The Department of French & Italian provides course information on our website to supplement official course information published by campus in the Guide and Course, Search and Enroll (CS&E). We encourage students to explore these campus sites for the most up-to-date information regarding course attributes, specific offerings, schedules, location, academic content and the class notes section within CS&E provided by the instructor and/or department. For questions about undergraduate courses please contact Mandi Schoville and for graduate courses contact Shawn Ramer.
Undergraduate French Course Information
French language courses* are available for complete beginners through advanced students. Students who have any previous French language knowledge, study and/or credits, must take the French placement test. Visit French Placement for more information or questions.
French Foundational Courses
- French 101: First Semester French (offered fall / spring)
- French 102: Second Semester French (offered fall / spring)
- French 105: Accelerated Introductory French (offered summer and sometimes fall/spring)
- French 203: Third Semester French (offered fall / spring)
- French 204: Fourth Semester French (offered fall / spring)
- French 205: Accelerated Intermediate French (offered summer and sometimes fall/spring)
Language courses beyond 4th semester French!
- French 228: Intermediate Language and Culture (offered fall / spring)
- French 311: Advanced Composition and Speaking (offered fall only)
- French 312: Advanced Writing Workshop (offered spring only)
- French/Int’l Bus 313: Professional Communication and Culture in the Francophone World (offered fall only)
- French/Int’l Bus 314: Contemporary Issues in Business, Government and NGOs (offered spring only)
- French 590: Introduction to Phonetics (offered occasionally)
- French 316: Study Abroad: Advanced French Language (only available to students on a UW-Madison study abroad program)
*Please note that the Department of French & Italian does not allow auditors in French language classes.
For Course Materials, Instructor Content and to Enroll visit
Course, Search & Enroll – French Courses
and Course, Search & Enroll – Lit Trans Course.
French 105: Accelerated Introductory French
Credits: 4
Format: Online and Synchronous with some Asynchronous work
Dates: June 15, 2026 – August 9, 2026 (8 weeks – DHH)
Schedule: M/W/F, 10:00 am – 12:15 pm synchronous online
Instructor: Graduate TA
Language of Instruction: French
Requisite: Not open to students with credit in French 102.*
Counts towards: Foreign Language level 2, Elementary level, L&S credit, Accelerated Honors, French Foundational Course
Description: Accelerated development of communicative literacy skills in French and exploration of the contemporary French-speaking world, equivalent to the completion of both FRENCH 101 and FRENCH 102.
Equivalent to taking French 101 and 102. Upon completion of this course, students can enroll in French 203 or 205.
*After May 15th, open to graduate students with permissions – contact frit@frit.wisc.edu.
French 205: Accelerated Intermediate French
Credits: 4
Format: Online and Synchronous with some Asynchronous work
Dates: June 15, 2026 – August 9, 2026 (8 weeks – DHH)
Schedule: M/W/F, 10:00 am – 12:15 pm synchronous online
Instructor: Heather Allen and a Graduate TA
Language of Instruction: French
Requisite: French 102 or 105 or placement into French 203. Not open to students with credit for French 204.*
Counts towards: Foreign Language level 4, Intermediate level, L&S credit, Accelerated Honors, French Foundational Course
Description: Develops communicative skills in relation to interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational speaking and writing and their understanding of the French-speaking world. Course topics include friendship and social media, scientific innovations, food cultures around the world, globalization, immigration, and language advocacy.
Equivalent to taking French 203 and 204. Upon completion of this course, students can enroll in French 228.
*After May 15th, open to graduate students with permissions – contact frit@frit.wisc.edu.
Lit Trans 103: French Love
French Love VideoCredits: 3
Format: All Asynchronous
Dates: June 15, 2026 – August 9, 2026 (8 weeks – DHH)
Schedule: Online asynchronous
Instructor: TBD
Language of Instruction: English
Requisite: None
Counts towards: European Studies Certificate, French Major
Description: The course explores the unique perspectives on love in French and Francophone cultures through an examination of its philosophical conceptualizations as well as literary and cinematographic representations. Delves into what makes love particularly French, while also providing the opportunity to reflect on an emotion that is universally human and intimately individual.
