aCademiC Catalog 2013-2014 - Lorenzo de Medici

Italian through Service Learning (in Italian
only)
ITC 340 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course, taught entirely in Italian, aims to give students a
singular experience of study abroad. The focus of the course
is both on the Italian learning outcome and the opportunity to
experience and reflect upon community-based volunteer work
in the program city. Students are required to attend weekly
seminars (at least 15 hours) on cultural and language issues,
sharing experiences based on their service learning. Particular
attention will be dedicated to socially engaged subjects
like ethnicity and immigration, youth and volunteer work,
children and school, stereotypes and intercultural relations,
globalization. The course also entails volunteer placements in
organizations engaged in socially meaningful tasks: working
with women, children, the elderly, students, immigrants, cultural
associations, disabled people and the environment (at least 15
hours of on-site activities per semester to be arranged by and
starting from the fourth week of the semester). The service
learning will be supervised by the professor and local tutor(s).
Please consider that students will have to devote additional
hours for independent learning, preparation and follow-up
of the activities and transport. Students will reflect on their
learning through case study reports and journals based on
participation and observation in the service learning location.
Prerequisites: ITL 202 3-Credit Italian Language Intermediate 2
or equivalent; placement test upon arrival
High Renaissance and Mannerism (in Italian
only)
ITC 345 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course, taught entirely in Italian, traces the major trends
of Italian art in the sixteenth century. It is a period dominated
by the achievements of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and, above
all, Michelangelo. These three artists are examined in great
detail. This analysis is not confined to their works of art, but
also includes their personalities and the social framework
within which they lived and worked. Great emphasis is
therefore put on the dual themes of patronage and the social
position of the artist in the period. Titian, in Venice, receives
similar attention with particular emphasis on his portraits. The
course also explores the complex and refined style known as
Mannerism - a style held to have emerged from tendencies
present in Michelangelo’s work. Mannerist art is particularly well
represented in Florence in the works of Pontormo, Bronzino
and Cellini. Students learn to identify and examine in detail the
works of the leading artists of the period, and gain the ability
to discuss High Renaissance and Mannerist developments of
major subjects and genres, such as portraiture and the nude.
Prerequisites: ITL 301 3-Credit Italian Language Advanced 1 or
equivalent; placement test upon arrival
Career Italian – Becoming a Translator (in
Italian only)
ITC 350 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course, held in Italian, is geared toward students motivated
to learn the translating process from English into Italian with a
strong emphasis on different written genres. Solid knowledge of
both languages is required. This class focuses on both theoretical
and practical aspects of translating text by providing the basic
principles and techniques that should be used when producing
a translation. After a preliminary introduction to the problem
of non-equivalences at different language levels, students will
then explore the diversity of grammatical and lexical categories
across languages as well. Translating skills will be encouraged
through the comparison of different texts in both English and
Italian versions. Practice will include a wide range of translated
texts and studying comparisons between sources such as:
newspaper and magazine articles, modern short stories,
contemporary novels, screenplays for the film dubbing industry,
famous musicals and songs, scientific and technical translation
for medicine, legal and business purposes, extracts from travel
guides, art and architecture books, comic strips, menu and
cooking manuals, advertising and web translations.
Note: Please note that the translations are from Italian into
English, therefore high proficiency in written and read English
is expected
Prerequisites: ITL 202 3-Credit Italian Language Intermediate 2
or equivalent; placement test upon arrival
Contemporary Italian Politics (in Italian only)
ITC 370 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Politically, Italy is a country that combines a very old tradition
with passionate debate about the current direction of the
government and the state. The course, taught entirely in Italian,
aims to provide students with an overview of contemporary
Italian politics by exploring its history from the end of the Second
World War to the present day. Students will be encouraged
to broaden their understanding and sharpen their political
thinking through engagement with the complexity of the
Italian political landscape. A series of specific historical issues
will be analyzed, such as the rise of mass political parties, the
postwar economic miracle, women’s right to vote, the political
debate among parties during the Cold War, the terrorism of
the Seventies, the instability of democracy and the interference
of the Mafia, the case of Bribeville (Tangentopoli), reform of
the electoral system, the power of Berlusconi, and finally
the unsolved question regarding the political integration of
immigrants. Primary materials (newspapers, magazine articles
and videos) will be utilized as a basis for class discussion.
Prerequisites: ITL 301 3-Credit Italian Language Advanced 1 or
equivalent; placement test upon arrival
Italian through Children’s Literature (in Italian
only)
ITC 400 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course, taught entirely in Italian, explores the most
important children’s books written in Italy. In our country this
genre only established itself firmly at the beginning of the
19th century. Until then, children usually read foreign books
translated into Italian. Beginning with a general introduction
on literature for children, the course will be dedicated to the
analysis of the most popular Italian children’s books. Readings
will include works by Collodi, Salgari, De Amicis, Vamba, Gianni
Rodari and Bianca Pitzorno. By the end of the course, students
should be able to have a better understanding of children’s
literature and they will be familiar with the structure and main
themes of a book written for children. They will also practice
their ability to improve reading and understanding a text in
Italian.
Prerequisites: ITL 301 3-Credit Italian Language Advanced 1 or
equivalent; placement test upon arrival
Masterpieces of Contemporary Italian
Literature (in Italian only)
ITC 410 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course covers 20th century Italian literature, concentrating
on the period 1900 - 1945. During each class, taught entirely in
Italian, the professor will introduce a topic and then will help
students read and comment on the texts. Each student will
also be required to develop an individual project based on the
analysis of a complete work by a 20th century Italian author.
At the end of the term, each student will submit a written
paper and give an oral presentation in class about his/her own
work. Readings include works by authors such as Gabriele
D’Annunzio, Giovanni Pascoli, Marino Moretti, Guido Gozzano,
Filippo Marinetti, Aldo Palazzeschi, Dino Campana, Federigo
Tozzi, Italo Svevo, Luigi Pirandello, Giuseppe Ungaretti, Vasco
Pratolini, Eugenio Montale, Elsa Morante, Pierpaolo Pasolini,
Alberto Moravia, Italo Calvino, Alessandro Baricco, Niccolò
Ammanniti, and Simona Vinci. The course objective is to foster
the students’ ability to interpret and understand a literary text
conceived in a different language and in a different cultural
environment.
Prerequisites: ITL 301 3-Credit Italian Language Advanced 1 or
equivalent; placement test upon arrival
School of Italian Language & Culture FLORENCE
LdM Academic Catalog 2013-2014
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