L‟Orfano, F. – ITAL 2604: Page 1 COLLEGE OF THE HUMANITIES School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Winter 2009 ITAL 2604 - [0.5 credit] - Italian Heritage in North America: Canada Lecture - Three hours a week. Instructor: Francesca L‟Orfano Office: 2A61 PA Office Hours: Wednesdays 4:30-5:30 or by Appointment Email on WebCT Jan 05, 2009 - Apr 07, 2009 Two times a week for 1.5 hrs 2:35 pm - 3:55 pm MW Loeb Building B842 COURSE DESCRIPTION: Grazie to Professor Francesco Loriggio for sharing his Course syllabus and thoughts on this course. What happens when a large number of people from one country migrate to another country? What social processes come into play? What role does culture have in the unfolding of those processes? How is the Italian Canadian immigration experience different from the Italian American experience? How does the history of Italian emigration to North American, compare with the history of other European immigrant groups? How are Italian identities maintained, changed or lost in both a colonialist or post-colonialist setting? How has official Canadian multiculturalism compared to unofficial American multiculturalism, affected both culture and identity for the Italian minority in Canada? These are some of the questions this course will try to answer. In short this course will examine Italian Canadiana as relocated culture in North American society through various forms of cultural production: literature, theatre, and cinema. Thus for example, issues related to the way the Italian North American community has been imagined by others, or how they have imagined themselves will be discussed. As well the debates on ethnicity and the self- representation of minority communities in general, will also be explored. The materials studied will consist mainly of novels, plays and films by Canadians of Italian origin. Among authors and filmmakers the course will focus on are Caterina Edwards, Mary Melfi, Marco Micone, Tony Nardi, Frank Paci, Nino Ricci, Vittorio Rossi, Sara Angelucci, Giovanna D'Angelo, Patricia Fogliato, Carlo Liconti, Paul Tana and Nicola Zavaglia. All works in English. Language of instruction: English. L‟Orfano, F. – ITAL 2604: Page 2 COURSE OBJECTIVES: By the end of this course, 1. Students will be able to understand how the immigration experience of Italians to Canada has contributed to the evolution of Italian Canadian culture. 2. Students will be able to identify, understand and explain key themes and characteristics in the development of Italian Canadian literature, film and theatre. 3. Students will be able to recognize some differences between the Italian Canadian and Italian American experiences. 4. Students will be able to develop and articulate a written argument on Italian Canadiana as relocated culture in literature, film and/or theatre based on researched scholarship and critical analysis. COURSE STRUCTURE: This course will be a lecture format. The material studied will consist mainly of novels, plays and films by Canadians of Italian origin. In addition, class discussions will be part of this course. WINTER TERM 2009 IMPORTANT DATES: January 16 Last day for registration and course changes in Fall and Fall/Winter courses. February 16-20 Winter Break. No classes. March 6 Last day to withdraw from Fall term courses. March 24 Last day for tests or examinations in courses below 4000 level before the Final Examination period. April 3 Last day of classes, Winter term. April 7 Senate deadline for handing in term Assignments, subject to any earlier course deadline. April 8-27 Final examinations for Winter courses. COURSE EVALUTION: Class Attendance ...……………………………………………10% Participation in Class Discussion...........................……………10% Test based on Readings (Wed. February 4)…….…………...…20% Research Essay (8-10 pages. Due Wed. March 18)....…..……..25% Exam (During Univ. Exam Schedule)……...………...……......35% “Standing in a course is determined by the course instructor subject to the approval of the Faculty Dean. This means that grades submitted by the instructor may be subject to revision. No grades are final until they have been approved by the Dean. L‟Orfano, F. – ITAL 2604: Page 3 CLASS ATTENDANCE (10%) in the class is required and students are expected to be on time. The following guide will be used to evaluate the Attendance portion of the Mark. As there are 12 (X2) classes in total, students will be expected to attend at least 20 classes. They will be given .5% per class X 20 = 10%. Please note that students will need to produce written documentation to justify an absence from a class so as not to be penalized on the attendance portion of the mark. As well, please note that for every three (3) Lates (without a justified reason) a 1% deduction will be made to the total Attendance mark. This is done to reward students who are present and on time. Sending a note stating that the student will be absent is not sufficient to excuse them from the penalty. Individual