The study of love in French culture follows two intertwined paths: philosophical questions raised by 21st-century thinkers, and close readings of fiction in its historical evolution from the Middle Ages to our times.
By combining literary readings with philosophical inquiry, this course develops the ability to interpret and comprehend love across its multicultural and historical manifestations.
For Course Materials, Instructor Content and to Enroll visit
Course, Search & Enroll.
Foundational French Courses offered in fall 2026:
- French 101: First Semester French
- French 102: Second Semester French
- French 105: Accelerated Introductory French
- French 203: Third Semester French
- French 204: Fourth Semester French
- French 205: Accelerated Intermediate French
French 228: Intermediate Language and Culture
Credits: 3
Schedule / Instructor:
- Section 001 – M/W/F, 9:55 am to 10:45 am – Instructor TBD
- Section 002 – M/W/F, 12:05 pm to 12:55 pm – Instructor TBD
- Section 001 – T/R, 11:00 am to 12:15 pm – Ritt Deitz
Language of Instruction: French
Requisite: French 204, French 205 or placement into French 228
Counts towards: French Certificate – French Major – Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate
Description: Enhance writing and speaking proficiency through cultural readings on France and the francophone world. Review of grammar and focus on more complex grammatical structures.
French 271: Literature, Comics, and Film in French
Credits: 3
Schedule / Instructor:
- Section 001 – M/W/F, 12:05 pm to 12:55 pm – Joshua Armstrong
- Section 002 – M/W/F, 1:20 pm to 2:10 pm – Instructor TBD
Language of Instruction: French
Requisite: French 228
Counts towards: French Certificate – French Major – Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate
Description: An introduction to reading and analyzing literary works, comics, and film, with special emphasis on the development of writing skills in French.
French 280: Exploring Paris
formerly taught under topic course French 211
Credits: 3
Schedule: M/W, 1:20 pm to 2:10 pm + one discussion section
Instructor: Joshua Armstrong
Language of Instruction: English
Requisite: None
Counts towards: French Major
Description: Explore the city of Paris through the diverse, historical, creative, and anecdotal perspectives offered by writers, filmmakers, and other artists. Discuss how authors like Emile Zola, Ernest Hemingway, James Baldwin, and French Nobel Prize laureate Patrick Modiano introduce a range of voices and eras. Explore key neighborhoods, city maps, significant landmarks, and pivotal historical events, culminating in a nuanced appreciation of Paris’s spatial, historical, and literary complexity.
French 285: Rebellious Women from the Global South*
“Some classes end up sticking with you, and Rebellious Women was one of them. I can’t think of another course that tied together literature, history, and current events so seamlessly. Learning about the immense hardships women have faced, and the awe-inspiring ways they’ve overcome them, has shaped my academic and professional life.” – Lilah G. (Journalism and French Major)
Credits: 3
Schedule: M/W/F, 12:05 pm to 12:55 pm
Instructor: Nevine El Nossery
Language of Instruction: English
Requisite: None
Counts towards: African Studies Certificate – Arabic Language and Culture Certificate – French Major – Gender and Women’s Studies Major and Certificate – International Studies Major – Middle East Studies Certificate
Description: Explores how women from different francophone regions (with a specific focus on North and Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East) gain agency through literature, movies, comics, and songs, contesting different forms of domination, exclusion, and injustice, based on gender, race, class, and religion.
*Crosslisted with Gender & Women’s Studies
French 288: Doctors without Boarders (Médecins sans Frontières)
Credits: 3
Schedule: T/R, 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm
Instructor: Ritt Deitz
Language of Instruction: English
Requisite: None
Counts Towards: French Major – Global Health Certificate – Health and Humanities Certificate – International Studies Major
Description: An overview of the global humanitarian NGO, Doctors without Borders (or Médecins sans Frontières MSF) including its history, mission, organization, and the cultural, political, and ethical challenges it faces. Explores issues of global health, social justice, and humanitarian action. Features distinguished global practitioners with first-hand experience in health crisis situations.
