Italian

This course explores love and sexuality in Italian culture from circa 1350 to 1650. From the verses of Petrarch, to the writings of Ficino, Leone Ebreo, Aretino, and poems by Marino, love and sexuality were theorized and represented in the treatises, poetry, paintings, and sculptures of this period. Mainly on-site in the churches, palaces, and museums of Rome, this course considers the poetic, social, and visual aspects of the topic in an interdisciplinary study that examines both word and image. The course begins with Michelangelo's SISTINE CEILING and its reflection on the fall of Adam and Eve with their subsequent awareness of their sexuality. Following Leo Steinberg's theory about the sexuality of Christ, students explore the theology of nudity in Christian art as well as the “amor dei” (love for God) or mystic marriage through Baroque sculptures such as Bernini's SAINTS IN ECSTASY. The second part of the course focuses on the more secular, sensuous, and even lascivious aspects by considering the revival of ancient classical culture. Central to this evolution is the METAMORPHOSES by Ovid and the themes deriving from the many commentaries on it such as, unrequited love through Bernini's APOLLO AND DAPHNE, rape though Bernini's ABDUCTION OF PERSEPHONE, and love for the self through Caravaggio's NARCISSUS. The course concludes with exploring socio-historical, gendered topics such as marriage, courtesans, male virility, female chastity, homosexuality, androgyny, and hermaphroditism through a variety of art objects.

This course is for students who studied Italian for a short period and can express themselves using basic structures, can introduce themselves, and can talk about themselves and their daily routines. It runs at the A1/A2 level according to the CEFR level. This communicative course develops oral skills in Italian.

This intensive language and culture course is conducted in Italian and is designed for students who have generally completed 1 year of Italian or have an entrance test that places them at the A2.1 or A2.2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The course is designed to help students perfect their language skills by reviewing and deepening their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar structures and focuses on the history and culture of the city of Bologna - from antiquity to the present - as a microcosm for Italian history and culture itself. Emphasis is placed on four historical periods: Antiquity (Etruscans and Romans), the Middle Ages (Guelphs and Ghibellines), the Renaissance (Bologna and the Papal State), and Modern times: Fascism, the Resistance, Neo-fascisms, and left and right-wing terrorism. Students continue to build on knowledge acquired in previous courses striving for a higher level of fluency especially in oral production in light of the goal of reaching a sophisticated level of communication with Italian university students and local residents. At the end of the course, students are able to talk about the city of Bologna, its history, and culture, and to offer their ideas and opinions using the subjunctive tense in both present and past forms. Readings are from per le vie e le piazza di Bologna as well as other sources including newspapers, novels, weekly magazines, comics, songs, and poems. The course includes a major field trip. Students select the number of quarter units from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 6.

This course offers an introduction to the history of medieval art in Italy, focusing on selected case studies which are investigated with a multidisciplinary approach and with specific regard to the visual arts. The course consists of three topics. The first topic discusses the Italian Middle Ages, and covers periodization and terminology; artists, patrons, publics, and projects of the arts; and iconographies, techniques, media and materials, and style. The second topic discuss Giotto and the city, Padua in the first half of the 14th century, and the Scrovegni chapel. The third topic discusses the Signorie, Communes, and the art of power in Padua, Milan, Florence, and Siena. This course is taught in a degree program which introduces students to knowledge of Italian language throughout the degree. The first year of instruction in this degree begins in English and then gradually shifts to Italian by the third year. Because this course is taught in the first semester of the first year of the degree, the course is mostly taught in English with some Italian and is appropriate for students who do not speak Italian.

The course focuses on twentieth century Italian literature. This course examines wide areas of twentieth-century literary history, with special emphasis on the relation between literature and historical, social, anthropological, and more broadly cultural phenomena. Study is assisted by secondary literature and face-to-face instruction and covers close reading of the text as well as problems of form, structure, composition, and reception. Specific course topics vary from year to year. There are three different sections of the course offered each year, taught by three different professors, each course with different topics, reading lists, and syllabi. UNIBO students are assigned to sections based on their last name: A-D, E-M, N-Z; however, UCEAP students are free to choose the section they prefer. Refer to the UNIBO website for the course description for each section.

