Department of Romance Studies

All schedule information is tentative. Please see the Registrar's site for the latest information.

For a video introduction to the Italian Studies program, visit our ROMS Course Videos page.

For more information about ITAL 10-106 placement/enrollment, please see our Language Programs Placement page. If you have any questions, please contact Prof. Harder.

(1) M,T,W,Th 11:15 AM–12:05 PM, Monteleone
(2) M,W,Th 1:20–2:10 PM; T 12:45–1:35 PM, Servino

Prerequisite: For students with little or no knowledge of Italian language (please see instructions on our Language Programs Placement page).

Are you interested in experiencing a taste of Italy right here on campus? If reading an Italian menu with the right accent, understanding Bocelli and Botticelli, speaking the language, and learning about love and passion beyond the stereotypes are not enough to get you involved, we will find many more ways to make your Italian experience worthwhile. Just as in Italy, if you have no specific reasons to study Italian, we will make one up just for you!

(1) M,W,R 10:10–11:00 AM; T 10:00–10:50 AM, Monteleone
(2) M,T,W,Th 11:15 AM–12:05 PM, Servino

Prerequisite: A grade of C– or higher in ITAL 20b or the equivalent (please see instructions on our Language Programs Placement page).

Is Italian synonymous with pizza and the Mafia? Of course not! Students in this course advance their study in Italian language and culture by improving their ability to recount events, give descriptions, and make comparisons —both orally and in writing. Working with newspaper articles, short stories, and films, students gain an understanding of what growing up in Italy is all about! Students learn how the closeness of family and friends is the basis of Italian culture and how Italians are able to live in a modern Italy despite their old soul that comes from ancient values and colorful imagery of its people.

(1) ) T,Th 3:55–5:15 PM, Servino

Prerequisite: ITAL 105a or 106a or permission of the instructor. Conducted in Italian with Italian texts. [COML Lit Course in a Language Other than English; OC]

Is “La Dolce Vita” only a myth of Italian life? How has Social Justice been defined in Italy through pivotal historical moments? How have the concepts of mafia and camorra shaped the lives and politics of Italians? How has the profile of Italians changed in the last few decades both in Italy and abroad? What is the profile of Italian Americans? How is migration to Italy and Europe reshaping the culture of "otherness" and addressing diversity? How are black writers and activists contributing to a new Italian identity? In this course, we will try to map the complexity of key historical and socio-political moments through the lens of key Italians' actions, literature, music, and cinema.

(1) T,Th 2:20 PM–3:40 PM, Alexandra Ratzlaff

[Cross-listed with ECS, FA, and ITAL.]

Examines the greatest technological discoveries from the classical world. How did these engineering and technological marvels turn the tides of war and alter the trajectory of civilizations? In hands-on modules, this course will introduce modern technology such as 3D Scanning & Printing, XRF, Virtual Reality, Drones and others, as a means of analyzing the ancient world.

(1) M,W 8:30 AM–9:50 AM, Eoin O'Donoghue

[Cross-listed with ITAL.]

Examines the relationship between people and the natural and built environment in the ancient Mediterranean. A primary aim is to study the ecological and environmental diversity and history of the Mediterranean region over the long durée, from prehistory to the early Medieval period. The course will be broken into thematic sections; firstly, it will consider the geographical and historical conceptualizations of the Mediterranean, particularly questioning an outdated paradigm that it can be understood as a unified region. The second part of the course will study the ancient environment and microecologies through a regional survey. We look at the effects these had on settlement patterns and the development of different types of urban communities. We will also consider connectivity on land, riverways, and on the sea itself. The role of the Mediterranean Sea, its archipelagos and islands will be considered. The third part of the course will focus on the subsistence strategies of Mediterranean communities and cities; this will comprise an analysis of change in agrarian practices and seafaring overtime and the impact of technological innovation, along with studying the history of food systems more generally. An essential part of this will examine the effect of environmental disasters on agrarian societies and the subsequent socio-political effects, including the rise and fall of some of the ancient Mediterranean’s cultures and civilizations.

(1) M,W,Th 11:15 AM–12:05 PM, William Kapelle

[Cross-listed with CLAS, ECS, HIST, ITAL, & MERS.]

Survey of Roman history from the early republic through the decline of the empire. Covers the political history of the Roman state and the major social, economic, and religious changes of the period.

(1) T,Th 3:55 PM–5:15 PM, Paul Jankowski

[WI; Cross-listed with HIST, IGS, & ITAL.]

Examines the military and diplomatic, social and economic history of the war. Topics include war origins; allied diplomacy; the neutrals; war propaganda; occupation, resistance, and collaboration; the mass murder of the Jews; "peace feelers"; the war economies; scientific warfare and the development of nuclear weapons; and the origins of the Cold War.