Italian Studies

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2014-15 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu/.

About the Program

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

The undergraduate major program in Italian Studies is interdisciplinary in nature, affording students the opportunity to emphasize Italian language, literature, history, cultural studies, and film. Students choose from among departmental course offerings in Italian literature, arts, culture, and history. Upper-division courses with significant Italian content are often taught in other departments and programs in the Divisions of Arts and Humanities and of the Social Sciences, among them History, History of Art, Music, Comparative Literature, Film Studies, and Medieval Studies.

Declaring the Major

Students who are considering a major  in Italian Studies should contact the Undergraduate Student Affairs Officer as early as possible in order to plan an individualized course of study. The earliest a student can declare the major is following the completion of one year of Elementary Italian or the equivalent. Students who are coming to a decision to major in their sophomore year must declare no later than following the completion of ITALIAN 4. Students must formally declare the major before taking upper-division Italian language courses.

Once students are ready to declare the major, or if they still have some unsettled issues regarding their academic preparation or future plans, they should drop in during the Faculty Advisor's office hours. Students must bring a BearFacts copy of their transcript with their name printed on it. He/she will go over the transcript, work up a study list plan, and help students realize their plans to major, double major, or incorporate study abroad courses from UC programs in Italy. The adviser will have the University Declaration of Major forms in his/her office which the student will complete at the time of declaration.

Honors Program

To enter the Honors program, in addition to having a minimum overall 3.3 grade point average (GPA), majors must have completed at least 20 upper division units in the major with a minimum GPA of 3.5. Candidates must enroll in Italian Studies H195 for one semester in their senior year during which they will carry out research and write an honors thesis under the guidance of a faculty member. Students who meet the GPA requirements must first consult with the undergraduate faculty adviser in order to pursue an honors thesis.

Minor Program

The Department of Italian offers an undergraduate minor in Italian Studies. For information regarding how to declare the minor, please contact the Department.

Visit Department Website

Major Requirements

In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
  2. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs, with the exception of minors offered outside of the College of Letters and Science.
  3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper- and lower-division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.

For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

Lower-division Requirements

ITALIAN 1Elementary Italian (or equivelent)5
ITALIAN 2Elementary Italian (or equivelent)5
ITALIAN 3Intermediate Italian (or equivelent)5
ITALIAN 4Advanced Italian (or equivelent)5

Upper-division Requirements1

ITALIAN 101AAdvanced Grammar, Reading, and Composition4
ITALIAN 101BAdvanced Grammar, Reading, and Composition4
ITALIAN 103History of Italian Culture4
or ITALIAN 104 Reading Italian Literature
Electives: Select a minimum of 20 units 2
1

 Students may apply a maximum of 12 units earned through Education Abroad programs toward upper-division requirements.

2

 Up to 8 units of coursework with primary readings and discussion in English may be counted toward the total major unit requirement. Such courses may be taken in other departments (e.g. History of Art, History, Music) with advance permission of the Undergraduate Adviser.

Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements and are noted officially on the transcript in the memoranda section, but these are not noted on diplomas.

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements below must be taken for graded credit.
  2. A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.
  3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for courses used to fulfill the minor requirements.
  4. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth Requirement, for Letters and Science students.
  5. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
  6. All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which you plan to graduate. If you cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, please see a College of Letters and Science adviser.
  7. All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)

Requirements

Lower-division
ITALIAN 1Elementary Italian (or equivalent)5
ITALIAN 2Elementary Italian (or equivalent)5
ITALIAN 3Intermediate Italian (or equivalent)5
ITALIAN 4Advanced Italian (or equivalent)5
Upper-division
ITALIAN 101AAdvanced Grammar, Reading, and Composition4
or ITALIAN 101B Advanced Grammar, Reading, and Composition
ITALIAN 103History of Italian Culture4
or ITALIAN 104 Reading Italian Literature
Electives: Select three courses in Italian literature, cultural studies, or film 2
1

Students may apply a maximum of 12 units earned through Education Abroad programs toward upper-division requirements.

2

 Up to 4 units of coursework with primary readings and discussion in English may be counted toward the total major unit requirement. Such courses may be taken in other departments (e.g. History of Art, History, Music) with advance permission of the Undergraduate Adviser.

College Requirements

Undergraduate students in the College of Letters and Science must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.

For detailed lists of courses that fulfill college requirements, please see the College of Letters and Sciences  page in this bulletin. 

Entry Level Writing

All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing Requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley. 

American History and American Institutions

The American History and Institutions requirements are based on the principle that a U.S. resident graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.

American Cultures

American Cultures is the one requirement that all undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.

Quantitative Reasoning

The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course.

Foreign Language

The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work.

Reading and Composition

In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing and critical thinking the College requires two semesters of lower division work in composition. Students must complete a first-level reading and composition course by the end of their second semester and a second-level course by the end of their fourth semester.

Breadth Requirements

The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship.  Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.

Unit Requirements

  • 120 total units, including at least 60 L&S units

  • Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units

  • Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department

Residence Requirements

For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters and Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes here for four years. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you go abroad for a semester or year or want to take courses at another institution or through University Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to see an adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.

Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.

Senior Residence Requirement

After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.

You may use a Berkeley summer session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence Requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the College.

Modified Senior Residence Requirement

Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) or the UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence Requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.

Upper Division Residence Requirement

You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding EAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.

Student Learning Goals

Learning Goals for the Major

  1. Develop proficiency, approximating to that of an educated native speaker, in speaking, reading, writing, and comprehending Italian
  2. Be broadly familiar with the historical development of Italian culture from the Middle Ages to the present day
  3. Acquire detailed familiarity, through intensive and focused study. with a chronologically and generically disparate selection of cultural phenomena connected with Italy and the history of their critical and social reception
  4. Develop advanced skills in the critical analysis of literary texts and other cultural materials (e.g. films, paintings, musical compositions, historical documents, critical theories, social practices)
  5. Have awareness and experience of a variety of approaches to the study of Italian culture, as practiced in both the humanities and the social sciences and of the ways in which these may intersect to generate interdisciplinary study
  6. Learn to conduct research (i.e. to gather and evaluate evidence relating to a hypothesis and construct an argument using it)
  7. Learn to assess the validity of evidence-based argumentation conducted by others
  8. Be aware of, and scrupulously practice, ethics-based protocols of citation etc., in academic research and writing
  9. Write clearly, accurately, and persuasively in both Italian and English
  10. Where practically possible, encounter contemporary Italian culture directly through study or travel in Italy. In this respect, study abroad might well constitute a capstone experience
  11. Develop a sense of the study of Italian culture not merely as an end in itself but as an integral part of a potentially unbounded set of processes and relationships through the exploration of which thinking human beings engage with the world they inhabit

Courses

Italian Studies

ITALIAN 1 Elementary Italian 5 Units

Basic grammar for beginners: Part one.

ITALIAN 1G Reading Italian for Graduate Students 0.0 Units

Basic grammar, reading comprehension, and translation.

ITALIAN 1S Intensive Italian for Spanish Speakers 6 Units

An intensive Italian language course designed for native or advanced speakers of Spanish. In one semester, we will cover materials usually taught in two semesters in Elementary ITALIAN 1 and 2. Students who successfully complete the course will be able to enroll in ITALIAN 3 (Intermediate Italian). Regular and continued attendance of both classes is mandatory.

ITALIAN 2 Elementary Italian 5 Units

Basic grammar for beginners: Part two.

ITALIAN 3 Intermediate Italian 5 Units

Grammar review, reading, and written composition.

ITALIAN 4 Advanced Italian 5 Units

Selected readings in modern Italian prose; a review of the essentials of grammar; written and oral compositions.

ITALIAN R5A Reading and Composition 4 Units

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.

ITALIAN R5B Reading and Composition 4 Units

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.

ITALIAN 12 Advanced Conversational Italian 3 Units

The course is designed to develop and enhance oral communication skills at an advanced level, by means of conversational practice, discussion of readings, student presentation or original material, and use of audio-visual materials and realia.

ITALIAN 24 Freshman Seminars 1 Unit

The Berkeley Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Berkeley Seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester.

ITALIAN 30 Dante (in English) 3 Units

An introduction to Dante's works in the cultural and historical context of the European Middle Ages.

ITALIAN 39C Freshman/Sophomore Seminar 1.5 - 4 Units

Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester.

ITALIAN 39F Freshman/Sophomore Seminar 1.5 - 4 Units

Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester.

ITALIAN 40 Italian Culture (in English) 4 Units

Introduction to Italian studies through selected topics and themes integral to the history, literature, and arts of Italy from Dante to Fellini.

ITALIAN 50 The Italian Renaissance 4 Units

Interdisciplinary introduction to the Italian Renaissance through selected topics integral to the history, literature, and arts of Italy in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

ITALIAN 70 Italian Cinema: History, Directors, Genres, Introduction to Italian Cinema 3 Units

This course is a brief introduction to the history of Italian cinema. No prior knowledge of Italian cinema or film theory is necessary. We will study major auteurs and genres of Italian cinema in the context of Italian culture and history from 1895 to the present. The course is structured chronologically: we will begin with silent cinema, work our way through the 20th century, and end with contemporary cinema. All students must attend weekly screenings. Films and film clips will also be shown during lectures.

ITALIAN 97 Field Studies 1 - 4 Units

Supervised field programs involving experiences in schools and school-related activities. Weekly participation commitment, regular individual meetings with faculty supervisor and written reports required.

ITALIAN 98 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Group study of selected topics not covered by regularly scheduled courses.

ITALIAN 101A Advanced Grammar, Reading, and Composition 4 Units

Reading and grammatical analysis of representative texts; advanced written composition.

ITALIAN 101B Advanced Grammar, Reading, and Composition 4 Units

Reading and grammatical analysis of representative texts; advanced written composition.

ITALIAN 102 Italian through Theater: Advanced Language in Performance 4 Units

In this course we will analyze, interpret, adapt and perform a wide range of Italian theatrical texts. You will gain an appreciation for the power of language; you will learn to analyze a dramatic text and a character; you will develop self-confidence in speaking, improving diction and pronunciation; you will learn about the social and historical contexts of selected plays, and you will enjoy the benefits of a unique collaborative learning experience.

