Home Movies: Italian "Families" on Film
ITAL 223
Fall 2021
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
COL 223 |
What is "the family" in an Italian social and cultural context? How has it changed over time? How has it responded to the transformations of Italian society since the time of the postwar economic miracle until today? Have its contours changed to adapt to new values? Has it fossilized existing values? Are families limited to flesh-and-blood kinship or are they constructed along lines of shared values and loyalty? This course seeks some answers to these questions through a sustained exploration of a variety of types of families as they are presented in Italian cinema from roughly 1950 until today. We will take stock of the "traditional" family and the social values connected to it, seeking to understand how Italian filmmakers, through their focus on the family, enter into the debate concerning tradition and change within Italian society, culture, and history. We will examine family dynamics of affiliation, love, and rivalry; elective families (organized around crime syndicates, families constituted according to affinity); "failed" families and what that means; and examples of single-parent and same-sex families that seek to challenge conventional heteronormative paradigms. After some positioning readings (in sociology, history, and anthropology) that will help set a critical frame for our examination throughout the semester, we will concentrate on film texts which will be among those listed below. This course is conducted in Italian.
We will screen one primary film each week, which will anchor our discussions and serve as the basis for that week's activities. In addition, beginning the third week of the semester, students will make 10-15 minute presentations on a secondary film that will serve as a "companion" to the primary text and will thicken our understanding of that week's themes. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA RLAN |
| Course Format: Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: ITAL221 OR ITAL222 |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (COL)(ITST)(RMST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Gianni Amelio IL LADRO DI BAMBINI
Francesca Archibugi MIGNON E PARTITA
Cristina Comencini LA BESTIA NEL CUORE
Emanuele Crialesi RESPIRO
Vittorio De Sica MATRIMONIO ALL'ITALIANA
Gianni di Gregorio PRANZO DI FERRAGOSTO
Pietro Germi DIVORZIO ALL'ITALIANA
Daniele Luchetti LA NOSTRA VITA
Alina Marazzi UN ORA SOLA TI VORREI
Fernan Ozpetek LE FATE IGNORANTI
Michele Placido ROMANZO CRIMINALE
Alba Rohrwacher LE MERAVIGLIE
Gabriele Salvatores COME DIO COMANDA
Ettore Scola LA FAMIGLIA
Paolo Virzi LA PAZZA GIOIA
Luchino Visconti ROCCO E I SUOI FRATELLI
Eduardo Winspeare GALANTUOMINI
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Examinations and Assignments:
Discussion questions
Student presentation
Short writing assignments
Essay/project |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Additional requirements and/or comments
This course is intended for students who have taken either a course numbered Italian 112 or higher or whose placement suggests enrolling in courses beginning with ITAL 221
In the event that a student with advanced abilities in speaking reading and writing has not yet completed Italian 112 they will be asked to have a brief conversation with the instructor
Any questions about placement or appropriateness of level should be directed to the instructor |
| Instructor(s): Nerenberg,Ellen Times: .M.W.F. 11:10AM-12:00PM; Location: FISK412; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 4 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 7 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 2 | SO: 1 | 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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