SPAN504

Italian Mafia Movies

Cross-listed with ITAL234

The association of the mafia with Italy is one of a handful of prevailing cultural metaphors about the country that unfailingly provoke a broad spectrum of impassioned responses from both Italians and non-Italians. This course argues that cinema has fundamentally shaped our perceptions and emotions about the mafia. We trace the lineaments of a cinematic genre born from the American and Italian milieus: the mafia movie. Diverse theses about Italian-origin organized crime, including the Cosa Nostra, Camorra, ‘Ndrangheta, Banda della Magliana, and others, are proposed in these films, which sometimes highlight anti-mafia activities and individuals. We conduct formal film analysis while attending to the socio-historical and cultural contexts of the production of the films or the historical periods depicted in the films. The guiding question of the course is not whether these filmic representations accurately depict the mafia and their contestations. Rather, we seek to unravel the representational complexities, intentions, and agendas of the movies and of the genre. In this way, we gain a cinematic key to understanding Italian mafia which complements relevant historical and empirical studies.

Language of instruction: English

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Grading Breakdown:

Critical essay 1: 25%
Critical essay 2: 25%
Four improvised oral presentations and written reports: 40%
Class participation, regular attendance, and professionalism: 10%

Readings:

Coming soon

Introduction to the Literatures and Cultures of the Romance World II: Artificial Lives, Genre & Gender, DeColonization (Modern to Post-Modern)

This course explores the literatures and cultures from the Americas, Africa and Europe originally written in French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese (or in indigenous languages now pertaining to Nation States in which a Romance language is the official language). Questions of poetics, imperialism and artificial lives in their manifold articulations—including gender, race, colonialism and decolonization—are at the centre of this course. We will delve into classics and lesser-known texts from the eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries and ask, among others, the following questions: how do new forms of artistic expression—such as the invention of photography and film in the course of the 19^th century—create new realities and forms of being that impact us today? What literary, linguistic and aesthetic tools do postcolonial poets and visual artists use when delving into questions of historical injustice, colonialism and decolonization? Where and how can we assess the origins of—and the fascination of writers, scientists and visual artists with—artificial life, and the attendant question of bringing the dead back to life? How do more established literary genres (such poetry, theatre and novels) and art forms (such as music and architecture) dovetail with or challenge the modernist idea of “progress”? Authors and artists discussed include Olympe de Gouges, Luigi Galvani, Charles Baudelaire, Louis Daguerre, Jules-Etienne Marey, Georges Méliès, Villiers de l’Isle-Adam, Sybilla Aleramo, Fernando Pessoa, Florbela Espanca, Gabriela Mistral, Alejandra Pizarnik, Mia Couto, Igiaba Scego, Mariza, Florian Zeller and Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui.

Language of instruction: English

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Grading Breakdown:

PRESENCE (10%):

You are required to attend classes (both lectures and sections), to focus exclusively on the texts and topics discussed in class, and to participate actively and thoughtfully in class discussions. The use of electronic devices for purposes other than accessing and/or using class material and/or taking notes for the class is strictly forbidden. After the third missed class (either lecture or section), your presence grade will drop by 5 points for each missed class.

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION (11%):

Presence in class is not the same as active participation. For example, if you attend class but never speak up or participate in class discussions, you will not receive a positive “Active Participation” grade. Meaningful active participation and contribution to class includes speaking up in class (intelligently and pertinently), informed and creative participation in group work, where you demonstrate your capacity to understand and engage with a literary text or other artifact. I want to see your mind at work…

IN-CLASS WRITING WORKSHOPS (39%):

You will receive three written assignments (in-class writing workshops) in the course of the semester. The writing workshop is an assignment done individually in class, with pen & paper. You are not allowed to use any electronic or other devices (including any texts) for this assignment and you will submit your writing directly at the end of class. Each writing assignment is 13% of the final grade. Hence 39% for the three written assignments. In Week 1, I will explain in greater detail how the in-class writing workshop is structured and what will be expected from you.

QUIZZES (40%):

There will be four 30-minute quizzes in the course of the semester (10% per quiz).

Please note: There are no final papers and no final exams in this course. All the coursework/assessment will be done during, not at the end of the semester.

Readings:

(Available at the UBC Bookstore)

Sibilla Aleramo, A Woman, trans. Rosalind Delmar (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1983). ISBN: 9780520049499

Villiers de l’Isle-Adam, Tomorrow’s Eve, trans. Robert Martin Adams (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1982). ISBN: 978-0-252-06955-0

Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui, Ch’ixinakax utxiwa. On Practices and Discourses of Decolonization (Polity, 2020)

Igiaba Scego, Adua, trans. Jamie Richards (New York City: New Vessel Press, 2017). ISBN: 978-1939931450

Florian Zeller, The Forest, trans. Christopher Hampton (Faber & Faber, 2022). ISBN: 978-0571376926.