Italian (ITA)

ITA 101 Beginning Italian I (4 credits)

Proficiency-based instruction will encourage the development of speaking, reading, writing and listening comprehension. Instruction of basic grammar and pronunciation will accompany active student participation in task-oriented group work in the classroom. This course is aimed at developing the novice low/mid-level according to ACTFL - American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. This course is reserved for beginning students with no experience with the Italian language.

Prerequisites: Language Placement with a score of IT101

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate Day Division level students. Students with the Italian 102 Placement, Italian 201 Placement, Italian 202 Placement or Italian 301 Placement attributes may not enroll.

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 102 Beginning Italian II (4 credits)

Proficiency-based instruction will encourage the development of speaking, reading, writing and listening comprehension. Instruction of basic grammar and pronunciation will accompany active student participation in task-oriented group work in the classroom. This course is aimed at developing the novice mid/high level according to ACTFL - American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

Prerequisites: ITA 101 or Language Placement with a score of IT102

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate Day Division level students. Students with the Italian 201 Placement, Italian 202 Placement or Italian 301 Placement attributes may not enroll.

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 170 Special Topics in Italian (3 credits)

Topics will vary according to the semester in which the class is offered. Check the semester listing for current topic.

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 201 Intermediate Italian I (3 credits)

Proficiency-based instruction will encourage the development of speaking, reading, writing and listening comprehension. Instruction of basic grammar and pronunciation will accompany active student participation in task-oriented group work in the classroom. This course is aimed at developing the novice high/intermediate low level according to ACTFL - American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

Prerequisites: ITA 102 or Language Placement with a score of IT201

Restrictions: Students with the Italian 202 Placement or Italian 301 Placement attributes may not enroll.

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 202 Intermediate Italian II (3 credits)

Proficiency-based instruction will encourage the development of speaking, reading, writing and listening comprehension. Instruction of basic grammar, pronunciation, and writing will accompany active student participation in task-oriented group work in the classroom. This course is aimed at developing the intermediate low/mid-level according to ACTFL - American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

Prerequisites: ITA 201 or Language Placement with a score of IT202

Restrictions: Students with the Italian 301 Placement attribute may not enroll.

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 206 The Roman Experience (3 credits)

This month-long, full-immersion course will improve students' command of Italian as it provides an enriching cultural experience. Students will discover what it means to live amidst ancient ruins, baroque basilicas, and artistic treasures as they navigate the eternal city. Through daily excursions and task-based activities students will acquire practical skills as they are immersed in Roman art, cuisine, culture and history. In particular, we will examine forces that have shaped the world we have inherited through units on the Jesuits in Rome. This course counts toward the minor and major in Italian, and for the major in Italian Studies.

Prerequisites: ITA 102

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 270 Special Topics in Italian (3 credits)

Topics will vary according to the semester in which the class is offered. Check the semester listing for current topic.

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 301 Italian Conversation (3 credits)

This course is designed to help students improve their oral communication skills in Italian through participation in interactive tasks. Much attention will be paid to the practice of new vocabulary. Discussion of grammar and communicative strategies will be integrated as needed in order to facilitate students' attempts at various rhetorical functions, such as describing, narrating, explaining, defining, expressing and supporting opinions, and tailoring the discourse to the audience and context.

Prerequisites: ITA 202 or Language Placement with a score of IT301

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 302 Italian Composition (3 credits)

This course is designed to improve students' ability to communicate in written Italian and to develop the writing skills they will need to succeed in advanced Italian courses. Skills are developed through a process- oriented approach to writing, including steps related to vocabulary generation, organizing an outline, writing a draft, editing and revising, and writing a final version.

Prerequisites: (ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT302) and ENG 101

Attributes: Undergraduate, Writing Intensive Course- GEP

ITA 303 Advanced Italian Conversation (3 credits)

The purpose of this course is to improve students' oral command of the language by means of an intensive practical presentation of the structures and stylistics of the language. We shall read both literary texts and short newspaper articles. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 304 Advanced Italian Composition (3 credits)

The purpose of this course is to improve students' written command of the language by means of an intensive practical presentation of the structures and stylistics of the language. We shall read both literary texts and short newspaper articles. The course will be organized thematically around two main areas: issues in contemporary society and Roman literary and historical landscapes. Conducted in Italian. Prerequisite: ITA 301 or permission of the instructor.

