Italian

The course focuses on the methods of gender studies and applies them to the context of medieval historiography. For this purpose, the course highlights narrative sources, legislation, treatises, literature, and iconography. Students are required to write a short paper demonstrating the use of the tools of historical research and communication, and the ability to customize one's own learning path. This course covers the multiple aspects of female monasticism in the Early Middle Ages through the analysis of narrative sources, charters, and iconography. The course illustrates the problem of the representation of female monasticism during the Early and Central Middle Age period. The use of conceptual tools in gender history allows students to identify the shapes assumed in the specific historical contexts through the construction of the social identity of individuals, both male and female.

Alternating introductory lectures with seminar discussions and presentations by students, this course explores the time when Christians and Muslims fought for control over the Mediterranean continent, all the way to the wave of immigrants entering southern Italy today. One key component of the course consists in a number of fieldtrips to places such as Amalfi and Naples where students experience on site what they study in readings and in the lectures. The fieldtrips are organized in temporal sequence, and so are the readings and seminar discussion, in order to arrange the course roughly in historical progression from the early Middle Ages (ca. 800AD) to the present. The course focuses intensively on certain periods and themes, oscillating from the micro and local to the macro and the Mediterranean at large. Generally speaking, lectures present the outlines of Mediterranean life, culture, and politics in a certain historical period, and seminars focus more specifically on local history in that period.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course is intended for students who already have a strong background in literature and critical theory. The course focuses on the institutions of literature, the relationship between text and context, and the dynamics of literary communication and its political, ideological, socio-economic and editorial influence. The course explores the use of critical tools and forms of investigation that belong to the field of sociology and applies them to literature. Emphasis is placed on the thematic and sociological components of literary texts. The topic for the Spring 2018 semester is: The Other Nation–The Italian Migration. The course is divided in 6 sections with assigned readings: history of migrations, migration and literature, novels, new migrations; the question of Brain Drain, narrations. The course includes visual materials and a guest speaker series with international experts in the field of migration and authors who have addressed the question of migration in their writings. Assessment in the course is based on a final oral exam.

This course provides students with a sound basis for communicating effectively and accurately in oral and written Italian. This course covers basic Italian grammar and syntax including present, past, future, imperative, and conditional tenses. Students are able to use direct, indirect, and reflexive pronouns in addition to comparatives and superlatives. 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 part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. This course discusses the conceptual grounds of the Universal claim in Roman culture, which are connected to political-military elements as well as to cultural and juridical patterns. The course examines elements of continuity and change in representations and auto-representations of the roman universal cosmic order within historiographical debate and will be able to critically assess the relevance of the theme in the actual organizational and political patterns. Students learn to apply a comparative approach to ancient sources and connect the roman idea of a Universal empire with other contemporary Universal empires, like e.g. Alexander the Great's empire or the Chinese Han dynasty’s Empire, as well as a diachronic approach, by considering how the notion of universal imperial rule has shaped the idea of international order after the end of Antiquity, from the Middle Ages to the present days. The course explores the reception of the historical experience of ancient Rome as a universal model, examining some aspects in which the influence of this historical experience was particularly significant.

The course focuses on the main connections between migration and learning processes, especially as they concern second generation immigrants; multicultural family models, with special attention to international adoption; developmental processes of children and adolescents with foreign origins (or internationally adopted); contemporary debates on multiculturalism and interculturalism. The course highlights: tools and strategies useful in planning training courses on intercultural education in extra-school contexts; the categorization processes related to the formation of stereotypes and prejudices; strategies for overcoming ethnic conflicts; historical, social, and cultural factors that lead to racist attitudes and behaviors. The first part of the course explores the main concepts and knowledge connected to multicultural societies. It aims to promote understanding and reflection on new possible approaches for active citizenship. The topics covered in the course are the following: globalization; multicultural societies and intercultural approach; stereotypes, prejudices, and the vocational approach; racism and cultural relativism; migration in the literature, the German and Italian case: a comparison; diversity, differences, valorization of differences; assimilation, segregation and integration; intercultural education: construction and evaluation of outside-school learning paths, conflict management. The topics are explained and discussed through traditional lectures and then the students are expected to develop the topics in which they are particularly interested through workgroups geared to the production of a multimedia presentation to be discussed and defended in class with the instructor and the other participants. students. The presentation is part of the final assessment. The second part of the course is tailored on the specific topics of this course and focuses on the pedagogical analysis of migration in the German and Italian cases.

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.

The aim of this course is to help students review and learn advanced structures of Italian grammar and vocabulary and to explore contemporary aspects of Italian culture. The course is strongly focused on communication: students learn the language they need to interact with Italian speakers in real-life situations. Students can understand a wide range of complex, longer texts, and recognize implicit meaning. They can express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for words expressions. They use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes, and they produce clear, well-structured, detailed texts on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors, and cohesive devices. Readings, homework, and in- and out-of-class activities are designed to help students expand their knowledge of Italian language and grammar. At this level, students are considered proficient users who can handle a wide range of elaborate ideas, and communicate fluently and spontaneously on personal, work-related and academic topics. They can demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of Italian culture within the broader framework of global perspectives in a multicultural world. 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.