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.

Today, speaking of contemporary Italy necessarily means addressing migration and its effects on a society that, due to its fragmented history before unification, and to the several ethnic and linguistic minorities living in its territory for centuries, is already culturally multifaceted. While for many years, Italy widely contributed to the flux of global migration, since the last decades of the 20th century its territory has become, if not always a final destination, a crucial stop in the painful and arduous journey for those forced by politics, war, environmental disasters, poverty, or famine to leave everything behind in hopes of finding a safe harbor elsewhere. Just like the impact of Italian mass emigration changed both the country left behind and the communities in the countries of destination in the past, today, the impact of new human migratory patterns towards Europe has become more and more socially relevant in Italian culture and society. This course will address Italian multicultural landscape by discussing and analyzing today’s immigration from other parts of the world, with a focus on Mediterranean crossings. Special attention will be given to the impact that migration is having on Italian literature, music, film and culture in general. Readings and class discussions will center not only on the journey of migration, but also on patterns of integration upon settlement in Italy, on the responses from politicians and society as a whole, and on the wave of creativity in the arts from “second-generation Italians”. Required texts will include journal articles, chapters from scholarly book, novels, short stories, poems and songs. We’ll watch both documentaries and feature films as well. Course requirements: Regular and constructive participation to class discussions, a midterm and a final exam, a final project (in-class presentation), short response papers

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Requirements class fulfills