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 306 The Roman Experience (3 credits)

The purpose of this course is to improve students' oral and written command of Italian through an intensive full-immersion presentation of the structures and stylistics of the language. The course is organized thematically around two main areas: issues in contemporary society and Roman literary, artistic and social landscapes. Students will read twentieth-century writers' appreciation of Rome, and newspaper articles on local cultural and social issues. While visiting sites described in the readings, interviewing the denizens on local issues, and observing the art and architecture that has left its imprint on western civilization as we know it, students will be asked to comment on their observations both in writing and in group conversation. They will acquire a very personal appreciation of the meraviglie di Roma and will formulate oral and written analyses on social, historical and artistic subjects. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301

Attributes: Diversity Course, GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 309 I giovani e l’Italia di oggi (3 credits)

This course offers a unique perspective on contemporary Italy by placing the young generation at the center of study. Students will to improve their communication skills while exploring a variety of narratives - songs, short stories, film, music, poems and newspaper articles-written by, for, or about Italian culture; the course will therefore introduce the analytical tools necessary for literary and film analysis. Political engagement, school life, adolescence, and generational conflicts are among the themes we will discuss. Class activities will provide students the opportunity to express and debate their personal views, which will guide the development and refinement of oral and written proficiency. The expansion of vocabulary and the study of grammar will be incorporated in the discussion of the trends and habits of the young Italian generation. Requirements include a variety of presentations, role-play dialogues, and creative and collaborative projects. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 and ITA 302

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 310 Italian Stylistics (3 credits)

This course introduces the fundamental principles and techniques of literary analysis in each of the major genres (lyric poetry, short story, theatre, epic poetry, novel), while presenting a sampling of masterpieces and authors from across the Italian literary tradition. By introducing students to the major writers and movements of Italian literature from the thirteenth through the twentieth centuries, we will examine the work of different styles and themes, with specific attention to historical and cultural frameworks. We will pay close attention to the vocabulary used in literary study, as well as to linguistic and stylistic difficulties in textural analysis.

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 315 Italy Through Art (3 credits)

In this language and culture course students refine their skills while learning about Italy through the medium of art. The approach encourages the development of a critical understanding of individual works by introducing students to the visual language of art. As a survey course, the subject content is chronologically wide ranging, extending from Magna Grecia to the Novecento, and includes a variety of media, including painting, sculpture and architecture. Among the artists covered are Cimabue, Giotto, Donatello, Masaccio, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, Leonardo, Raffaello, Michelangelo, Cellini, Giorgione, Tiziano, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, Canaletto, Guardi, Canova, Modigliani, and De Chirico. By analyzing a variety of cultural artifacts, students will build vocabulary and use advanced grammatical structures. We will also read critical articles on art history and study the University's Art collection, which includes replicas of Michelangelo's most famous sculptures. The course is complemented visits to the Barnes Foundation and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 202

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 320 Italian Through Film (3 credits)

Course aims to improve students' speaking and listening skills and their understanding of Italian culture by viewing and discussing Italian film. Conducted in Italian.

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 330 The Ita Bus Wrld & its Lang (3 credits)

This course explores the language and culture of the Italian business world at an intermediate-high to advanced level. Besides developing writing and speaking skills-such as writing c.v., business letters and job descriptions; practicing job interviews, business meetings and presentations-the course analyzes socio-economic issues such as the position of women in the work force, the globalization of the markets of the European Union, and business etiquette through the analysis of Italian articles, the internet and visual materials (TV and movies). Conducted in Italian.

Attributes: Diversity Course, Undergraduate

ITA 340 Italian Culture & Civilization (3 credits)

A survey of the culture of Italy, its geography, history, politics, outstanding personalities, arts, literature, economic and social problems, sciences, and education. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 345 Art Fashion: la moda italiana (3 credits)

The goal of this course is to facilitate future educators in the teaching of foreign language and to allow those students, who are Education Majors and Minors, to fully comprehend how the multi-dimensional world of bilingualism plays and will continue to play a very important role in the future of this country. This course will examine the intricacies of acquiring a second language through the pedagogical years and into adulthood and will be taught in Italian. It will also examine the communication skills of Italian students learning English and of American students learning Italian. Emphasis shall be placed on the characteristics of interaction within the contexts that facilitate second language acquisition. Students will explore social, environmental and cultural differences and the roles they play in promoting or impeding L2 fluency and pronunciation. Theories and methodologies will be discussed, language classes observed and, eventually, students may have the possibility to teach specific grammar points in first year classrooms. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: (ITA 301 and ITA 302) or (Language Placement with a score of IT345)

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature

ITA 350 Topics & Meth for Teaching Ita (3 credits)

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT350

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 355 In Viaggio: Medioevo-Barocco (3 credits)

This interdisciplinary course focuses on the cultures of Medieval and Renaissance Italy and their enduring influence on contemporary Italian culture. As we examine the ways in which power and gender are reflected in cultural artifacts, we will study a variety of texts (including painting, sculpture, poetry and letters exchanged between friends and family members). These works allow us to trace the evolution of the concepts of sacred and profane love from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries. At the center of our inquiry are two issues central to early modern Italy: the self-fashioning of the subject and the structures and practices of power. Weekly themes—patronage and propaganda, the family, love and marriage, and women’s roles in early modern society—will provide a frame for class discussion. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 202

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Medieval, Ren & Reform Studies, Undergraduate

ITA 356 In Viaggio: Barocco-Novecento (3 credits)

This language and culture course provides the tools to “travel” to the rich world of modern Italy and is designed to help students gain familiarity with Italian figures, art objects, cinematic texts, and literary works while developing and improving communication skills.The course focuses on interpretation and intercultural communication and showcases a sampling of culturally significant works. As we focus on the cultures of Baroque, Enlightenment, Risorgimento and Contemporary Italy, we will examine the ways in which power and gender are reflected in cultural artifacts and we will study the way in which art works and literary works have influenced Italian culture and western civilization.

