| Time | Days | Location | Instructor | GER | Credit | OPUS Class Number | Syllabus (Tentative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10:00am-11:15am | TuTh | Rich Building 108 | Walter Adamson. | HSC. | 4 | 12947 | TBA. |
Content: The course focuses on the development of the Italian nation since 1796 and the relation of cultural life to that development. We will look closely at the experience of national unification, the difficulties and disappointments surrounding the subsequent “liberal” regime, Italy’s involvement in two world wars, the experience of fascism, and life in a postwar republic still polarized by the anti-capitalist ideologies that clashed in the interwar era. Specific topics include: Italy’s regional diversity and the special problem of the South; the feminist, futurist, and nationalist critiques of liberalism; political persecution and cultural expression under fascism; and a postwar social world characterized by increasing urbanization, consumerism, mass culture, and Mafiosi.
Required Texts: Duggan, Christopher, The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy since 1796; Lampedusa, Giuseppe di, The Leopard; Messina, Maria, Behind Closed Doors; Tisdall, Caroline and Angelo Bozzola, Futurism; Levi, Carlo, Christ Stopped at Eboli; Calvino, Italo, Marcovaldo; Sciascia, Leonardo, The Day of the Owl.
Grading: Course evaluation will be based on two short “reflection” papers, a take-home midterm, a term essay, class participation and a final exam, each weighted at 20%. Term essays (8-12 pages) should focus on the interpretation of a primary source or sources and may involve a person, movement, event or other phenomenon in modern Italian history. Attendance at six Sunday-evening film viewings is also required.
The schedule of courses on O.P.U.S. is the official listing of courses, including days and times they meet and the General Education Requirements they satisfy. Students should use course descriptions as general guidelines. Course requirements, grading details, book lists, and syllabi are subject to change.