A review of Italian through film. Cultural and linguistic aspects of five to six films and related readings will be the focus of this course and the starting point for class activities, conversation, written exercises, and grammar review. This interdisciplinary approach offers students an opportunity to explore Italian culture deeply, while at the same time improving their reading, writing, and speaking skills. The course also features regular conversation sessions with language assistants who are native speakers.

Can serious artists play cruel jokes? Who laughs at Dante? This course explores the role of lies and practical jokes in Italian literature and the way the concept of humor has changed over time. We will investigate the intimate connection among power, religion, and laughter by reading some of the funniest (and politically charged) works of Italian theatre. Our authors will take us through the streets of Renaissance Florence, eighteenth-century Venetian canals, as well as the improvised 'factory theaters' of the seventies.

This course is a transition from language courses to more advanced ones. It surveys the evolution of Italian culture and literature from its origins to modern times. Class discussions, written work, and movie screenings are aimed at developing skills in oral expression and expository writing in Italian.

This course explores the development of gender roles, gender narratives, and patterns and metaphors of society through books and short stories aimed at children and young adults. Readings include classics such as Basile's Pentamerone, Collodi's Pinocchio and DeAmicis' Cuore, and less-known works by Salgari, Baccini, Capuana, Vamba and Rodari. We will also examine the evolution of children's textbooks (with particular attention given to fascist schoolbooks), children's magazines, and the media.

If all is fair in love and war, are there rules for the game of power and seduction? As we move through the golden ages of absolute power in Spain, France, and Italy, will we witness a change for women? Students will explore such questions as they read plays by Tirso de Molina, Jos' Zorilla, Moli're, Beaumarchais, Goldoni; Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, and film versions of Dangerous Liaisons and Casanova's Memoirs.

Discussions and fieldwork provide the student with an opportunity to understand the classroom as a learning community. The tutorial includes several meetings focusing on the student's participant observations and assigned readings. Fieldwork includes a minimum of 20 hours on site, individually scheduled in early childhood (pre K-2) or elementary (1-6) settings. Assessment includes in-progress reports and a final project related to fieldwork. Course graded on a credit/no credit basis.

Students will learn about inquiry-based science/math curriculum and use of technology in the classroom. They will construct more extensive understandings of science/math instruction by developing lessons that implement the Massachusetts Frameworks. At the Hitchcock Center and in classes on campus, emphasis will be on learning diverse management and instructional practices, such as the use of manipulatives, problem solving, cooperative learning, and project-based learning. Students will become more adept at developing effective approaches to using assessment to guide instruction.

This course is intended to help prepare prospective secondary and middle school teachers for effective classroom instruction. The philosophical bases and current research behind classroom practices are also examined. Specific course activities focus on teaching in multicultural ways, establishing the classroom climate, choosing instructional approaches, designing curricula, assessing and attending to the needs of learners, evaluating student performance, and providing for classroom community leadership. Requires a prepracticum.

This is a fieldwork-based independent study course. During the fall and spring semesters it involves 20 to 40 hours of individually scheduled fieldwork in a secondary or middle school classroom or educational program. Students keep a reflective journal, read relevant articles and essays, meet regularly with the instructor, and write a final report. This course is graded on a credit/no credit basis.