Italian (ITA)

An introduction to the Italian language with emphasis on speaking and understanding. Writing skills are developed and readings in Italian are included. Introduction to basic elements of Italian culture. This course is designed for students with no previous knowledge of Italian or with a maximum of two years of high school Italian. No credit will be granted for the course to any student who is fluent in the language or who has had more than two years of high school Italian.

Continuation of ITA 1101.

Through analysis of historical, anthropological, literary, political, and cinematic materials, this course investigates how Italian Organized Crime has been portrayed in Italian and American Films from the early 20th century to the present, in contrast to its historical and political reality. The glamorized representation of the Italian mafia in Hollywood has had a significant impact on how the American public views it. The fiction concerning the mafia, including stereotypes, myths, and legends, will be critically investigated through the analysis of historical texts, articles in scholarly journals in anthropology and political science, autobiography, poetry, photography, and some of the most significant American and Italian films and novels depicting mafia subculture.

This course will offer a unique opportunity to explore Italian cinema from the revolution introduced by Neorealism (mid-1940s to the beginning of the 1950s) to the emergence of the great filmmakers, like Pier Paolo Pasolini, Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini, and Luchino Visconti. A view of contemporary cinema will also be offered through the directorial styles of Tornatore, Amelio and Crialese. Some Italian literature will also be presented.

The development of elementary audio-lingual skills and their further development; emphasis on developing reading skills. Students must have three years of high school Italian or ITA-102 before taking this course.

Continuation of ITA-2103.

Reading and discussion of major authors of Italian literature and on topics related to Italian culture.

A research and reading project, agreed upon by professor and student, is carried out under the professor's supervision. The student's progress is monitored by regular meetings and reports. Evaluation by means of any of several methods--examinations, written assignments, term paper, oral reports.