Italian 221DE - Italian Lit: Love and Death

This course is an introduction to the major cultural movements of Medieval and Renaissance Italy, from Saint Francis of Assisi to Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch, Machiavelli, and Vittoria Colonna. It surveys the major cultural and historical currents and introduces students to the masterpieces of Italy's literary tradition. Love and death will be the main themes covered in the course. Class discussions, written work, and movie screenings are aimed at developing skills in oral expression and expository writing in Italian. In Fall 2016, the course will include a special focus on Italian Theatre and Opera.