ITAL302

Shifting Identities and Perceptions in Medieval and Early Modern Italy

Cross-listed with RMST 341

Giotto, Nativity, detail. Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy. The Virgin Mary looks at her newborn child, Jesus, as he looks back at her. We see here the inception of art as expression not just of traditional sacred story, but of human consciousness as experience of a fully embodied identity, a coming together of intelligence, emotions, intuitions and sensations.

This is a course that aims at blending the visual and the literary arts that flourished in the Italian peninsula from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. We will follow a chronological order, moving from Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio to Pico, Machiavelli and Castiglione, from Giotto to Leonardo.

We will also pay attention to where these art forms occurred geographically, as different centers of patronage became prominent at different moments in time. We will therefore look at Palermo and Sicily during the 12^th and 13^th centuries, Florence and Tuscany from the 13^th to the 16^th, Milan-Venice in the 15^th and 16^th; finally, approaching the Rome of the Renaissance will also give us the opportunity to look at her ancient, classical heritage.

We will read excerpts from some of the major texts that were produced in these various areas, and familiarize ourselves with the evolution of the visual arts.

If you are planning a trip to Italy at some point in the future, don’t miss this course! Decisions on where to go, where to stay and which wines to taste will rest on your organizational skills; but, having taken this course, you will know all the ins and outs necessary to plan a culturally exciting journey and decide for yourselves which regions’ cultural identities are closer to your interests.

Required texts:

• There are no required books to buy. Required texts are available online, or will be made available via Canvas.
• Selections from the following Primary Texts (either excerpts in PDF or available online):
  • Dante, Vita nuova (book required, see below) +The Divine Comedy.
  • Boccaccio, Decameron.
  • Petrarca, Canzoniere and other works.
  • Pico della Mirandola, On the Dignity of Man.
  • Machiavelli, The Prince.
  • Castiglione, The Courtier.

Recommended texts:

• Schneider Adams, Laurie. Italian Renaissance Art. Westview Press, 2001.

Prerequisite: No prerequisites

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of ITAL 303 or RMST 341.

Language of Instruction: English

Elementary Italian I

Italian 201 (3) and Italian 202 (3) are the second-year continuation of Italian 102.

The primary aim of the courses is to consolidate students’ oral and written proficiency, to improve their reading and comprehension skills and to promote their awareness of Italian culture. To serve that purpose, the courses are complemented by an interactive approach to the review of the main Italian grammatical points, an introduction to and discussion on cultural topics, such as stereotypes on Italian people and on Italy, Italian society, Made in Italy, principles in Italian cuisine, sport and health. Both courses are based on the guidelines provided by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. In particular, upon successful completion of Italian 201 course, students “understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance such as basic personal and family information, communicate in routine tasks and describe aspects of their background, immediate environment and matters of immediate need”, and are working toward achieving the A2 language level.

The various assessments and evaluation methods which include vocabulary and grammar tests, peer reading exercises, 2-stage oral exams, peer writing, blogs and group videos are tied to overall course goals and objectives and are meant to help the students assess their own progress in all four language skills and on their cultural competency as well. Students prepare the assigned material prior to coming to class and are also expected to complete the online exercises for additional practice and to further interactively their cultural competency. Grammar in class will be covered briefly in order to clarify concepts already studied by students on their own and tested to evaluate accuracy.

At the end of the semester, students will be able to use Italian to talk about themselves, their life, dreams and interests, to describe their likes and dislikes, and to express their thoughts on complex topics. This course includes a number of authentic readings, interviews and videos; it also emphasize vocabulary acquisition and oral and written interactions with the instructor, with other native speakers and classmates. By the end of this course, students are expected to be able to talk in Italian about present, past, and future events, understand complex real-life conversations among native speakers and be able to write on a variety of topics.

Language of instruction: Italian

Recommended prerequisite: ITAL 102 or successful completion of CEFR Level A1

Écrire l’utopie en France (18e-19e siècles)

Instructor: Joël Castonguay-Bélanger
Language of instruction: French

Construction imaginaire d’une alternative face aux limites et aux vices du présent, description d’un espace idéal qui se serait développé dans les marges de l’histoire, l’utopie participe à la fois de la quête d’un monde meilleur et de la critique de l’ordre existant. Parce qu’elle se présente comme l’expression d’une réalité affranchie de la vérité historique, parce que ses auteurs la situent le plus généralement quelque part entre ailleurs et nulle part, l’utopie se retrouve souvent rangée sur le même rayon que celui des œuvres d’imagination.

Depuis le début du XVIe siècle, moment où Thomas More forge le mot, son écriture emprunte les artifices de la fiction. Elle donnera lieu à une riche tradition littéraire qui se déclinera sous différentes formes : récit de voyage fantaisiste, traité politique, législation imaginaire, roman d’anticipation, etc. Si le discours utopique se donne à lire comme la projection d’un imaginaire politique et social enviable, mais le plus souvent irréalisable, celui-ci reste toutefois toujours en prise avec le réel qu’il entend réformer. Nous interroger sur ce statut ambigu de l’imaginaire utopique, tel qu’il se donne à lire sous la plume de quelques auteurs des 18e et 19e siècles, est l’objectif de ce séminaire.

Une sélection de textes et d’extraits de:
Montesquieu
Étienne-Gabriel Morelly
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Denis Diderot
Condorcet
Louis Sébastien Mercier
Saint-Simon
Charles Fourier
Étienne Cabet

Note: FREN 520 may be taken twice, with different content, for a maximum of 6 credits.

Gender and Sexuality in the Early Modern Stage

Cross-listed with SPAN502

Commedia dell'arte troupe by unknown artist, c. 1580; in the Musée Carnavalet, Paris.

Expect to read some of the most outstanding theatrical plays of the early modern period from a comparative perspective, bringing together texts from various literary traditions. In this course students will explore both the common themes and diverging practices of the Spanish, French, Italian, English and Novohispanic stages. The seminar will examine baroque theatricality, meta-theatricality, stagecraft and the distinct treatment of women in the performance space, while paying particular attention to the varied ways that gender, sex and sexuality are represented. Readings might include plays by Shakespeare, Cervantes, Racine and Calderón; Caro Mallén de Soto, Sor Juana and Aphra Behn; Marlowe, Molière, Machiavelli and Tirso; Lope de Vega, Corneille, Ruiz de Alarcón and Middleton, among other.

Language of instruction: Spanish

Recommended prerequisites: SPAN 221; and SPAN 301 or equivalent expertise in written and spoken Spanish