Fascism, Futurism, Feminism: Forces of Change in 20th-Century Italy
ITAL 240
Spring 2009
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01
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This course investigates three forces at work in Italy in the first half of the 20th century. We explore Italian Fascism, futurism, and feminism through a variety of media, including literary, cinematic, and artistic expressions, and will consider each movement in its sociohistorical context. How does the radical annihilation of standard mores and culture proposed by the futurists help pave the way for Italian Fascism? How does feminism in the first half of the century offer examples of resistance to both Fascism and futurism? The texts we will consider include the paintings, sculpture, manifestoes, and poetry of futurism; Sibilla Aleramo's early feminist novel Una donna as well as the writings of other Italian feminists resistant to the ultra violence and misogyny of futurism and the instrumentalization of gender under Italian Fascism. We explore similarly varied texts representative of the Fascist era: examples of rationalist architecture and urban planning; Alberto Moravia's novel of social mores during Fascism, Gli indifferenti; selections from political prisoner of the Regime Antonio Gramsci's Quaderni del carcere and Lettere dal carcere; and at least one film made under the conditions (economic, industrial, and propagandistic) of Fascism. Our goal is an understanding of the ideological dis/connections between Fascism, futurism, and Feminism in the Italian collective unconscious in an historical juncture of profound social, economic, and political transformations. By focusing on the interconnections of these forces, we strive for a panoramic understanding of Italy as it moved to embrace modernity in the first half of the last century |
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Essential Capabilities:
Intercultural Literacy, Speaking
1. Students will exercise speaking in Ital 240 on a daily basis as well as in more formal occasions like student presentations as well as during the oral final exam, which is modeled on those in Italian university.
2. In this course students reflect on intercultural literacy by examining various artistic expressions in 20th c- Italy in their social, historical, and cultural contexts.
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA RLAN |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: ITAL112 |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (ITST)(RMST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Aleramo, Sibilla. Una donna.
De Cespedes, Alba. Nessuno torna indietro.
Moravia, Alberto. Gli indifferenti
Readings that are not book-length included in the Course Reader.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Daily discussion questions, two essays (with the option of a third, at the student's discretion), oral final examination. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course is intended primarily for students who have already studied abroad (one or two semesters) but may be suitable for students with advanced reading, writing, and speaking abilities in Italian. Students are expected to be able to read between 75- 100 pp. in Italian per week, though reading assignments differ in length according to the genre: weeks in which we study art and architecture require readings of a different length than those in which we are studying novels. In addition to the essential capabilities indicated, students will exercise skills at interpreting the texts in the contexts we consider; these interpretations are exercised orally in class, developed in the two required essays (students have the opportunity to write a third essay and are encouraged to do so), and discussed in the oral final exam. |
| Instructor(s): Nerenberg,Ellen Times: .M.W... 02:40PM-04:00PM; Location: FISK414; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 18 | | SR major: 4 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 9 | GRAD: 0 | SR non-major: 4 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 2 | FR: 1 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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