SPOTLIGHT ON FACULTYSPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI AND FRIENDSthe university, and vice versa. Yet,State Street, which links the StateCapitol and the Memorial Library oncampus, speaks to a deep connectionbetween the two. How do you see thiscontinuity and independence at thesame time? Does it seem much differentnowadays?Yes, the difference is dramaticcompared to 22 years ago when therewas little or sporadic communicationbetween the town and the UW campus.Now the university has systematicallyprogrammed outreach activities withthe purpose of providing services to thecommunity beyond conventional limits.This is a wonderful achievement.As someone who has recently joinedUW, I have to ask about your firstimpressions upon arrival in Madison.What did you expect of your new jobwhen you arrived? How, if at all, didyou expect UW-Madison to be differentfrom Brown University, whereyou completed your PhD? Were thereany surprises?While Brown at that time had only7,000 students, UW-Madison had about43,000! This was the most strikingdifference between the two institutions.It was my first job and I had nospecific expectations besides teachingand conducting research in my area ofinterest (17th- and 18th-century <strong>Italian</strong>literature). The surprise came right aftertenure with a considerable administrativeload that inevitably reduced thetime I could devote to scholarly work.How does being here, at UW, stimulateyour research? Also, what are thegreatest challenges for an academic betweenresearch, teaching and service?UW-Madison is a research institutionthat offers excellent opportunitiesto faculty, especially junior faculty, forintellectual growth. I must admit, however,that the most stimulating componentof my own research came from theclassroom, graduate and undergraduate.I consider teaching an extraordinarylearning experience and view each classperiod as a rewarding opportunity formyself to grow and to explore new areasof study. Service assignments can bechallenging, but they also offer insightson the university mechanism. In myopinion, it is unrealistic to be a goodteacher and a respectable scholar withoutknowing how the system works.Therefore, I consider service a crucialpart of our profession.The <strong>Italian</strong> program at UW-Madisonis among the largest in the nation. Inyour opinion, what helped build sucha strong <strong>Italian</strong> oasis in <strong>Wisconsin</strong>,and in the United States at-large?What has been the most importantchange or improvement in our <strong>Italian</strong>program since you arrived here?When I joined the department in1988, the <strong>Italian</strong> program was very wellestablished, mainly for the excellentwork and admirable dedication of mypredecessors, Christopher Kleinhenzand Robert Rodini. While I can’t identifya specific major change in our program,I can certainly recognize a few that hadan immensely positive impact on theundergraduate and graduate curriculaand on our national visibility. The hiringof film scholar, Patrick Rumble, and ofromance philologist, Tom Cravens, notonly did offer more faculty variety, butalso contributed significantly to theincrease of undergraduate enrollment.Every generation of students bringswith it its own baggage. Howwould you describe your teachingphilosophy?Teaching is always challengingif we consider the generational gapbetween us and our students. Yearby year they are younger and year byyear we are older. My teaching philosophyhas always relied on two coretenets regarding education and therole of literature. First, I believe thatstimulating enthusiasm in and beyondthe classroom is critical to successfulteaching. According to my experience,an effective key to arousing passion inthe students is making literature less intimidatingby reducing preconceptionsand fears about narrative and poetictexts. I always remind my students thata literary text should be considered asa “close friend” that challenges theirminds and enables them to understandthemselves. Second, I consider teachingan extraordinary learning experience.While it is up to each individual studentto evaluate my teaching, I continue toenrich my own teaching by engaging incareful reflection and by keeping myselfaware of new ways that may meet theneeds of my students even more effectively.I am always looking ahead withan eye toward further improvements asone of the most significant challengesin my academic career.What does being a professor meanto you?Being a professor is a mission thatcan only be carried out with passionand determination. When these two aregone, you know your mission is over.My teaching career began immediatelyafter graduating from the University ofNaples in 1982, when my mentor askedme to provide undergraduate studentswith guidance in their bibliographicalresearch. Since then, my