Reading and composition course based on works by Italians and foreigners about Italy and its culture and by Italians about their distinctive experiences of other cultures as tourists and emigrants. Works studied will be primarily chosen from among fiction and non fiction narratives, both originally in English and translated into it. R5A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition Requirement and R5B satisfies the second half.

This course examines the relationship between art and nature in Italian history as well as our own cultural frameworks. Humans assign meaning to trees in both practical and fantastical ways. How have both wild forests and cultivated gardens influenced great works of literature and visual art? How have our ideas about science and progress changed the symbolic position that a tree might hold? What problems do we hope that a tree might solve? Through an exploration of artworks, historic gardens, scientific and historical texts, and two key novels, we will explore the symbolic role of trees and the forest in cultural history. A careful inquiry of perspectives from Italian art, history, science, and literature will offer us a chance to examine the divisions that structure our attitudes toward the natural world. Goals: R5A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement. This course uses writing to explore complex ideas, and to cultivate critical thinking and writing skills. Over the course of this semester, we’ll develop our skills as both readers and writers through the analysis of literary and historical texts, works of art, and through the composition of persuasive academic essays. We’ll use close reading strategies, class discussions, structured and unstructured writing assignments, peer feedback, and revisions to learn how to present our ideas through writing. Key Texts (subject to change): The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino The Word for World is Forest by Ursula Le Guin Passages from additional texts may include: The Divine Comedy by Dante Sylva by John Evelyn Traces on the Rhodian Shore by Clarence Glacken Works of art and landscape architecture may include: Norman era mosaics from the Palatine Chapel and Monreale Cathedral in Palermo Paintings from Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, Bartolomeo Bimbi Illustrations from Francesco Colonna’s Hypnerotomachia Poliphili Historic estate gardens like the Genoardo, Bomarzo, the garden at the Villa di Castello and the botanical gardens of cities like Padua and Palermo.

Requisites

• Satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing Requirement.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills