The works of Italy's most influential filmmaker in the most crucial years of Italy's recent history (1953-1973) are examined to understand the persuasive power of the mise-en-scene that, while presenting itself as totally false, induces a powerful sense of experiential truth in the audience. By understanding how Fellini persuade us with his stories, we understand how we are made of stories ourselves.

The Decameron is the most famous collection of short stories in European literature. We will read and discuss a selection of tales with subjects that vary from undying love to gross hookups, from generosity and magnificence to pettiness and selfishness. The book's universe of characters is similarly diverse. We'll read about kings and queens, merchants and prostitutes, adventurers and pilgrims as their stories play out in Italy and across the Mediterranean. Course 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.

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Not available at this time

Course taught in English. In this course, students will explore the mind-body connection and its implications for conceptions of gender, identity, and power, both interpersonal and political through close analysis of visual art, texts, and films. Though the works we will analyze in this class were all produced in 20th-century Italy and center on representations of women and their bodies, all of these works appeal to a broad base of students.

Course 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.

The course will provide an overview of some of the major Italian literary works of the modern times, from the 1600s to contemporary times. It will specifically address the concept of "Modernity" in the literary field in relation with artistic and philosophical movements and with the social and cultural changes leading to the development of Italian contemporary culture. Two formal assignments, midterm, presentations and final paper. Course taught in Italian.

Course 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 jr. year writing requirement. Students examine various genres of Italian cultural expression, including poetry, song, the short story, theater, cinema, the novel, 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.