This is a graduate level course that is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. This course is based on the sociological analysis of a selection of films produced in Italy from the end of World War II to the ‘80s with the aim of using Italian movies as telescopes on the past and to reflect on the present of Italian culture, from both the historical and social point of view. At the end of the course, students have knowledge about: Italian cinema from the beginning of the twentieth century to the 1980s; political and social transformations from the early 1900s to the 1980s; elements of Italian history from 1900 to post-war period; notions regarding sociological and anthropological models, necessary to interpret social transformations in Italy in the period under analysis. Some of the most important movies of Italian film history are screened such as 900, ROME OPEN CITY, LA DOLCE VITA, BREAD AND CHOCOLATE. This is a sociology course on Italian culture, in which movies are used as data as well as a stimulus for the debate. In addition, another level of analysis concerns the styles, the schools and the directors of the films selected, and the technical and social contexts that influence the different styles. In this light, students consider mass communication linguistic techniques (figures of speech, metaphors, analogies), to identify both clear and hidden messages in movies. The course includes traditional lectures, film screenings, and audiovisual materials.

This course builds on and rapidly expands control of basic grammatical structures and vocabulary. Students consolidate their ability to negotiate basic survival situations in the target language and learn more advanced grammar concepts, especially with attention to the past tenses. They understand sentences and common expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local topography, employment). They complete routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar matters. They describe in simple terms aspects of their background, environment, and matters in areas of immediate need. They talk about their family, living conditions, present or recent, and past work and school activities, and personal experiences. They are able to expand learned phrases through simple re-combinations of their elements. All four abilities (writing, speaking, listening, reading) are developed in the class, 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 course offers an introduction to Italian culture and Florence's rich history and traditions through a hands-on approach. Florence is a complex city with many identities. It is known as the cradle of the Renaissance, but its structure was shaped in the middle ages, in the 19th century, and in recent times. It is an international place, visited by tourists from all around the world, but still maintains a sense of pride in its own traditions. In the Culture section of this course, students explore the city through a series of on-site lectures, understanding its structure and its development through the centuries up to today, discovering the significance of its beautiful monuments and the scars left by its fascinating history. The Language component of the course provides students the tools and skills to navigate the city and complete tasks in real-life situations and specific contexts. Through small-group works they acquire basic communicative structures and learn to react effectively to authentic communicative situations.

The aim of this course is to inspire students about the possibilities of entrepreneurship. The Italian context will prepare students for the creative chaos of the entrepreneurial world.  There is no better international context for exploring this phenomenon.  From the Medici, who made a fortune and lost it again within a century, to Ferrari, the consummate entrepreneur; from Armani, Ferragamo and Gucci to Luxottica and Del Vecchio’s sunglasses empire, we investigate the essence of Italian entrepreneurship.  In addition, we scrutinize great examples of family businesses, in which each new generation exhibits entrepreneurship (FIAT, Ferrero etc.) as well as instances of entrepreneurships where it all went wrong (e.g. Parmalat). The world of entrepreneurship is evaluated from the perspectives of management, finance, and marketing as well as sociology in order to understand these enterprises.  The course is delivered using a large array of texts and academic sources that the students assess in real life case studies. We visit a wide range of entrepreneurial contexts and have the opportunity to interview at first hand a number of entrepreneurs and those that support entrepreneurship.  Students also critically evaluate major issues such as globalization, sustainability, and ethics, which affect entrepreneurship today. Each class is based on a set of readings, and it is crucial that students keep up with the readings and be prepared to discuss them in class. Some lectures directly engage our readings while others provide contextualizing historical and theoretical information. Lectures and class discussions are supplemented by visits in which we explore the structure, philosophy, values, and methodology of Italian entrepreneurs. Emphasis is placed on taking the theoretical approach and applying it directly to the Italian context. This course is designed for undergraduate students of business, communication, international studies, management, economics as well as students with an interest in entrepreneurship.  

This course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. The course examines the history of contemporary Italy and its main historiographical interpretations. After completing the course students can communicate the knowledge acquired using the specific terminology peculiar to the subject and in line with its scientific principles, find their bearings in the historiographical debate; have learned the methodologies for researching the social classes and the tendencies of the same; and have gained an understanding of mass culture and the processes of consumption.