Cultures and Contexts: Italy Fall 2011, Course Meetings: TBD Prof. Edelstein, [email protected] Office, Villa La Pietra, 055
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Cultures and Contexts: Italy Fall 2011, Course Meetings: TBD Prof. Edelstein, [email protected] Office, Villa La Pietra, 055 5007246 (office hours, Mondays, 3:00-5:00 p.m.) Course Description In Italy, regional identities have always been strong, while national identity has always been complex, a situation that characterizes even current political debates. Although the Italian peninsula was home to some of the most important ancient civilizations, Italy’s existence as a united country dates only from the nineteenth century, making it younger than the US as a modern nation state. Italy was first unified by the Romans, making Roman antiquity a point of reference throughout history as intellectuals and political leaders dreamed of a unified nation. This course proposes to examine how Italian identity was formed throughout history, both by Italians and by foreign visitors to Italy, in response to the principal ancient cultures that thrived on the peninsula. Focusing on primary sources, literary works, artifacts, art objects, works of architecture, opera and film, the course takes advantage of its site in Florence to explore these unique resources in their original contexts. The course explores various historical periods that are essential for understanding current debates about Italian national identity. Starting with the emergence of Florence as an independent commune in the Middle Ages, the course explores various “revivals” of antiquity, to identify the distinct ways in which ancient culture was made to serve social and political ends. Special attention is given to the exploitation of antiquity during the Risorgimento and the Unification of Italy and subsequently during the Fascist period. A field trip to Rome will permit: exploration of the heart of the ancient capital and its alteration during subsequent periods; an examination of the papacy’s exploitation of antiquity during the Renaissance and Baroque periods; discussion of the Risorgimento’s uses of antiquity with the establishment of the modern national capital in Rome; and analysis of the new classicism invented by the Fascists at EUR. The field trip will also permit viewing of the Euphronios Krater, a key object in the final section of the course devoted to current national identity and the restitution of antiquities, both by Italy (e.g., the return of the Obelisk of Axum to Ethiopia) and to Italy (e.g., by US museums such as the Getty and the Metropolitan). Preparation for this course is largely based on the use of primary sources. Primary sources here include not only texts, but also works of art and architecture, urban spaces, opera libretti and music, film and websites. A fundamental goal of the course is to familiarize you with the use of primary sources, that is, how to read or view them critically, and how to analyze and interpret their significance. Assigned readings contain both primary and secondary sources. Secondary sources are intended primarily to demonstrate a variety of approaches to the interpretation of primary sources and objects or to provide a framework for discussion. Primary sources will serve as the basis for class discussion. This course is not conceived as either a course on the history of the Italian nation state nor is it intended as a course on the history of classical revivals in the arts. The purpose of the course is to familiarize students with fundamental questions regarding regional versus national identity in Italian culture that are essential keys to understanding the social and political context of Italy today. The texts, artworks and monuments of antiquity, and the inspiration that they provided in subsequent periods for other cultural products, are here Prof. Edelstein Cultures and Contexts: Italy syllabus, p. 2 examined to develop a critical understanding of the problem of national identity in Italy throughout history and the ability to characterize and describe those phenomena through the synthesis of primary source materials. Requirements Class meetings take place in our assigned classroom, unless otherwise noted on the syllabus; when the class takes place on site, please be certain that you know where we are meeting and how to get there well in advance of our meeting time since class begins promptly at [TBD]. Site visits are closely timed and entrance times are frequently reserved in advance; therefore, no exceptions will be made for late arrivals. Attendance is required in class, at all site visits and on the field trips. Absences will affect your final grade for the course. Two unexcused late arrivals at class will be considered the equivalent to one unexcused absence, with the same consequences for your final grade. Readings are assigned weekly and must be read in advance of the class session for which they are assigned. Your attendance and preparation are fundamental to your ability to ask questions and participate in class discussion. Site visits and field trips are intended primarily as opportunities to examine works of art and architecture in person and for class discussion. Class participation is worth 15% of your final grade. Grades will be based on: Attendance and Class Participation 15% Midterm 20% Written Assignments 35% Final Exam 30% Exams: The midterm and the final exam are comprised of two sections: short answers and an essay. For the short answers, you will be shown images of works seen and discussed in class. Identify the work and describe briefly why it is important in relation to classical antiquity and regional or national identity. For the essay section, you will be given a choice of three broader topics discussed in class; choose one of these and write a well-organized essay, with an introduction, exposition and conclusion. You are expected to cite relevant primary sources analyzed in class – texts and/or objects; answers that do not cite any of these primary sources will not receive full credit. The final exam will only cover material discussed in the second half of the course. Both the midterm and the final are carefully timed: if you have a recognized learning disability for which you are entitled to extra time, please visit the Offices of Academic Support immediately to insure that we can make proper arrangements for testing. Written Assignments: Over the course of the semester, you will write three short critical analyses (3-5 pages). For each of these texts, you will be asked to visit a site or view a work of art independently and identify the ways in which the work refers to classical prototypes as a means to defining local or national identity, or participation in these. Your text is not intended to be a research paper, nor is it intended to be an emotive response to the appearance of the object or site you are examining; your text should be primarily your own personal analysis of the question of the construction of identity through reference to Prof. Edelstein Cultures and Contexts: Italy syllabus, p. 3 antiquity. However, you are welcome to refer to assigned readings or works previously studied in class. The three assignments are: 1. Piazza Santissima Annunziata: Loggia of the Foundling Hospital; the Piazza; the Equestrian Statue of Ferdinando I (after week 3; due in class at beginning of week 4) 2. Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Palazzo Pitti: choose 2 works on display in any of the first 4 rooms of the museum (after week 9; due in class at beginning of week 10) – n.b.: your Amici cards provide free entrance to this museum 3. Rome: via della Conciliazione and Piazza San Pietro (during our field trip to Rome, you will have free time to examine the Baroque St. Peter’s Square and the Fascist era urban intervention that leads to it; due in class at the end of week 12) Plagiarism: All work executed for this class, including term paper proposals, exams and term papers, must be completed independently. PLAGIARISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN ANY FORM AND WILL RESULT UNCONDITIONALLY IN A FAILING GRADE FOR THE COURSE. To “plagiarize” is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as: Take and use as one’s own (the thoughts, writings, inventions, etc., of another person); copy (literary works, ideas, etc.) improperly or without acknowledgment; pass off the thoughts, work, etc., of (another person) as one’s own. [Lesley Brown, ed., The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 2 vols. (Oxford: 1993), 2:2231] You must cite all sources for your work, not just books and articles but also internet and non-traditional media sources. If you have any doubts or questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please do not hesitate to ask me in class, in office hours or via e-mail. Submitting your work: Electronic submission of your assignments is welcome, although you may submit assignments in hard copy. All electronic submissions must be made in either Word (.doc or .docx format) or PDF (.pdf); for all other formats, please contact me to confirm their acceptability before submission. If you submit assignments electronically, you must do so BEFORE 9:00 p.m. OF THE DAY PRIOR TO THE DUE DATE INDICATED ON THE SYLLABUS. Electronic submissions received after 9:00 p.m. will be considered late. Late submission of either electronic or hard copy assignments will result in a lower grade or evaluation for them. Blackboard: Unless otherwise indicated, all readings for this course are to be found in the Electronic Course Reader on the Blackboard site for this course. In order to access Blackboard, you must have an NYU net ID. All non-NYU students are automatically assigned an NYU net ID when they enroll in the program. In order to activate your net ID, please log on to home.nyu.edu (note: there is no “www” in this site address) and follow the instructions to create a password.