aCademiC Catalog 2013-2014 - Lorenzo de Medici

traveled in Italy. Our selection will include British, German and
American writers. Another important aspect of the course will
be the study of the history, the works of art, the monuments
and the folklore events of the main Grand Tour destinations:
Venice, Florence, Rome. Students will learn about the different
experiences of famous foreign travelers in Italy through the
centuries and will be able to understand some stereotypes,
prejudices and idealized visions about Italy and Italians that still
survive today.
Music, Cinema and Theatre
Studies
History of Rome through the Cinema
MCT 250 R; Dual listed: HIS 255 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
The extraordinary history of the city of Rome has always been
enmeshed with tragedy, drama and legend. In this course
students analyze major events and developments in Roman
history as depicted in famous movies, with a particular focus on
the history of Rome from the 1920s to the 1970s. The films will
also be explored in order to provide students with an insight into
techniques for writing a short but vivid cinematographic script.
In the second part of the course, students will additionally have
the opportunity to create their own Roman movie script using
not only the information and professional tools studied in class
but also their personal experiences made during their day by
day life in Rome.
Film and Mafia
MCT 265 R; Dual listed: SOC 265 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
The term ‘Mafia’, is one of several world recognized Italian
words. It is also one of the most popular subjects in film, with a
wide range of cinematic representations. Mafia stories are often
present in comedies, dramas, gangster movies and parodies.
This course is focused on the historical, political and social
background of the Italian mafia with special attention to the
Sicilian phenomenon and its links with the American “Cosa
Nostra”. The most significant works about the mafia (directed
in Italy and in the United States) will be shown and discussed
during the lectures.
Film: The Spectator’s Experience
MCT 274 R; Dual listed: PSY 274 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course approaches film from the point of view of the
spectator, that is to say an individual’s emotions, thought
processes, and psychology. The course seeks answers to such
natural questions as: how does the mind actually manage film
images and sounds?; what takes place when we are moved to
sympathize with a screen character, even a “villain”?; what is
implied psychologically in the physical situation of watching
a movie? The point of departure is a general consideration
of the way the human mind processes visual information,
and how it engages with media and mass media. Seeking to
isolate what is special about the film experience, students
explore psychological mechanisms and situations that may
come into play before the cinema screen, including role
models and identification, curiosity, and voyeurism. The course
builds student awareness that our reactions and responses to
film obey certain structures, and that in order to reach their
objectives scriptwriters, editors and directors manipulate those
structures. The class format includes guided screening of
movies and sequences and discussions.
Introduction to Italian Theatre
MCT 275 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course covers the origins of Italian theatre from the early
period to the beginning of the 20th century. Topics covered will
include the Renaissance theatre (among others, Gli Ingannati,
Ariosto, Secchi), Baroque theatre, Commedia dell’Arte, the
17th century and Goldoni, the 19th century theatre and its
connections with Opera (including Rossini and Verdi). The
course will conclude with the rise of modern theatre with a
particular focus on Pirandello.
Italian Society through the Cinema
MCT 282 R; Dual listed: SOC 275 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course presents the development and changes of the Italian
society in the last decades as seen through Italian cinematic
vision. The films discussed during the lectures will be shown
in chronological order, and cover some of the most significant
periods of Italian society: Fascism, the war and post-war time,
the economic boom of the early sixties, the anger and protest
of the young generation. “Genre” movies will be discussed
with special attention given to the “Comedy Italian Style”.
Information about the most important periods of Italian history,
from Fascism to the present time, will be followed throughout
the course. Films are in Italian with English subtitles.
Introduction to Italian Opera
MCT 285 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
The course surveys the historical and artistic evolution of
Italian Opera, from its beginnings in the classical atmosphere
of the late Renaissance, through the extravagant Baroque, the
passionate period of Romanticism up to the last exciting works
of the early Modern age. The bulk of the program is dedicated
to the great repertoire of the 1700s and 1800s, still today the
most popular and frequently performed. The course follows
a special approach exploring the social, philosophical and
literary forces that shaped Opera. Particular emphasis is placed
on the musical aspects of Opera, like the style of singing, the
different roles on stage, the evolution of the orchestra and its
instruments. The major operatic composers (Mozart, Rossini,
Verdi, Puccini) are studied in depth, exploring the musical and
dramatic values of their masterpieces.
Film Studies
MCT 295 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course is an introduction to the study of film as an art form.
Rather than take the Hollywood model as the ‘natural’ form for
a film, students will be encouraged to regard it as only one,
albeit predominant, form of film-making among many others.
This exploration will be undertaken through an analysis of the
different elements and formal principles that make up a film and
an exploration of how these have evolved historically in a variety
of movements. Students will view a number of landmark films
and study how they combine different elements, such as sound,
editing and mise-en-scene, to construct different narratives.
Although the primary emphasis will be on aesthetics, films will
also be placed in their historical, political, technological and
economic contexts. The basic goal of this class is to develop
an understanding of the art and history of film, and to think
critically about filmmaking.
History of Italian Cinema
MCT 298 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This is an intermediate level course dealing with the
development of Italian cinema from Neorealism to the present
time. Renowned directors such as Rossellini, De Sica, Visconti,
Fellini, Antonioni, Pasolini, and the most significant works of
both neorealist and post-neorealist times (Rome Open City,
The Bicycle Thief, Riso amaro, La strada, etc.), will be analyzed.
The infuence of Fascism, post-war crisis, the economic miracle,
and the protests of 1968 will be taken into consideration,
along with the most common themes in Italian cinema such as
social injustice, psychological and existential analysis, neurotic
alienation, crisis and decadence of the bourgeoisie and the
overall ironic portrayal of Italian society. Genre, techniques,
style, language and symbolism will be discussed.
Shakespeare’s Italy
MCT 302 R; Dual listed: LIT 302 R
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Shakespeare, the greatest English-language dramatist of all
time, set approximately one-fourth of his plays in Italian cities
such as ancient Rome, Verona and Venice. In this course, we
School of Arts & Sciences ROME
LdM Academic Catalog 2013-2014
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