ITALIAN 103 History of Italian Culture 4 Units

Introduction to the historical development of culture and literature in Italian from the Middle Ages to the present day. Lectures, critical analysis of texts, frequent writing exercises. In Italian.

ITALIAN 104 Reading Italian Literature 4 Units

Introduction to basic works of Italian literature (fiction, poetry, drama) with an emphasis on techniques of reading.

ITALIAN 109 Dante's Commedia (in Italian) 4 Units

A close introductory reading of Dante's Commedia. Taught in Italian.

ITALIAN 110 Literature and Culture of the 13th and 14th Centuries 4 Units

Emphasis on the literature and culture of the 13th and 14th centuries. Literature will emphasize the "Stil Novo" and Dante's minor works as well as Boccaccio's and Petrarch's .

ITALIAN 112 Sixteenth-Century Literature and Culture 4 Units

Studies in the literature and culture of the High Renaissance and the Late Renaissance.

ITALIAN 115 Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture 4 Units

Studies in the literature and culture of nineteenth-century Italy.

ITALIAN 117 Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Literature 4 Units

The main trends in the fiction, poetry, prose and theatre of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

ITALIAN 120 Topics in Italian Studies 4 Units

Three hours of lectures, readings, and discussion per week on major authors, themes, and movements in Italian literature.

ITALIAN 130A Dante's Inferno (in English) 4 Units

An introduction to Dante's Inferno in the context of his other works. Taught in English.

ITALIAN 130B Dante's Purgatorio and Paradiso (in English) 4 Units

A close introductory reading of Dante's Purgatorio and Paradiso. Prior completion of ITALIAN 130A Inferno is recommended. Taught in English.

ITALIAN 160 Studies in the History, Society, and Politics of the Italian Peninsula 4 Units

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.

ITALIAN 163 Special Topics in Italian Literature 4 Units

The course will study Italian culture from the perspective of literary discourse in its responses to a broad spectrum of cultural, ideological, and institutional forces. Taught in English or Italian.

ITALIAN 170 The Italian Cinema: History, Genres, Authors 4 Units

An analysis of Italian cinema as seen in the development of specific film genres such as neorealism, comedy, self-reflexive cinema. Occasionally the course will concentrate on a specific director and study his individuality through style, theme, and personal development. This course fulfills film major requirement in one of history, genre, auteur.

ITALIAN 175 Film and Literature (in English) 4 Units

The interaction of film style with literary and poetic structure studied through film theories, film novels, and the work of outstanding Italian film directors. Literature shaped by film experience and films dealing with the essence of cinematic form will be analyzed. This course may fulfill the film major requirement in theory.

ITALIAN H195 Special Studies for Honors Candidates 3 Units

Limited to senior honors candidates. Directed study relating to the writing of an honors thesis.

ITALIAN 197 Field Studies 1 - 4 Units

Supervised field programs involving experiences in schools and school-related activities. Weekly participation commitment, regular individual meetings with faculty supervisor and written reports required.

ITALIAN 198 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Supervised group study of selected topics not covered by regularly scheduled courses.

ITALIAN 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research for Advanced Undergraduates 1 - 4 Units

Enrollment restrictions apply; see the Introduction to the Course and Curricula section of this catalog.

Faculty

Professors

Albert R. Ascoli, Professor. Italy, national identity, literature and history, Dante, authorship and authority, Ariosto, Machiavelli, Petrarch, Boccaccio, epic and romance, Renaissance, early modern, Middle Ages.
Research Profile

Barbara Spackman, Professor. Feminist theory, psychoanalysis, culture, fascism, gender studies, comparative literature, Italian studies, narrative, European decadence, travel writing.
Research Profile

Associate Professors

Steven N. Botterill, Associate Professor. Italian literature, Italian culture, Dante, the Middle Ages, nineteenth-century Italian poetry, twentieth-century Italian poetry, medieval religion, spirituality.
Research Profile

Mia Fuller, Associate Professor. Anthropology, Italy, fascism, urban design, architecture, Italian colonialism.
Research Profile

Gavriel Moses, Associate Professor. Violence, body, comparative literature, Italian studies, film studies, English literatures, philology, film making, Italian cinema history & genres, auteur effects in Antonioni Kieslowski & Rohmer, cultural objects in cinema, novels on film, love.
Research Profile

Assistant Professors

Diego Pirillo, Assistant Professor.

Lecturers

Anna M. Bellezza, Lecturer.

Mara Mauri Jacobsen, Lecturer.

Contact Information

Department of Italian Studies

6303 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-2704

issa@berkeley.edu

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Albert Russell Ascoli, PhD

6325 Dwinelle Hall

Fax: 510-642-6220

ascoli@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Adviser

Steven Botterill, PhD

6329 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-6246

Fax: 510-642-6220

stevenb@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Student Affairs Officer

Kathi Brosnan

6303A Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-4661

issaug@berkeley.edu

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