French 311: Advanced Composition and Speaking
Credits: 3
Schedule / Instructor:
- Section 001 – M/W/F, 9:55 am to 10:45 am – Anne Theobald
- Section 002 – M/W/F, 11:00 am to 11:50 am – Anne Theobald
Language of Instruction: French
Requisite: French 228
Counts Towards: French Certificate – French Major – Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate
Description: Learn to write essays on a variety of topics, using different registers of French, and work to correct pronunciation and improve conversation skills.
French 313: Professional Communication and Culture in the Francophone World*
Credits: 3
Schedule: T/R, 9:30 am to 10:45 am
Instructor: Ritt Deitz
Language of Instruction: French
Requisite: French 228 or French 311
Counts Towards: French Certificate – French Major – Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate
Description: Study and analysis of the culture and sociology of professional environments in the French and Francophone worlds, including government, international organizations, NGO’s and business. Students develop communication skills through interactive teaching methods in multimedia labs.
*Crosslisted with International Studies
French 321: Medieval and Early Modern French Literature
Credits: 3
Schedule: T/R, 11:00 am to 12:15 pm
Instructor: Anne Vila
Language of Instruction: French
Requisite: French 271
Counts Towards: French Certificate – French Major – Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate
Description: Introduction to important literary works from the medieval era to the French Revolution.
French 322: Modern French and Francophone Literature
Credits: 3
Schedule: T/R, 2:30 pm to 3:45 pm
Instructor: Florence Vatan
Language of Instruction: French
Requisite: French 271
Counts Towards: French Certificate – French Major – Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate
Description: Introduction to important literary works of modernity (from the French Revolution to the twenty-first century).
French 348: Modernity Studies
Credits: 3
Schedule: T/R, 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm
Instructor: Jan Miernowski
Language of Instruction: French
Requisite: French 271
Counts Towards: French Certificate – French Major – Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate
Description: An introduction to political, social, intellectual, artistic and literary developments in French and Francophone culture, within the time period from the French Revolution to the current era.
French 462: French/Francophone Cultural Studies Across the Centuries*
Topic: L’Humanisme de la Renaissance
Credits: 3
Schedule: T/R, 4:00 pm to 5:15 pm
Instructor: Jan Miernowski
Language of Instruction: French
Requisite: French 271 (Note: FR 271 is the new requisite. Contact Mandi Schoville to get permission if you have taken FR 271).
Counts Towards: French Certificate – French Major
Description: A study of how culture has evolved over the course of French history, in relation to a chosen topic.
*Meets-With French 672
Undergraduate Italian Course Information
Italian language courses* are available for complete beginners through advanced students. Students who have any previous Italian language knowledge, study and/or credits, must take the Italian placement test. Visit Italian Placement for more information or questions.
Foundational Italian Courses
- Italian 101: First Semester Italian (offered fall / spring)
- Italian 102: Second Semester Italian (offered fall / spring)
- Italian 105: Accelerated Introductory Italian (offered summer and sometimes fall/spring)
- Italian 203: Third Semester Italian (offered fall / spring)
- Italian 204: Fourth Semester Italian (offered fall / spring)
- Italian 205: Accelerated Intermediate Italian (offered summer and sometimes fall/spring)
Italian language beyond IT 204 or 205:
- Italian 311: Advanced Italian Language (offered fall only)
- Italian 312: Writing Workshop (offered spring only)
Students who have completed IT 204 and 205 can also take many other Italian courses besides language! Check the Guide for all Italian courses and the Guide for all Lit Trans courses.
*Please note that the Department of French & Italian does not allow auditors in Italian language classes.
For Course Materials, Instructor Content and to Enroll visit
Course, Search & Enroll.
Italian 105: Accelerated Introductory Italian
Credits: 4
Format: Online and Synchronous
Dates: June 15, 2026 – August 9, 2026 (8 weeks – DHH)
Schedule: M/T/W/R/F, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Instructor: Graduate TA
Language of Instruction: Italian
Requisite: Not open to students with credit in Italian 102.*
Counts towards: Foreign Language level 2, Elementary level, L&S credit, Accelerated Honors, and an Italian Foundational Course.
