QUADERNO CULTURALE Queens College Italian Program Newsletter| Numero 4 | Department of European Languages and Literatures | Spring 2014 Guida alla lettura: An introduction to IN THIS ISSUE Numero quattro The Queens 2 College Italian Program Il quarto numero di Quaderno Culturale, bollettino This fourth issue of Quaderno Culturale, the del Programma di italiano del Dipartimento newsletter of the Italian Program of the di lingue e letterature europee, contiene Department of European Languages and informazioni sui corsi di italiano offerti dal Literatures, provides information about Queens College, interviste a docenti e a studenti, Italian classes offered by Queens College, un resoconto dal congresso di Italianistica della interviews with faculty and students, a report 3 Georgetown University, un articolo sull’incontro from the Teaching Italian Culture conference, Italicity con Igiaba Scego e la nuova rubrica Invito alla an article about Igiaba Scego, and a review lettura. Dell’offerta didattica della primavera of her last novel. We highlight four Spring 2014 vengono evidenziati il corso introduttivo alla 2014 classes: Introduction to Italian Culture cultura italiana di Morena Corradi, gli incontri di (Prof. Morena Corradi), The Languages of sociolinguistica dell’italiano contemporaneo a cura Italy: Sociolinguistic Variation of Italian in di Hermann Haller, la rappresentazione della Contemporary Italy and across the Globe famiglia attraverso opere della letteratura italiana (Prof. Hermann Haller), Representations of selezionate da Laura Visco e, infine, il seminario Family in 20th-Century Italian Literature di scrittura che Karina Attar propone partendo da (Ms. Laura Visco), and Writing about 5 una scelta di novelle del Boccaccio. Il professore Boccaccio’s Decameron (Prof. Karina Attar). Invito alla lettura dal vivo incontrato da Quaderno Culturale è For the section Professori dal vivo, we Antony J. Tamburri, Dean del John Calandra Italian interview Prof. Anthony J. Tamburri, dean of American Institute. Il prof. Tamburri ripercorre le the John Calandra Italian American Institute. tappe della sua formazione culturale e della sua Prof. Tamburri traces his cultural education carriera professionale, che da decenni si sviluppa and professional career, which has developed 6 su un doppo binario: quello didattico e quello for decades on two tracks: the pedagogical Career amministrativo; ci parla inoltre dei suoi interessi and the administrative. He also talks about Quest di ricerca e delle sue prossime pubblicazioni. In his research interests and updates us on Career Quest, lo studente di di Neuroscience his forthcoming publications. In Career Michael Allen racconta a Quaderno Culturale la Quest, neuroscience student Michael Allen Teaching Italian sua passione per la lingua e la cultura italiane, tells us how his love for Italian language and 8 culture che lo ha portato ad una decisione sorprendente: civilization led him to a surprising decision— laurearsi anche in italiano! Dal congresso Teaching pursuing a major in Italian as well! Our report Italian Culture alla Georgetown University di from the Teaching Italian Culture conference Washington si riportano gli interventi sull’uso di in Washington focuses on presentations materiali autentici nella lezione di lingua e cultura about the use of authentic materials in italiane. Il numero presenta infine un articolo Italian. In addition, this issue contains an 10 sull’incontro con Igiaba Scego, una delle più article about a very interesting transcultural interessanti scrittici “transculturali” italiane, ed Italian writer, Igiaba Scego. A review of her Professori dal vivo una recensione del suo ultimo romanzo – La mia last novel, La Mia Casa è Dove Sono, opens a casa è dove sono – che inaugura la rubrica Invito new column: Invito alla lettura. alla lettura. ELL_QuadernoCulturale_SP14_justified.indd 1 4/2/14 4:35 PM The Queens College Italian Program Karina Attar [email protected] This semester, the Italian Program at discuss, and write about French, German, of emigration to Northern Europe, the Queens College offers 17 undergraduate Italian, Modern Greek, and/or Russian Americas and Australia, with its dual role as courses at all levels, from elementary literary and cultural materials. The Italian an “ethnic” and “neo-Standard” language. to advanced, and in a variety of Program’s Euro 120 course this semester subjects: language, literature, dialects, focuses on Boccaccio’s Decameron. In Fall Italian 41W: Representations of and composition. Each academic year, 2014, the Italian iteration of Euro 120 will Family in 20th-Century approximately 150+ students enroll in our focus on the political, social, and cultural Italian Literature elementary/intermediate language courses. events that shaped