Italian Courses

A Ita 100 Elementary Italian I (4)
Beginner’s course with audio-lingual approach. Fundamentals of language structure and sounds; emphasis on correct pronunciation and oral expression, graded readings. May not be taken for credit by students who have taken three years of high school Italian or passed the Regents examination within the past five years. Prerequisite(s): for beginners, none; for students with high school Italian, placement.

A Ita 101 Elementary Italian II (4)
Continuation of audio-lingual approach, fundamentals of language structure and sounds, emphasis on correct pronunciation and oral expression, and graded readings. Prerequisite(s): A Ita 100 or placement.

A Ita 103 Intermediate Italian I (4)
Modern Italian readings. Review of Italian grammar, composition and conversation. Prerequisite(s): A Ita 101 or placement.

A Ita 104 Intermediate Italian II (4)
Continuation of modern Italian readings, review of Italian grammar, composition and conversation. Prerequisite(s): A Ita 103 or placement.

A Ita 206 Intermediate Conversation and Oral Grammar (3)
Primary emphasis on speaking skills. May be taken simultaneously with A Ita 207. Course may be waived upon demonstration of sufficient oral skill. Prerequisite(s): A Ita 104.

A Ita 207 Intermediate Composition and Written Grammar (3)
Primary emphasis on writing skills. May be taken simultaneously with A Ita 206. Course may be waived upon demonstration of sufficient writing skill. Prerequisite(s): A Ita 104 or placement.

A Ita 213 The Italian-American Experience (3)
An exploration of the Italian-American heritage in art, culture and the novel, and a study of the psychological and social dimension of the ethnic experience. Conducted in English.

A Ita 223 Introduction to Literary Methods (3)
Textual exposition of readings selected according to genre, with an introduction to literary terminology and writing. Prerequisite(s): A Ita 104.

A Ita 301Z Advanced Conversation and Composition (3)
Intensive practice in speaking and writing in Italian. Prerequisite(s): A Ita 207. Note: The former A Ita 301 does not meet the writing intensive requirement.

A Ita 313 Throughout the Ages: Gender, Ideas, and Writing In Italy from 1100 to 1900 (3)
Selected readings from medieval poetry, including the Scuola Siciliana, the Dolce Stil Novo, Dante’s Divine Comedy, the production of medieval women writers, excerpts from Petrarch’s love and political poetry, and Boccaccio’s Decameron. An overview of the Renaissance, of the Baroque, the Enlightenment, the Romanticism, and the Modern Age literary developments, examined through their most relevant feminine and masculine voices, with particular emphasis on the school of women poets and novelists of the Italian Novecento.
Prerequisite(s): A Ita 233 or permission of instructor.

A Ita 315 Italian Civilization: From the Etruscans to Galileo (3)
An introduction to Italian culture from the Etruscans to the Renaissance, with emphasis on the contributions of Dante, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo, and the struggle between church and state. Offered in English with readings in Italian for majors. Prerequisite(s): for majors, A Ita 104; for nonmajors, none. May not be offered in 2008-2009.

A Ita 316 Contemporary Italy: From the Unification to the Present (3)
A study of the cultural manifestations of the sociopolitical changes in modern Italy: from the Risorgimento to the formation of one nation; the rise and fall of Fascism; social developments in contemporary Italy—political parties, trade unions, media, religion and education. Offered in English with readings in Italian for majors. Prerequisite(s): for majors, A Ita 104; for nonmajors, none.

A Ita 318 Italian Cinema and Literature (3)
This course deals with a study of the work of Rossellini, Visconti, De Sica, Fellini, Antonioni, Benigni and others. It examines the way fiction and themes taken from Italian life have been rendered in cinematic form during the past 40+ years. Offered in English with readings in Italian for majors. Prerequisite(s): for majors, A Ita 104; for nonmajors, none.

A Ita 325 The Italian Short Story (3)
Representative Italian short stories with emphasis on specific characteristics of the genre. Prerequisite(s): A Ita 301. May not be offered in 2008-2009.

A Ita 350 Contemporary Italian Society (3)
This course will offer an overview of the Italian society of today through an analysis of its major cultural, economic, and socio-political issues. Among the topics examined will be the question of the language, the regional identify, the Italian political system, the economic development, the position of Italy in the European community and the function of the media. Emphasis will be placed on the analysis of the changes that have occurred in Italy during the last four decades. Audio-visual material, articles from newspapers and magazines, and excerpts of contemporary Italian literature will be used as ancillary material and will provide the basis for lectures and class discussions. Class is conducted in Italian. Prerequisite(s): A Ita 301Z or permission of instructor.

A Ita 397 Independent Study in Italian (2–4)
Study by a student in an area of special interest not treated in currently offered courses. Work performed under direction of a professor chosen by the student on a topic approved by the program. May be repeated once with special departmental approval. Prerequisite(s): A Ita 313.

A Ita 421 Dante (3)
Introduction to the Divina Commedia. A study of Dante’s Inferno, including consideration of Dante’s importance in world literature. Prerequisite(s): A Ita 313 or permission of instructor. May not be offered in 2008-2009.

A Ita 441 Women, Men, Love, and Politics of the Italian Renaissance (3)
The course will focus on the themes of femininity and the ideas of love, politics, and society, filtered through the voices of some of the women writers of the Italian Renaissance, such as: Tullia D’Aragona, Gaspara Stampa, Vittoria Colonna, Chiara Matraini, Veronica Franco, Isabella DiMorra, as well as through the voices of their masculine counterparts (Sannazaro, Ficino, Ariosto, Bembo, Machiavelli, Tasso). Prerequisite(s): A Ita 313 or permission of the instructor.

A Ita 444 Topics in Italian Language and Literature (2–3)
Selected works of Italian language or literature not covered by other undergraduate courses offered by the program. May be repeated for credit with a change of topic. Consult current schedule of classes for topic and prerequisite.

A Ita 471 From Baroque to Romanticism (3)
Study of literature, trends and ideas of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries focusing on the works of Foscolo, Leopardi, Manzoni, Carducci, Pascoli and D’Annunzio. Not open to students with credit for A Ita 461. Prerequisite(s): A Ita 313 or permission of instructor. May not be offered in 2008-2009.

A Ita 481 The Italian Novel and Poetry of the 20th Century (3)
Study of contemporary literary trends. Emphasizes the works of Verga and Pirandello, Moravia and Pavese, Ungaretti, Montale, Quasimodo. Prerequisite(s): A Ita 313 or permission of instructor. May not be offered in 2008-2009.

A Ita 499 Honors Thesis (4)
An independent honors thesis written under the supervision of an appropriate faculty member and evaluated by the Honors Committee. Prerequisite(s): Completion of all other requirements for the Honors Program.