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Courses of Study:
Minor
Major (BA)
How to Become a Major or a Minor
How to Fulfill the Language Requirement
The foreign language requirement is met by successful completion of a third semester course (numbered in the 30s) in the language program.
How to Choose a Course at Your Level
To choose the appropriate course, students need to take a placement exam. It is a self-graded exam that can be accessed online at www.brandeis.edu/registrar/italtest.html. After finishing the exam, students complete the questionnaire online. A faculty member will then contact students to discuss their placement. Students who fail to take the placement exam will not be permitted to enroll.
If a student has a score of 620 or above on the Italian SAT II, or a score of 4 or 5 on the Italian AP exam, language requirement is automatically fulfilled and the students is eligible to enroll in 100-level courses. See How to Become a Major or a Minor above.
Committee
William Kapelle
(History)
Alice Kelikian
(History)
Charles McClendon
(Fine Arts)
Benjamin Ravid
(Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)
Paola Servino (on leave spring 2009
(Romance Studies)
Jonathan Unglaub (on leave 2008-2009)
(Fine Arts)
Requirements for the Minor
A. An advanced language course: ITAL 105a or ITAL 106a.
B. A literature course: ITAL 110a, ITAL 120b, or IECS 140a.
C. Any two of the Italian-related culture courses listed in requirement C above, or two other courses approved by the student's adviser.
D. Any elective course from the listings in A, B, or C.
Requirements for the Major
A. At least one advanced language course: ITAL 105a or ITAL 106a.
B. Three literature courses: ITAL 110a, ITAL 120b, ITAL 128a, IECS 140a, COML 102a, or COML 103b.
C. Any four of the following courses relating to Italian culture, or other courses approved by the student's adviser:
FA 45a (St. Peter's and the Vatican)
FA 51a (Art of the Early Renaissance in Italy)
FA 58b (High and Late Renaissance in Italy)
FA 60a (Baroque in Italy and Spain)
FA 197b (Methods and Approaches in the History of Art: Leonardo da Vinci)
HIST 123a (The Renaissance)
HIST 139b (Fascism East and West)
HIST 170a (Italian Films, Italian Histories)
ITAL 128a (Mapping Modern Italian Culture)
MUS 52a (Opera)
NEJS 151b (Ghettos, Gondolas, and Gelato: The Italian Jewish Experience)
D. Students must complete either ITAL 97a or b (Senior Essay) or ITAL 99d (Senior Thesis) in their senior year, or an equivalent course or courses in a cognate department that results in the writing of a senior essay or senior thesis on a subject relating to Italy.
E. Students are strongly encouraged to study abroad during their junior year for either one or two semesters. Equivalent or appropriate courses taken abroad may count toward the concentration. Students who are unable to engage in study abroad are encouraged to avail themselves of relevant courses offered by consortium institutions in the Boston area (principally, Wellesley College, Boston College, Boston University, Tufts University).
ITAL 10a Beginning Italian
Prerequisite: Students enrolling for the first time in an Italian course at Brandeis must take the online placement exam at www.brandeis.edu/registrar/italtest.html.
For students who have had no previous study of Italian. A systematic presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of the language within the context of Italian culture, with focus on all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Usually offered every year.
Staff
ITAL 20b Continuing Italian
Prerequisite: ITAL 10a or the equivalent. Students enrolling for the first time in an Italian course at Brandeis must take the online placement exam at www.brandeis.edu/registrar/italtest.html.
For students with some previous study of Italian. Continuing presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of the language within the context of Italian culture and practice of the four language skills. Special attention to reading and writing skills, as well as guided conversation. Usually offered every year.
Staff
ITAL 30a Intermediate Italian
[ fl ]
Prerequisite: ITAL 20b or the equivalent. Students enrolling for the first time in an Italian course at Brandeis must take the online placement exam at www.brandeis.edu/registrar/italtest.html.
Readings in contemporary Italian short stories, newspaper and journal articles, and short essays of cultural interest will be supplemented by video presentations (opera, film, "filmati," and "telegiornale" from RAI) designed to enhance oral comprehension. Typical themes include social conflicts (Fascism, the problem of the "Mezzogiorno") and cultural phenomena (feminism, art, geography). Review of grammar includes written exercises and short compositions. Usually offered every fall.