Italy from the 1960s to Ms. Laura Visco In addition, Italian majors and minors enroll the early 2000s, as dramatized in the movie in advanced required and elective courses. La meglio gioventù. How did the great social, economic, and In elementary courses, our instructors political events of the 20th century affect the family unit? What influence did new employ the communicative approach HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR SPRING to teach topical vocabulary and the philosophical and cultural trends have on 2014 COURSE OFFERINGS foundations of grammar through a variety it? How did they affect the perception and of grammatical exercises, conversation representation of family? Is the family unit Italian 209: Introduction to questions, paired and group activities, and really a mirror for society, and vice versa? Italian Culture short readings. In intermediate courses, What kind of pressure did it exert on the Prof. Morena Corradi students solidify their understanding of individual’s perception and relationship to himself and the outside world? These are the foundations of grammar, read and Through readings from Balboni and just some of the questions that will be discuss more complex literary and cultural Cardona’s Storia e testi di letteratura italiana tackled in this course. Our exploration materials, and write short essays on Italian per stranieri (Guerra Ed.), the course offers will also take into account the influence topics of personal and general interest, a background for the meaningful study of of psychoanalysis and feminism on the such as immigration, fashion, and cinema. Italian literary culture, including major familial dynamics evoked by 20th-century historical developments from ancient times Italian authors. We will read works by Every semester we offer two master’s level through the comuni, the Renaissance, the Sibilla Aleramo, Alba de Céspedes, Luigi courses. This semester, the MA courses Enlightenment, up to Unification, Fascist Pirandello, Italo Svevo, Carlo Emilio Gadda, focus on “Dante’s Inferno” and “The Italy, the post-war years, the economic Susanna Tamaro, and Elena Ferrante. This Languages of Italy: Sociolinguistic Variation miracle, and the First and Second Republic. writing-intensive course satisfies the PLAS of Italian in Contemporary Italy and across This course is required for Italian majors. Reading Literature (RL) and European the Globe.” For the first time in the history Traditions (ET) requirements. of our program, this second course on the Italian 336/704: The Languages of languages of Italy is officially open to senior Italy: Sociolinguistic Variation of Euro 120/CW2: Writing about undergraduates/advanced Italian majors as Italian in Contemporary Italy and Boccaccio’s Decameron well as MA students. The course meets across the Globe Prof. Karina Attar once a week for three hours–a two- Prof. Hermann Haller hour joint lecture/discussion, followed Writing in the first century BCE, the In this course, we will discuss the by a one-hour section dedicated to the Roman poet Horace argued that literature sociolinguistic varieties of Italian across undergraduate students. While all students should both delight and instruct readers: the geographical and social space of cover the same material throughout the “He who mingles profit with pleasure wins contemporary Italy. We will study the semester, the professor tailors readings every hand, by delighting and instructing gradually evolving uses of Italian and and assignments to the needs and interests the reader at the same time” (“Omne tulit dialects, with particular attention to the of the two groups of students. punctum qui miscuit utile dulci, lectorem great transformation that took place This semester, the Department of European delectando pariterque monendo,” from a largely dialect-speaking society Languages and Literatures also offers, for Ars poetica, ll. 343-4). Throughout his in the years of the country’s unification the first time, four sections of Euro 120, treatise The Art of Poetry, Horace also to the use of Italian by the population of a course that fulfills the new College advises writers, particularly poets, to contemporary Italy. Topics such as the Writing 2 requirement and builds on the read widely, write precisely, and solicit standardization of the language, regional work of English 110 (College Writing 1) honest criticism. His recommendations Italian, the language of the media, and by teaching the conventions of writing can be extended to all kinds of writers, the new linguistic uses in the information in the discipline of European literature not least those who write about literary age will be given particular attention. We and culture. In each permutation of this and cultural developments. By offering will also consider