circumstances however will be considered. CLASS DISSCUSSION PARTICIPATION (10%): The following guide will be used to evaluate the Participation portion of the Mark. Outstanding – 8-10 (A-/A): The student is a frequent contributor to class discussion. Contributions reflect the content and broader themes of the readings and lectures. Additionally, contributions are insightful and/or original resulting in a truly exceptional participation. Very Good – 7- 7.9 (B-/B+): The student is a regular contributor to class discussion. It is evident that the student has prepared for class by carefully doing the reading. Satisfactory – 6-6.9 (C-/C+): The student contributes regularly to class discussion, however these contributions do not always draw on weekly readings or lecture themes as well as they could. COMPLETION OF ALL ASSIGNMENTS: At Carleton University, all course assignments must be completed or the student automatically receives an “FND” as a final grade for the course. TERM TESTS: Attendance at term tests is compulsory. Absence from a term test will normally result in no mark for that test and F for the course. If an absence is justified to the instructor by a letter from a medical doctor, or lawyer, or another acceptable written excuse and if the instructor is contacted regarding the absence as soon as possible after the absence, the student will not be penalized. Instructors may, at their discretion, assign such legitimate absentees: (1) a make-up test; (2) a make-up assignment; (3) a prorated grade based on the other marks assigned to the course. DUE DATES for TERM ASSIGNMENTS: These are at the discretion of the instructor, although the calendar specifies the last possible due date for handing in term assignments. Late assignments will be penalized 5% per day for 5 University working days, after which no assignments will be accepted without documentation of a medical or legal emergency and consultation with the instructor or Registrar’s Office. No assignments will be accepted after the senate deadline (April 7, 2009) for term work. Students are required to retain a copy of term assignments submitted. Applications for a deferral of term work must be made through Registrar‟s Office. Deferrals are normally granted only upon submission of compelling medical or legal documentation. L‟Orfano, F. – ITAL 2604: Page 4 ESSAY: Due Wednesday, March 18, 2009 The essay is designed to exercise analytical and critical skills while demonstrating familiarity with the required readings. You will be asked to choose a topic related to Italian Canadiana and approach it from various critical perspectives, the sociological, cultural and/or political dimensions, and the contexts that inform them. Additional scholarly research will be expected. Essay topics and additional information is provided at the end of this syllabus. Students must choose a topic from the list of topics given. If the student wants to research a different topic she/he must discuss this with the instructor and receive approval. If approval is not given and/or a student chooses to write on a different topic anyhow, there will be an automatic deduction of 30% off the Essay grade. FINAL EXAMINATIONS: Attendance at final examinations is compulsory. Students who do not sit for the final examination must apply in writing to the Registrar‟s Office in 300 Tory within a week after the original final examination for permission to write a deferred final examination. The scheduling of deferred examinations is not determined by instructors. Failure to apply for and be granted a deferral will result in a grade of ABS or F. Please note that FASS regulations state the following: "Deferred examinations are not granted to students who make travel plans that conflict with the examination period." INCOMPLETE TERM WORK: An unexcused absence from a term test is a form of incomplete term work. WEBCT: ITAL 2604 is managed with Carleton‟s WebCT6 course management software. Any updates in the Course Calendar, posting of additional course materials, and all e-mail contact between students and the Instructor will be conducted within the WebCT framework. Student grades and a discussion group will also be available there. For those students who do not already have their WebCT account set up, please go to “carleton.ca” website and choose “WebCT” and then “Student Resources”. The specific site location for student account setup is: http://apps.carleton.ca/ccs/web/webct/studentfaq.asp It is mandatory for all students to log into WebCT as all correspondence and messages from the instructor and all e-mail correspondence will be posted there. L‟Orfano, F. – ITAL 2604: Page 5 ITAL 2604: COURSE OUTLINE AND READINGS: All the readings for the course are compulsory and can be found in the Course Pack available through Haven Books (Address at end of Syllabus). Novels Mary Melfi's Infertility Rites (1991)and Frank Paci's Black Madonna (1982) are also available for purchase through Haven Books.