Staff
ITAL 97a Senior Essay
Students should consult the undergraduate advising head before enrolling. May not be taken for credit by students who have satisfactorily completed ITAL 97b.
Offers students an opportunity to produce a senior essay under the direction of an individual instructor. Usually offered every fall.
Staff
ITAL 97b Senior Essay
Students should consult the undergraduate advising head before enrolling. May not be taken for credit by students who have satisfactorily completed ITAL 97a.
Offers students an opportunity to produce a senior essay under the direction of an individual instructor. Usually offered every spring.
Staff
ITAL 98a Independent Study
May be taken only with the written permission of the advising head and the chair of the department.
Reading and reports under faculty supervision. Usually offered every year.
Staff
ITAL 98b Independent Study
May be taken only with the written permission of the advising head and the chair of the department.
Reading and reports under faculty supervision. Usually offered every year.
Staff
ITAL 99d Senior Thesis
Students should consult the undergraduate advising head before enrolling.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
IECS 140a Dante's Divine Comedy
[ hum ]
Open to all students. Conducted in English with readings in English
translation.
A close study of the entire poem--Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso--as a symbolic vision of reality reflecting the culture and thought--political, philosophical, theological--of the Middle Ages. Readings to include the Vita Nuova, the Aeneid (Bk. 6), and selections from the Bible, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, and St. Thomas' Summa Theologicae. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Lansing
ITAL 105a Italian Conversation and Composition
[ fl hum wi ]
Prerequisite: ITAL 30a or the equivalent.
Provides students with an opportunity to develop their oral and written proficiency in Italian, while familiarizing themselves with different facets of contemporary Italian culture and society. Readings will be supplemented by films and recordings. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Servino
ITAL 106a Advanced Readings in Italian
[ fl hum ]
Prerequisite: ITAL 30a or the equivalent.
Close study and analysis of representative works of Italian literature (prose, poetry, drama) and culture (art, history, music, cinema, politics) designed to enhance the student's reading skills. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Lansing
ITAL 110a Introduction to Italian Literature
[ fl hum ]
Prerequisite: ITAL 30a or the equivalent.
Surveys the masterpieces of Italian literature from Dante to the present. It is designed to introduce the student to the major authors and literary periods, styles, and genres and present an overview of the history of the literature. Conducted in Italian. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Lansing
ITAL 120b Modern Italian Literature
[ hum fl ]
Prerequisite: ITAL 30a or the equivalent.
Analysis of major works by Svevo, Pirandello, Moravia, Silone, Lampedusa, Pavese, Primo Levi, Montale, and Vittorini with respect to the political, economic, and social problems of post-Risorgimento Italy. Conducted in Italian. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Lansing
ITAL 128a Mapping Modern Italian Culture: Inherited Conflicts
[ hum oc ]
Prerequisites: ITAL 105a or 106a. Conducted in Italian with Italian texts.
Covers a broad range of cultural topics that exemplify creative responses to historical events and social dilemmas that have shaped contemporary Italian culture. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Lansing and Ms. Servino
ITAL 134b Nella cultura ebraica italiana: cinema e letteratura
[ fl hum ]
Prerequisite: ITAL 105a, 106a, or equivalent. conducted in Italian. Materials fee: $30.
Analyzes Italian Jewish representations in Italian culture from the founding of the ghetto in Venice in 1516 to modern times. Works of Italian Jewish writers and historians are examined as well as Italian movies that address Jewish themes within the mainstream of Italian culture. This course has an interdisciplinary approach while focusing on advanced Italian language skills. Special one-time offering, spring 2008.
Ms. Servino
COML 102a
Love in the Middle Ages
COML 103b
Madness and Folly in Renaissance Literature
FA 45a
St. Peter's and the Vatican
FA 51a
Art of the Early Renaissance in Italy
FA 58b
High and Late Renaissance in Italy
FA 60a
Baroque in Italy and Spain
HIST 123a
The Renaissance
HIST 139b
Fascism East and West
HIST 170a
Italian Films, Italian Histories
IECS 140a
Dante's Divine Comedy
MUS 52a
Opera
NEJS 151b
Ghettos, Gondolas, and Gelato: The Italian Jewish Experience