Global Arc

Topics will range from the study of a single author (such as Pirandello, Montale, Pavese, D'Annunzio) to the investigation of specific literary and poetic problems. One three-hour seminar. Prerequisite: ITA 107, ITA 207I, ITA 208 or permission of instructor.

The evolution of Italian contemporary civilization through the study of historical, sociopolitical, and cultural topics. The approach will be interdisciplinary; each year a different topic will be selected and studied as portrayed in representative samples of slides, films, and pertinent reading material. One-hour lecture, two-hour precept. Prerequisite: a 200-level Italian course or instructor's permission. Offered in alternate years.

An introduction to Italian cinema from 1945 to the present. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the course will focus on sociopolitical and cultural issues as well as on basic concepts of film style and technique. Specific topics will change from year to year, and prerequisites will vary. No knowledge of Italian is required to enroll. One 90-minute lecture, one 90-minute precept, and one film showing.

This course, conducted in English, is a study of Fascism through selected films from World War II to the present. Topics include: the concept of Fascist normality; Racial Laws; the role of women and homosexuals; colonialism and the opposition of the intellectual left. Films include: Bertolucci's The Conformist, Fellini's Amarcord, Rossellini's Rome Open City, Rosi's The Truce, Benigni's Life is Beautiful, and Wertmüller's Seven Beauties. The approach is interdisciplinary and combines the analysis of historical themes with an in-depth cinematic reading of the films.

What we do or do not eat and where we eat, are questions linked to anthropological and cultural matters. In a socio-political context, food, or the lack thereof, defines a society and its inadequacies. It becomes an agent of power, a metaphor for sex and gender, as well as a means of community. Whether as desire or transgression, whether corporal or spiritual, the representation of food is the depiction of Italian life. This course will examine translated Italian texts, along with visual art and film, in order to explore the function of eating, both as biological necessity as well as metaphor, within Italian society.

Italian 1027 is an intensive double-credit course designed to help students develop an active command of the language by improving upon the five skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing and cultural competency in the interpretative, interpersonal, and presentational modes. The course emphasizes communication and grammatical structures through use of various forms of texts (literary, artistic, musical, cinematographic, etc.) in order to refine students' literacy. Prerequisite: Successful performance in ITA 101 and permission of instructor. Five 90-minute classes.

What does it mean to have a crisis? How do we overcome one? This course explores the idea of crisis as a defining feature of Italian culture and history from Dante to the present, spanning the individual, political, and society. Through the examination of the most relevant intellectual, historic, and artistic movements, we study how crises have lead both to some of Italy's most spectacular achievements, and to the rise and fall of Fascism. This will allow us to reflect on today's personal and global crises, such as the atrocities of war and climate change.

This course analyzes Italian history and society, cultural changes as well as popular products such as food, sports, comic books, fashion, TV, movie, film, and visual art. It is intended to provide students with tools for communicating effectively in Italian in an informal and formal context, to move students along the proficiency spectrum toward an advanced language proficiency, to promote global awareness and cross-cultural understanding of contemporary Italian life and culture through authentic material such as literary texts, news clippings, essays, films, paintings, and songs.

This course explores crucial topics-such as landscapes, beauty, migration, and travel-that define Italian literature. Through the analysis of materials from different sources and genres (literature, cinema, art, design, journalism) students will acquire a deeper understanding of Italian cultural history, and its present and future trajectory. Particular emphasis will be given to the refinement of the writing process. On the intercultural level, students will conduct task-based activity to compare, contrast and challenge the main ideas acquired in the course vis à vis their own cultural identity. Three 50-minute classes.

A four-week summer intensive language course, equivalent to 207, taught at the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, Italy. The course will be team taught by a resident Princeton faculty and a SNS faculty member. The course is designed to elevate students' writing and speaking language proficiency levels and enable understanding of Italian culture, history, and literature. Admission by application and interview. Prerequisite: 107 or 102-7, or equivalent. Five four-hour classes per week, plus activities and trips.