Prerequisites: ITA 202

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 360 Modern Italian Culture (3 credits)

The purpose of this course is to study some of the principal characteristics of contemporary Italian culture. The course explores such topics as regionalism, the formation of a national language, the question of national identity, terrorism, the separatist movements, gender relations, feminism, and popular culture. It studies Italian cultural trends in Italy today, outlines their history over the last one hundred years, and explores the future of Italian culture and society. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT360

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 365 Italian Society and the Media (3 credits)

The goal of this course is to develop advanced-level oral/aural and reading/writing skills while addressing key aspects of contemporary Italian culture through the consideration of exclusively authentic materials, such as Italian newspaper and magazine articles, Italian TV broadcasting, and Italian internet sites. We shall also learn how to critique the written and visual Italian media, as well as how to navigate Italian websites. Students will choose readings and topics initially within a given list of categories and, later, among a virtually endless variety of internet sources. Among the topics we may address are: style, fashion and design; geography, art and tourism; the environment; immigration and racism; the position of young people and women in Italian society; current Italian and international events from an Italian perspective. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT365

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 370 Topics in Italian (3 credits)

The purpose of this course is to explore specific topics within the literatures and/or cultures of the Italian- speaking world. Topics will vary according to the semester in which the class is offered. Check the semester listing for current topic.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT370

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 380 Ita Journeys from Marco Polo (3 credits)

This interdisciplinary course investigates Italy's dual role as the home of legendary travelers and the destination for tourists over the centuries. Through a variety of texts-travel diaries, letters to kings and queens, maps, travel guides and film-we will explore the reality and metaphor of travel in the lives and works of pilgrims, poets, explorers and artists. We will consider three historical periods: the age of discovery (ca. 1300-1600), the grand tour (ca. 1600-1800) and the age of global tourism (ca. 1800- present). The course concludes with a virtual tour of various regions of contemporary Italy. As a final project, students will author their own travel guide to the Italian city (or cities) of their choice. Recommended for students who wish to further their cultural and linguistic preparation before studying abroad, this content-based language course emphasizes the vocabulary and idiomatic expressions necessary for travel in Italy. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT380

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 401 Early Ita Cinema-Stage to Scrn (3 credits)

This course traces the birth and development of silent film, the transition to sound, and film under fascism, with emphasis on film's relationship to theatre, literature and social and cultural history. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT401

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 402 L'Italiano al Cinema (3 credits)

This course investigates major films as both aesthetic and cultural objects. It will introduce major directors, movements, and genres in Italian cinema from World War II to the present. We will study both "film d'autore" (Visconti, De Sica, Fellini, Scola, Risi, Monicelli) and "nuovi registi" (Bellocchio, Giordana, Muccino). We will analyze typically Italian historical drama, "commedia all' italiana" and postmodern pastiche and explore contemporary social issues such as regional, ethnic and gender diversity. We will read literary sources, screenplays and film criticism. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT402

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 420 From Novel to Film (3 credits)

This course studies representations of Italian society from unification (1860) to the present in literary works and films. We shall consider films by contemporary Italian filmmakers (Visconti, Damiani, Rosi, Fratelli, Taviani), and the literary works on which they are based, including works by D'Annunzio, Pirandello, Levi, and Sciascia. While comparing cinematographic and literary techniques, we shall explore ideological and cultural currents, such as Romanticism, Risorgimento, Realism and Neo-realism. Topics discussed will include: the problems of unification; regionalism and separatism between industrial north and rural south; solitude and marginalization; the search for an identity. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT420

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 425 Art&Madman:Renaissance&Reform (3 credits)

What separates genius from madness? Is creativity inspiration or insanity? This interdisciplinary course examines tales of psychosis, violence and the making of artistic masterpieces. We will explore the lives and works of artists and poets, such as Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarotti, Vittoria Colonna, Benvenuto Cellini, Galileo Galilei, Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi. A variety of works [poetry, prose, painting and sculpture] will be studied against the backdrop of the crisis of the Italian Renaissance. We will look closely at Counterreformation intellectual debates, religious dissent and persecution. At the center of our inquiry is the figure of the artist-genius, madman, or both? This course will be complemented by guest speakers and a trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT425

