Course Prospectus


FALL 2009

ELEMENTARY ITALIAN I: LANGUAGE AND CULTURE (ITAL 101.001, 101.003, & 101.004)

Prerequisite(s): ab initio ... none
Generally offered in the Fall  — 4 credits

In this introductory course students learn to communicate in spoken Italian, to read a variety of texts, and to write Italian clearly. Students will discover Italian culture through an interdisciplinary approach which includes cinema and music (including live performance). Taught exclusively in Italian.

Instructor: Mr. Ryan Calabretta

INTERMEDIATE ITALIAN I: LANGUAGE, LITERATURE & REGIONS (ITAL 201.001)

Prerequisite(s): ITAL 101, ITAL 102, or permission of instructor.
Generally offered in the Fall — 4 credits

Through this course students will develop knowledge (through active discussion, reading, and essay practice) of regional cultures, early modern and modern literature, and advanced grammatical forms. Digital materials (including music and cinema) are made available through the Language Resource Center. Taught exclusively in Italian.

Instructor: Dr. Edward M. Anderson

ADVANCED ITALIAN I: CONTEMPORARY ITALY — CULTURE & COMMUNITY (ITAL 320)

Prerequisite(s): two years of university-level Italian, or permission of instructor.
Generally offered in the Fall — 3 credits

For advanced students of Italian, modern culture (cinema, musica, cucina, politica, arte, famiglia) is studied through a range of print and electronic media. 20th century authors to be discusssed: Italo Calvino, Goffredo Parise, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Walter Benjamin, Leonardo Sciascia. Central will be the exploration of Italian cultural events, exhibitions, and other opportunities at Rice and beyond the hedges in Houston's vibrant Italian community. Taught exclusively in Italian.

Instructor: Dr. Edward M. Anderson


SPRING 2010

ELEMENTARY ITALIAN II: LANGUAGE AND CULTURE (ITAL 102.001 & 102.002)

Prerequisite(s): ITAL 101, or permission of instructor.
Generally offered in the Spring — 4 credits

A continuation of ITAL 101, the focus is on spoken and written Italian. Students will continue to acquire fluency, develop abilities to narrate, describe and compare through a wide range of materials (films, music, online newspapers, &c.). Taught exclusively in Italian.

Instructor: Mr. Ryan Calabretta

INTERMEDIATE ITALIAN II: LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND CULTURE (ITAL 202)

Prerequisite(s): ITAL 101, ITAL 102, ITAL 201, or permission of instructor.
Generally offered in the Spring — 4 credits

A continuation of ITAL 201, students continue to read and respond critically to essays on regional cultures and modern and contemporary literary and other cultural texts. Digital materials (including music and cinema) are made available through the Language Resource Center. Taught exclusively in Italian.

Instructor: Mr. Ryan Calabretta

OTHER COURSES


SPECIAL TOPICS IN ITALIAN LANGUAGE, LITERATURE & MUSIC (ITAL 249)

NOT OFFERED FALL 2009
Recommended prerequisite(s): one year of university-level Italian language training
Generally offered in the Fall — 4 credits       

Intermediate-level directed reading in Italian language, literature, and music. Designed to develop reading and writing skills, this intensive seminar will position students for advanced-level undergraduate study of Italian. 30 pages of written work required. Authors considered include Petrarch, Bembo, Ariosto, Tasso, Redi, Metastasio, Goldoni, and Da Ponte, with specific reference to musical poetry. Taught in Italian and English.

Instructor: Dr. Edward M. Anderson

ADVANCED ITALIAN I:
Italy through Cinema and literature (ITAL 309)
NOT OFFERED FALL 2009
Recommended prerequisite(s): ITAL 101, ITAL 102, ITAL 201, ITAL 202, or permission of instructor.
Generally offered in the Fall — 3 credits       

This course will concentrate on Italian cinema and literature from c1950-present. Topics to be discussed include Neorealism, Feminism, ‘Commedia all’italiana’, and the Holocaust. Students will begin to express themselves in increasingly elegant written and spoken Italian. This course is supported by resources available through the Language Resource Center. Taught exclusively in Italian.

Instructor:

ADVANCED ITALIAN II: The divas of Italian Cinema (ITAL 310)
NOT OFFERED SPRING 2010
Recommended Prerequisite: ITAL 309.
Generally offered in the Spring — Repeatable for credit

This course will examine some of the most representative films of Italian cinema through the figure of the starring actress. Artists have forged specific ideas about female beauty. Films in particualr accomplish this task through the face and the body of the actress who becomes the incarnation of Italy and the embodiment of the cultural, political, and historical heritage of a nation and its people. Actresses like Anna Magnani, Silvana Mangano, Claudia Cardinale, and Sophia Loren above all others, lent their bodies to a cinematic corpus that pecame part of the Italian national identity. Taught exclusively in Italian. An advanced knowledge of the langauge is required.     

Instructor: