertwined with the search for a national identity. (Not open to students who have taken FYSE 1344 or ITAL 1003) 3 hrs. lect./disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
ITAL 0550
Current
Upcoming
Independent Study
Course Description
Independent Study
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.
Terms Taught
ITAL 0755
Current
Upcoming
Senior Honors
Course Description
Students majoring in Italian must complete an independent senior project. Italian faculty as a group will consider and approve the proposals, which should be submitted before the last week of the preceding semester. The senior project will be advised by one member of the Italian department, but will be presented to the whole department. Italian honors will be awarded to eligible students depending on the final grade. (Staff)
Terms Taught
ITAL 1003
Culinary History of Italy
Course Description
Time Around the Table: A Culinary History of Italy
In this course food will be our guide in the exploration of Italian history and culture. The choices that a nation, in our case Italy, made and makes about issues surrounding food tell us about identity, be it social, national, regional, ethnic, or religious. We will examine a number of questions: What do we mean when we talk about Italian food? What did one eat in Ancient Rome or during the Renaissance? And what about today? What are the historical events that have shaped what we have in mind when we say “Italian food”? And what about “Italian-American” food? (Not open to students who have taken FYSE 1344).
Terms Taught
Requirements