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature

ITA 430 Imges of Rome:Papl Rome - Pres (3 credits)

This course will interpret the symbolic and political importance of Rome in literary works and film. The course is organized historically: from the struggle over Rome within the Risorgimento movement to fascist and war-torn Rome; from the 50's Rome of reconstruction to the economic boom of the 1960's, to the socio-political problems of a new multicultural city in the 80's and 90's. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT430

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 435 Rebels and Revolutionaries (3 credits)

The course aspires to provide an understanding of the culture of Baroque, Enlightenment and Risorgimento Italy and of its influence on contemporary Italian culture (especially as regards definition of concepts of gender, language and national identity). It considers a variety of genres-novels, poems, essays and plays-in the context of ideological and cultural currents. Audio-visual materials (videos, movies, cd roms) will be used and a variety of subtexts and interdisciplinary relationships will be explored, especially with history, art and philosophy. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT435

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 440 Profane and Sacred Love (3 credits)

The course aspires to provide an understanding of the culture of Medieval and Renaissance Italy and of its influence on contemporary Italian culture. It focuses on how power and gender relationships are reflected in the literature-canzoni, sonetti, ballate, novelle. The works studied belong to the tradition of Courtly Love, Neo- Platonic love and the literature of the Renaissance courtesans and follows the evolution of concepts of sacred and profane love in Italian literature from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries. The course considers a variety of subtexts and interdisciplinary relationships especially with history and art history. Audio-visual materials (videos, movies, cd roms) will be used to bring home to the students the sights and sounds of this vibrant age. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT440

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 445 The Medici Court (3 credits)

For the Medici, art and propaganda went hand in hand. This interdisciplinary course investigates the city and family that nurtured artists and humanists [including Brunelleschi, Fra Angelico, Donatello, Botticelli, Poliziano and Michelangelo]. Tracing the rise and fall of the dynasty, we will consider how the Medici fashioned an enduring image of princely power though architecture and music. We will study a variety of texts, including painting, sculpture, poetry and intimate letters exchanged between family members. This course will be complemented by visiting the Medici Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT445

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Medieval, Ren & Reform Studies, Undergraduate

ITA 450 Italy in Age of Grand Tour (3 credits)

This course focuses on travel through Italy as an educational experience and cultural initiation and aims to improve students' reading, writing and speaking skills in Italian, while familiarizing them with culturally important sites and encouraging them to think critically about the notion of the Grand Tour. Conducted in Italian

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT450

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 455 Women's Voices (3 credits)

We will investigate the relation between the emergence of a self-professed woman novelist and the changing ideologies concerning the moral and intellectual nature of women and their role in society. We will not only study the way prominent women intellectuals helped shape the debate on women's condition and on women's writing, but also their original contribution to the interpretation of twentieth century history (e.g. Fascism, the Resistance, the Second World War and the Holocaust). Among the literary theoretical issues we will encounter: the relationship of genre to gender, of gender to writing, and the role of gender values in historiographical representation. We shall read autobiographical and historical novels, as well as essays and non-fictional prose. The course will be complemented by a film and a lecture series. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301 or Language Placement with a score of IT455

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 460 Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio (3 credits)

This course explores intersections between the lives and the major works of the three "crowns" of Italian literature: Dante Alighieri [1265-1321], Francesco Petrarca [1304-1374] and Giovanni Boccaccio [1313-1375]. By reading selections from Dante's Commedia, Petrarch's Canzoniere and Boccaccio's Decameron, the course aims to contextualize and interpret the literary masterpieces that marked the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance. We will touch on the social world in which the three crowns lived, highlighting the authors' conceptions of politics, theology, philosophy and the visual arts. Throughout the course, particular attention will be granted to the rivalries, friendships and collaborations that unite the three crowns of Florence. Conducted in Italian.

Prerequisites: ITA 301

Attributes: GEP Art/Literature, Undergraduate

ITA 465 Birth of a Nation:Risorgimento (3 credits)

This course encourages a critical approach to the study of Italian unification in its aesthetic, cultural, and political dimensions as well as their repercussions on present-day Italian society and culture. The making of Italians, as Massimo D'Azeglio famously put it, would engage the best Italian minds for the following 150 years. The divisions between North and South, between Church and State, between the government and the people were created or compounded by the making of Italy. The course studies the debate on Italian Unification and the development of an Italian identity in a variety of historical artistic and literary sources, including diaries, letters, treatises, paintings, sculptures, poems and short stories.

Prerequisites: ITA 301

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 470 Topics in Italian (3 credits)

Attributes: Undergraduate

ITA 490 Internship (3 credits)

ITA 491 Internship (3 credits)

ITA 493 Independent Research in ITA (3 credits)

Concentrated focus on a selected topic in Italian. Topic and content vary from semester to semester.

Attributes: Undergraduate