Italian

This course provides students with a sound basis for communicating effectively and accurately in oral and written Italian. Students practice recognizing and using more complex Italian grammatical and syntactic structures such as the present and past conditional and present subjunctive verbs. Authentic materials (songs, videos, advertisements, and film clips) are used in a communicative-based approach, and emphasis is placed on the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students participate in several sessions of language exchange with Italian university students, and field trips take them outside the classroom to engage with the city and Romans to reinforce the grammatical skills learned in class. The course is conducted entirely in Italian.

This course is intended to develop the linguistic skills of students who have completed the first year of Italian. It reviews basic grammar structures with emphasis on exceptions; it enriches vocabulary, reading comprehension, and argumentative skills on different kinds of texts, improving comprehension and conversation through the discussion of contemporary issues proposed by the instructor. Students approach longer and more complex argumentative texts of which they are asked to identify the main points. They comment on articles or reports on contemporary issues in which authors express points of view and opinions. In oral tests and group discussions, students are asked to take a critical stance on given texts, debating pros and cons of different points of view. They also research various aspects of Italian daily life, interviewing Italian people and reporting back to the class. They can understand discussions on concrete and abstract topics and follow conversations between native speakers. All four abilities (writing, speaking, listening, reading) are developed, also with the support of authentic audiovisual materials such as Italian movies, short videos, tv programs, and songs. The course uses a communication-based approach: students engage in daily role-plays, group activities, games, and class discussions. Out of class activities are designed to take advantage of the opportunities for interaction and language practice, as well as immersion in Italian culture, that the city provides.

This is a special studies course that involves an internship with a corporate, public, government or private organization, arranged with the Study Center Director or Liaison Officer. The special study projects generally involve teaching a mini-course on American culture (literature, music, art, or history) and/or English as a second language in a local school or private organization under the supervision of an experienced teacher. Internships vary each term and are described on a special study project form for each student. A substantial paper or series of reports is required along with actual lesson plans. Units vary depending on the contact hours and method of assessment. The total units for the academic year cannot exceed 12.0. Pass/no pass only.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course provides critical and cultural awareness in contemporary Italian literature and civilization. Literary texts are analyzed as open shapes, focusing on the relationships between tradition and cultural legacies. The course discusses a corpus of selected prose works through comparative analysis and practice on different methods of interpretation. The topic of the spring term of the 2018-2019 academic year is: Italian Noir. The course aims to present contemporary noir representations, such as transmedia narrative examples that incorporate entertainment experiences on multiple multimedia platforms. Noir has been compared to the Italian realist novel, for its search for the representation of the reality and its ability to describe the dark aspects of a social community. The course highlights the features that allow the “noir all'italiana” genre. The analysis of the production shows how the traditional genre is resumed or reconfigured in texts confronted with a cultural production increasingly dominated by visual culture. In different ways the case studies reflect on how other media, and the relationships with them, give rise to an inquiry into the Italian society that portrays literature as civil engagement. Required readings: ROMANZO CRIMINALE by De Cataldo, LA FEROCIA by Nicola Lagioia, IL SOGNO DI VOLARE by Carlo Lucarelli, CATTIVI SOFFETTI by Daniele Brolli, CINACITTÀ by Tommaso Pincio, NARRARE AL TEMPO DELLA GLOBALIZZAZIONE by Roberto Rossi, and CRIMINI E MISFATTI LA NARRATIVA NOIR ITALIAN DEGIL ANNI DUEMILA by E. Mondello. The course is based on traditional lectures with student participation in discussions. Students are invited to present specific materials of some of the texts and authors. The course also includes the use of audiovisual materials, and a guest lecture series on specific topics related to course topics. Assessment is based on a final oral exam whose aim is an evaluation of the student's critical and methodological ability. Students are invited to discuss the texts on the course and must demonstrate an appropriate knowledge of the bibliography in the syllabus.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course covers the basic information necessary for understanding the complexity of modern Archaeological Museology: from knowledge of the scientific subject of Museology to Museum Practice. The course focuses on topics including the history of museology: from the “archetype” of museums in the ancient world to the “relational” museum today; the question of the role of media in museums today; experimental archaeology and ethno-archaeology in connection with archaeological preservation and enhancement; the question of archaeological parks designed to create interest and foster critical debate; and archeological tourism: management and culture. Students submit a case study that focuses on a specific museum, exhibition site, or archaeological park, or is an analysis of a specific theme related to the course. Case study outlines are provided during the course. The course includes two visits to local museums at the end of the scheduled class lectures. Assessment is based on a final oral exam covering course materials and a discussion of the case study. Students in Art History can take the course for under the Art History subject area in consultation with the instructor. In this case, students concentrate on the history of museum exhibits that focus on art objects such as paintings, ceramics, and even jewelry. Topics covered include museum architecture, history of museums, museums and cultural heritage, management of museums, and marketing of museums and exhibits: museum tourism.

This course provides an introduction to Italian language and culture in order to develop a communicative competence that allows students to function and interact in common daily life situations.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on some of the main aesthetic traditions of the past century. Students acquire the conceptual and methodological tools enabling them to analyze the key issues that are central to the contemporary aesthetic debate, according to a mainly theoretical and problematic approach. The new paradigms provided by the theory of mind suggest today a remodeling of the notion of the aesthetic experience starting from a reconsideration of the traditional conceptions of perception and expression. Merleau-Ponty's thought considered a turning point in the passage. The course aims to examine this phenomenological reflection by comparing it with current outcomes that also derive from cognitive sciences and studies on evolutionism that can contribute to shedding new light on the particularity of the aesthetic dimension.

This course provides students with a sound basis for communicating effectively and accurately in oral and written Italian. Students obtain proficiency in basic Italian spelling and pronunciation. Elementary Italian grammar and syntactic structures are covered, especially the use of nouns and adjectives and regular and irregular verbs in the present and past tense. Authentic materials (songs, videos, advertisements, and film clips) are used in a communicative-based approach, and emphasis is placed on the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students participate in several sessions of language exchange with Italian university students, and field trips take them outside the classroom to engage with the city and Romans to reinforce the grammatical skills learned in class. The course is conducted entirely in Italian.