entire lifehas been devoted to instruction at thecollege level. Being the product of twoeducational systems, my professionalprofile has been largely shaped by mydiverse background and by my 22 yearsat UW-Madison, where I have offered awide range of language, literature andculture courses at all levels. Becomingan effective teacher has always been mypriority and I constantly devote timeand energy to the accomplishment ofthis goal.To my question as to what adviceshe could give me at the beginningof my career in UW’s Frenchand <strong>Italian</strong> Department, StefaniaBuccini says right away that beingflexible and working in a team withother colleagues is crucial for lifetogether in the Department. Findinga modus vivendi which allowsfor an atmosphere of collaborationshould be our most important task.For everything else, like success inone’s research, good results in theclassroom, and proper service to thedepartment and the university thencomes more easily.Stefania Buccini is Professor of <strong>Italian</strong>.She holds a Laurea in Modern <strong>Italian</strong>Philology from the University of Naples(1982) and a Ph.D. in <strong>Italian</strong> Literaturefrom Brown University (1988). Herareas of specialty are 17th-, 18th- andearly 19th-century <strong>Italian</strong> literature andculture. This includes early baroque noveland poetry, Counter-reform sacred oratory,libertine fiction and ideology, the cultureof the Enlightenment, antique printededitions and manuscripts, autobiographyand theater. She has published two books(The Americas in <strong>Italian</strong> Literature andCulture: 1700-1825, Sentimento dellamorte dal barocco al declino dei Lumi)and a third one is forthcoming (L’oziolecito della scrittura: Francesco Ponaletterato). Professor Buccini is presentlyworking on the motif of solitude and“otium litterarum” in 18th-century <strong>Italian</strong>literature.“Un moment privilégié”By HollyTuckerAt somepoint duringmy graduatestudies, mydissertationdirectorHolly Tucker Martine Debaisieuxtoldme that my time in the Departmentof French & <strong>Italian</strong> at UW-Madisonwas a moment privilégié. I remembergroaning quietly to myself. Aprivileged moment? How was livingon a TA’s income and spending everywaking minute reading, writing andworrying about my studies a privilege?Surely, she was joking.She wasn’t.Fifteen years later, I’m now atenured professor at Vanderbilt University— and I could not agree withher more. For as intense as my yearsat UW-Madison were, they were alsosome of the most invigorating momentsof my intellectual life. If I’vebeen fortunate to enjoy a career at aplace like Vanderbilt, it’s because ofthe extraordinary teaching and mentoringI received from my professors,now colleagues, at the University of<strong>Wisconsin</strong>-Madison.As a graduate student, I had theopportunity to take courses frommany great scholars who were aspassionate about teaching as theywere about their research. I stillremember Bill Berg’s masterful closereading of the first three sentences ofFlaubert’s “Un Coeur simple.” Threesentences and two hours later, I leftthe seminar room stunned by howI had much learned about Flaubert,about 19th-century culture, andabout the rigor of literary studies.Jan Miernowski’s animated seminaron Renaissance Transgressionsin the semester following my MAconfirmed my passion for the earlymodernera. Sally Magnan’s appliedlinguistics courses helped mefind ways to yoke together literaryresearch with my deep interests inteaching as an intellectual practice.Long after finishing my PhD, Icontinue to benefit from the expertiseand generosity of the faculty atUW. I often find myself rememberingthe practical lessons I learnedfrom Gilles Bousquet, with whomI worked as Head TA in French203. I also cannot begin to thankSally Magnan who has offered upthoughtful professional advice andpublishing opportunities at key momentsin my career and on whomI still count as a mentor. And whileI did not have a chance to take acourse from the legendary ElaineMarks, she and I reconnected atVanderbilt while she was doing anexternal review of our program. She,too, quickly became a trusted confidantwho shared her sharp-eyedobservations, tips for navigating thesometimes rocky waters of academe,and always, heartfelt encouragement.The profession has changeddramatically since I began my careerin French Studies some 20 years ago.What has not changed is the extraordinaryformation that takes place inthe classrooms, hallways and officesof Van Hise Hall. My time spentthere was indeed, as Martine Debaisieuxobserved, a privileged moment.Holly Tucker (PhD’96) is AssociateProfessor in Vanderbilt University’sDepartment of French & <strong>Italian</strong> and theCenter for Medicine, Health & Society.6 French & <strong>Italian</strong> — Summer 2010frit.lss.wisc.edu 7