Equivalent to taking Italian 101 and 102.
*After May 15th, open to graduate students with permissions – contact frit@frit.wisc.edu.
Italian 205: Accelerated Intermediate Italian
Credits: 4
Format: Online and Synchronous
Dates: June 15, 2026 – August 9, 2026 (8 weeks – DHH)
Schedule: M/T/W/R/F, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Instructor: Graduate TA
Language of Instruction: Italian
Requisite: Italian 102 or 105 or placement into Italian 203. Not open to students with credit for Italian 204.*
Counts towards: Foreign Language level 4, Intermediate level, L&S credit, Accelerated Honors, and an Italian Foundational Course.
Equivalent to taking Italian 203 and 204.
*After May 15th, open to graduate students with permissions – contact frit@frit.wisc.edu.
For Course Materials, Instructor Content and to Enroll visit
Course, Search & Enroll – Italian Courses
and Course, Search & Enroll – Lit Trans Course.
Foundational Italian Courses offered in fall 2026:
- Italian 101: First Semester Italian
- Italian 102: Second Semester Italian
- Italian 105: Accelerated Introductory Italian
- Italian 203: Third Semester Italian
- Italian 204: Fourth Semester Italian
Italian 230: Modern Italian Culture
Credits: 3
Schedule: T/R, 11:00 am to 12:15 pm
Instructor: Grazia Menechella
Language of Instruction: Italian
Requisite: ITALIAN 204 or 205 (or ITALIAN 202 prior to Summer 2025)
Counts towards: Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate – Italian Certificate – Italian Major.
Description: A survey of Italian history, literature, art, music, politics, and popular culture of the 20th-21st centuries.
Italian 301: Italian for Reading Knowledge*
Credits: 3
Schedule: M/W/F, 12:05 pm to 12:55 pm
Instructor: Loren Eadie
Language of Instruction: English and Italian
Requisite: ITALIAN 204, 205 (or ITALIAN 202 prior to Summer 2025), or graduate/professional standing
Counts towards: Fulfills “Reading Knowledge” for certain programs. Check the Guide for more information.
Description: Intensive grammar; readings from appropriate texts in the humanities, sciences and social sciences. For those with language proficiency who wish to acquire a reading knowledge of Italian.
*Does not count towards the Italian Major or Italian Certificate. Typically taken by students who must fulfill a “Reading Knowledge” requirement.
Italian 311: Advanced Italian Language
Credits: 3
Schedule: M/W/F, 1:20 pm to 2:10 pm
Instructor: Loren Eadie
Language of Instruction: Italian
Requisite: ITALIAN 204 or 205 (or ITALIAN 202 prior to Summer 2025)
Counts towards: Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate – Italian Certificate – Italian Major.
Description: Development of accurate and nuanced capacity for expression in Italian and for understanding the spoken and written language. Also addresses Italian phonetics and phonology to develop accurate pronunciation.
Italian 321: Studies in Italian Literature and Culture I
Credits: 3
Schedule: T/R, 9:30 am to 10:45 am
Instructor: Jelena Todorović
Language of Instruction: Italian
Requisite: ITALIAN 204 or 205 (or ITALIAN 202 prior to Summer 2025)
Counts towards: Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate – Italian Certificate – Italian Major.
Description: Focuses on masterworks of Italian literature in Medieval and Renaissance Italy, and on the ways in which this period laid a foundation of today’s Italian society and culture. Includes historical, social, and cultural contexts of the Medieval and Renaissance periods.
Italian 365: Machiavelli and his World*
Credits: 3
Schedule: M/W, 11:00 am to 11:50 am + one discussion section
Instructor: Kristin Phillips-Court
Language of Instruction: English
Requisite: Satisfied Communications A requirement
Counts towards: European Studies Certificate – Integrated Liberal Studies Certificate – Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate – Italian Certificate – Italian Major – Political Science Certificate – Political Science Major.
Description: Introduces students to the major works of Machiavelli through the close reading of his writings in cultural and historical contexts. Discussion and targeted writing assignments will aim at cultivating in students 1) a broad understanding of Machiavelli’s principal intellectual attitudes, 2) a deeper understanding of his literary sensibility, and 3) the ability to articulate controversies and complexities surrounding his thought.
