The course will study Italian culture from the perspective of social and historical forces, as articulated by a broad variety of cultural, ideological, and institutional discourses.

Taught in English with readings in English. No Italian language experience or other course prerequisites required. An experience of acoustic immersion into historical and contemporary aural spaces, this course explores Italian culture and society through sound, including music. The course is organized as a series of case studies, among which: religious festivals; movie scenes; healing rituals; sound in public spaces; soundscapes of Renaissance Italy; the use of music in migrant contexts. We will see and listen to how some sonic practices have favored processes of settlement in new environments, experiences of mobility, power relations, and the emergence of both national and transnational identities. Embracing the possibilities offered by the theoretical and historical framework of sound studies, as well as an ecological and sensory approach to sound environments, we will explore the ways in which various communities, artists, activists, individuals, both in the peninsula and abroad, have enacted cultural practices whose sonorous aspects have contributed to shaping Italy’s many sonorous identities.

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Requirements class fulfills