IT 130 Italian Culture and Civilization

IT 130, Italian Culture and Civilization, examines Italian life from antiquity to the present. It is designated an International Cultures course, which aims to develop critical and analytical skills of undergraduate students through a global exploration of the historical, cultural, and political aspects of Italian society. Historical material will be studied to facilitate understanding of how Italian unity is imagined across time, and will emphasize the continuous process of fragmentation and negotiation of cultural, national, and political identity through the ages. The course traces, among other topics, the importance of the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church, the Renaissance, Italian Unification, Fascism, and contemporary immigration to Italy. Students will analyze primary texts—literature, visual art, essays and speeches, music, dramatic works, and film—to become familiar with significant aspects of Italian thought and culture. Consideration will be given to the various representative Italians such as Dante Alighieri, Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolò Machiavelli, Galileo Galilei, and Vittorio de Sica; inclusion of lesser-known figures, such as Igiaba Scego and Amara Lakhous, will provide students with a wider range of voices that will enrich critical engagement with course themes. By the end of the course students will be able to identify and critically analyze diversity within the peninsula, and demonstrate a familiarity with the key moments, people, and products of Italian culture from antiquity to the present. Throughout the semester, students will also be encouraged to develop a critical appreciation of the influence of Italian culture on Western civilization, and demonstrate a more nuanced understanding of the country by recognizing and articulating similarities and differences among the various international cultures that have influenced, and continue to shape Italy.