*Crosslisted with ILS, Lit Trans, and Poli Sci.
Italian 400: Italian American Cinema and TV
Credits: 3
Schedule: T/R, 2:30 pm to 3:45 pm
Instructor: Patrick Rumble
Language of Instruction: English
Requisite: Sophomore standing
Counts towards: Italian Certificate – Italian Major.
Description: General survey of the most significant film and television directors, genres, styles and themes in Italian American Film and Television, from the Early Cinema to the present. Films and TV programs engaging with the Italian American Experience will be studied within the cultural, historical, literary and ethnic contexts of North America.
Lit Trans 200: Food Cultures in Italian Literature* FIG
Credits: 3
Schedule: T/R, 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm
Instructor: Grazia Menechella
Language of Instruction: English
Requisite: None
Counts towards: Italian Certificate – Italian Major.
Description: Investigate the representation of food in Italian literature from the 19th Century to the present and the connection between food and identity in Italy and Italophone culture. Covers novels, short stories and poems and work on methods of literary analysis by focusing on questions of genre, narrative structure, characters, metaphorical and allegorical interpretation, etc. The theme of food (in relation to hunger, class, gender, identity, diaspora, sustainability, etc.) is central in the literary material included.
Lit Trans 248: National Identity in the Global World: The Italian Case * FIG
Credits: 3
Schedule: T/R, 11:00 am to 12:15 pm
Instructor: Ernesto Livorni
Language of Instruction: English
Requisite: None
Counts towards: Italian Certificate – Italian Major.
Description: What is a national identity in the context of the fluid globalized world in which we live? How are identities affected by big migratory waves within the same country and, more importantly, from one country or continent to another? The Italian case is one of the many in the so-called Western world that can help us to monitor the possible answers to these questions. Through readings and discussions of novels, avant-garde manifestoes, poems, two main tasks will be accomplished. The first task of analyzing literary texts in a variety of genres (epistolary novel, historical novel, avant-garde rhetoric, poetry) to familiarize ourselves with textual analysis and some theoretical tools supporting the interpretative tasks of literary criticism. And the second task of appreciating the rhetorical devices that those texts adopt at different times of Italian modern and contemporary history.
Lit Trans 253: Of Demons and Angels. Dante’s Divine Comedy*
Credits: 3
Schedule: T/R, 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm
Instructor: Jelena Todorović
Language of Instruction: English
Requisite: Sophomore standing
Counts towards: Art Major – European Studies Certificate – Integrated Liberal Studies Certificate – Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate – Italian Certificate – Italian Major – Medieval Studies Certificate.
Description: Have you ever wondered about human nature? What is our place in this world? Through readings, videos, and original images, explore and discuss Dante’s answers from one of the greatest world literary classics, his Divine Comedy. From Hell, through Purgatory to Paradise, we will travel together with Dante in a universal tale of the journey of the human soul. Along the way, learn about Dante, his life and his works, development of literary history, historical and socio-political context of medieval Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Make connections that cross today’s geographic and cultural lines in an exploration of literary topics, the history of ideas, and shared history, pondering universal concepts and patterns in the development of civilization that can still be observed today.
*Crosslisted with Medieval and Religious Studies.
Lit Trans 254: Lit of Modern Italy-Existentialism, Fascism, Resistance
Credits: 3
Schedule:T/R, 11:00 am to 12:15 pm
Instructor: Patrick Rumble
Language of Instruction: English
Requisite: Sophomore standing
Counts towards: European Studies Certificate – Integrated Liberal Studies Certificate – International Studies Major – Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate – Italian Certificate – Italian Major – Medieval Studies Certificate.
Description: Covers Italian history and culture from the Unification (1860) to the 21st century.
Lit Trans 260: Italy and the Invention of America: from Columbus to World War II 
Credits: 3
Schedule:T/R, 9:30 am to 10:45 am
Instructor: Stefania Buccini
Language of Instruction: English
Requisite: None
Counts towards: Global Cultures, Languages, and Education Certificate – Italian Certificate – Italian Major.
Description: Focuses on the central role played by Italy in the European vision of America between Columbus’s voyages and the Second World War.
Graduate Course Information
Fall 2026 Courses
French 672: Topics in Literature and Culture*
Topic: L’Humanisme de la Renaissance
Credits: 3
Schedule: T/R, 4:00 pm to 5:15 pm
Instructor: Jan Miernowski
Requisite: Graduate/professional standing
Description: L’objectif du séminaire est de répondre à la question fondamentale pour la Renaissance, à savoir : comment la littérature entendait rendre ceux qui la pratiquaient plus humains ? Cette question présuppose deux autres. Premièrement, quelle est la conception de l’être humain élaborée par l’humanisme de la Renaissance ? Deuxièmement, quelle est la
conception de la littérature en cours à cette époque ? Ces questions seront explorées par des lectures rapprochées, portant sur des textes étudiés du point de vue philologique et esthétique. Le corpus à l’étude va se concentrer sur quatre auteurs au programme : Clément Marot, François Rabelais, Pierre de Ronsard et Michel de Montaigne. En outre, des textes littéraires et philosophiques de l’époque, ainsi qu’un nombre limité d’études critiques, vont fournir aux étudiants des éléments de contexte historique ainsi que proposer des instruments analytiques. Le séminaire va donner aux étudiants de maîtrise et doctorat l’occasion de satisfaire le « Seminar Distribution Requirement » et le « Research Paper Requirement » pour Area 1. Nous aurons aussi l’occasion de visiter les Special Collections de la Memorial Library et nous familiariser avec les livres anciens.
*Meets-With French 462
French 750: Research Laboratory I: Introduction to Graduate Research
Credits: 3
Schedule: Tuesdays / Thursdays, 2:30 pm to 3:45 pm
Instructor: Anne Vila
Requisite: Graduate/professional standing
Description: An introduction to graduate studies in French that provides the necessary skills for success. Includes exploration of structure and expectations of graduate programs, the basics of scholarly research, reflection upon research interests and possible individual scholarly identities, and academic conferences.
French 820: College Teaching of French*
Credits: 3
Schedule: Fridays, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Instructor: Heather Allen
Requisite: Graduate/professional standing
Description: Introduction to teaching collegiate world languages with an emphasis on communicative and literacy-based pedagogical strategies.
*Meets-With Italian 821
French 947: Seminar: Literature Questions
Theme: Écrire et Filmer le Trauma : Littératures et Cinémas Francophones
Credits: 3
Schedule: Mondays, 3:30 pm to 5:25 pm
Instructor: Nevine El Nossery
Requisite: Graduate/professional standing
Description: Ce séminaire de recherche interroge les enjeux esthétiques, éthiques et politiques de la représentation du trauma dans les littératures et les cinémas francophones modernes et contemporains. À partir des trauma studies, des études de la mémoire et des études postcoloniales, le cours analyse les formes par lesquelles les œuvres francophones élaborent et problématisent la violence coloniale, l’esclavage, les conflits armés, les catastrophes historiques et les expériences d’exil, en questionnant les rapports entre témoignage, fiction, mémoire et archive.
Une attention particulière est portée aux dispositifs formels qui traduisent l’expérience traumatique :
fragmentation narrative, disjonctions temporelles, silences textuels, régimes de visibilité et construction du regard. La mise en dialogue d’œuvres littéraires et filmiques issues de divers espaces francophones Afrique, Caraïbes, Maghreb et diasporas permet d’examiner les spécificités médiatiques de la transmission du trauma ainsi que la capacité des formes artistiques à produire des contre récits face aux narrations historiques et politiques dominantes.
Le séminaire repose sur des discussions analytiques soutenues, des présentations critiques et l’élaboration progressive d’un projet de recherche final. Il s’adresse aux étudiant.e.s souhaitant approfondir leur réflexion sur la littérature et le cinéma francophones dans une perspective théorique articulant mémoire, postcolonialité et représentations de la violence.
Italian 301: Italian for Reading Knowledge*
Credits: 3
Schedule: M/W/F, 12:05 pm to 12:55 pm
Instructor: Loren Eadie
Language of Instruction: English and Italian
Requisite: graduate/professional standing
Counts towards: Fulfills “for Reading Knowledge” for certain programs. Check the Guide for more information.
Description: Intensive grammar; readings from appropriate texts in the humanities, sciences and social sciences. For those with language proficiency who wish to acquire a reading knowledge of Italian.
*Does not count towards the Italian Major or Italian Certificate. Typically taken by students who must fulfill a “for Reading Knowledge” requirement.
Italian 400: Italian American Cinema and TV
Credits: 3
Schedule: Tuesdays /Thursdays, 2:30 pm to 3:45 pm
Instructor: Patrick Rumble
Language of Instruction: English
Requisite: Sophomore standing
Description: General survey of the most significant film and television directors, genres, styles and themes in Italian American Film and Television, from the Early Cinema to the present. Films and TV programs engaging with the Italian American Experience will be studied within the cultural, historical, literary and ethnic contexts of North America.
Italian 631: Features in Italian Literature
Theme: Italian Romanticism
Credits: 3
Schedule: Thursdays, 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Instructor: Ernesto Livorni
Requisite: Graduate/professional standing
Description: The course will focus on the three major figures of Italian Romantic literature: Ugo Foscolo, Alessandro Manzoni, and Giacomo Leopardi. Texts will include the most important works by the three writers: Foscolo’s long poem On Sepulchres and the epistolary novel Last Letters of Jacopo Ortis, Manzoni’s historical novel The Betrothed, and Leopardi’s poems in the collection Canti and his dialogues Operette morali. Although the three authors are not Tuscan, let alone Florentine, they all forged their main works referring to Tuscan and Florentine landscape and history (especially Foscolo) and language (especially Manzoni, to a lesser extent Leopardi). The course will also offer an opportunity to consider primary texts of European Romanticism through theoretical elaboration of the ideologies of that period and of the tenets of modernity.
Italian 730: Topics in Italian Literature and Culture
Topic: Ariosto – Of Arms, Love, Bread, and Wine: Ariosto’s Poetics of Precarity
Credits: 3
Schedule: Mondays, 3:30 pm to 5:25 pm
Instructor: Kristin Phillips-Court
Requisite: Graduate/professional standing
Description: In this graduate course students will study a selection of Ariosto’s seminal works, including his epic poem Orlando Furioso (1532), which quickly achieved the status of a classic in Italian vernacular language. Much emphasis will be placed on the poet-playwright’s response to his historical moment, a time of humanist debates, political crises and cultural change, which Machiavelli and Guicciardini referred to as mutazioni. If one was neither cardinal nor soldier, but instead a poet, the chances economic stability were fleeting. We will consider how the Ferrarese poet in his milieu renovated the romance and theatrical genres while navigating the ups and downs of being attached to the Este court of Ferrara. This means we will give some attention to Ferrara’s artistic (painting, spectacle) and intellectual culture. Ariosto wrote and revised his comedies across his career, just as he revised the Orlando furioso. We will read one or more of his comedies with the intention of de-centering the critical conversation that has always privileged the poem over the plays by considering, where possible, intersecting themes (e.g. truth, illusion) and/or formal characteristics (e.g. language, imagery).
Italian 821: Issues in Methods of Teaching French & Italian*
Topic: Teaching Italian as a Foreign Language
Credits: 3
Schedule: Fridays, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Instructor: Loren Eadie
Requisite: Graduate/professional standing
Description: Intended for instructors of elementary- and intermediate-level collegiate instructors of Italian; key concepts of communicative, literacy-oriented language teaching and related techniques for classroom instruction of Italian.
*Meets-With French 820 (XL with French 821)
Italian 951: Seminar-Studies in Italian Literature
Topic: Mondi in dialogo: la ricezione delle Americhe tra reale e immaginario (1600-1800)
Credits: 3
Schedule: Tuesdays, 4:00 pm to 5:55 pm
Instructor: Stefania Buccini
Requisite: Graduate/professional standing
Description: Advanced seminar. Topics vary.