The Minor in Italian American Studies

Program Coordinator: Fred Gardaphè

 

The minor in Italian-American Studies offers the opportunity to acquire an understanding of the historical and social forces that shape the Italian-Americans in the United States.

Students who wish to complete the program must establish an advisement folder with the program director who supervises their progress as they fulfill the requirements.
Requirements for the Minor
in Italian-American Studies

The completion of the Minor in Italian-American Studies requires 21 credits. All courses offered to fulfill the requirements of the minor must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

ITL 311 or ITL 312 -- 3 credits

HUI 236: 3 credits

HUI 237, or HUI 239 or HUI 216,-- 3 credits

HUI 333, HUI 336, HUI 338, HUI 390-- 12 credits

Substitutions may be allowed when required courses are not available. See adviser of the program.

Faculty

Mary Jo Bona, Italian American Studies
Andrea Fedi, Italian Studies
Luigi Fontanella, Italian Studies
Charles Franco, Italian and Medieval Studies
Fred Gardaphé, Italian American Studies
Eva Gold, Italian and Cultural Studies
Mario Mignone, Italian Studies
Jacqueline Reich, Italian and Cultural Studies
 

Courses in Italian American Studies

Undergraduate Courses

HUI 236-K  The Italian American Scene
The course will explore the phenomenon of Italian American experiences from immigration to ethnicity and beyond by using an interdisciplinary approach. Through background lectures, discussions of readings in anthropology, history, sociology, literature, cultural studies, through the viewing of films and appearances by scholars and artists, students will be introduced to a full range of resources employed in the production and consumption of Italian-American culture. The course will provide students with historical and theoretical backgrounds that will enable them to become aware of the experience of Italians in North and South America and their contributions to American culture.

HUI 237-G Images of Italian American Women
Examination of the wealth of complex images created by Italian-American women from several fields, including literature, film, politics, and music, and the ways in which Italian-American women explore the connection between Italian and American cultures and the ways in which ethnicity informs values and occupational pursuits. Crosslisted with WST 237.

HUI 333-G  The Italian-American Experience in Literature
Literary and historical perspectives on the experience of Italians in America and their contribution to American culture. Course is given in English 
This course fulfills the English and Comparative Studies major requirements 
Mandatory Prerequisite: U3-U4 standing

HUI 336-K  Italian-Americans and Ethnic Relations
An historical and sociological examination from colonial America to the present with the major focus on the period from 1870 to today. Comparative experience with other ethnic and minority groups within the U.S., including formation, migration and conflict.
Mandatory Prerequisite: U3 or U4 standing
 
HUI 338-G  Images of Italian Americans in Films
Italian-American ethnicity as represented in mainstream and independent American cinema from the silent era to the present. Particular attention will be paid to the origin and existence of the traditional stereotypes associated with these representations and how Italian-American filmmakers respond to them.
Mandatory Prerequisite: U 3 or U4 standing.
Advisory Prerequisite: HUM 201 or HUM 202; HUI 231
 
HUI 390-G  Topics on Italian American Studies: The Gangster in Literature
This course uses the figure of the gangster to explore the interactions of gender and ethnicity in the literature of American writers of Italian descent. Deriving archetypal origins from the Hermes figure of Greek mythology, the gangster is presented as a trickster used by Italian American writers to serve a variety of storytelling purposes. This course draws on a wealth of background material in Greek mythology, historical and sociological studies of American masculinity and violence, and popular culture studies to provide a context for the reading and understanding of this figure.
Prerequisite: U3 or U4 standing; Advisory Prerequisite: One 200 level English course.
 
HUI 439 - The Emigrant Experience in Italian Literature
The Experience of emigration, from the shock of uprooting to the assimilation into American society, a narrated by Italian writers. The consequences of emigration on the Italian homeland will also be studied, through the accounts of such authors as Silone, Levi, and Palandri.
Mandatory Prerequisite: U 3 or U4 standing.
Advisory Prerequisite: Completion of nine credits of HUI or ITL courses
 
Undergraduate courses in English on Italian and Italian American art, literature, and culture:
 
HUI 216-I: Italian Civilization through the Ages
HUI 231-D, Sex and Politics in Italian Cinema
HUI 234-G, 20th-century Italian Theater
HUI 235:G, Sex, Love and Tragedy in Early Italian Literature: Dante, Petrarch and  Boccaccio 
HUI 236-K, Italian Civilization through he Ages
HUI 237-G, Image of the Italian American Women
HUI 239-I, Modern Italy
HUI 306-I, The Early Renaissance in Italy
HUI 307-I, The Age of Michelangelo in Central Italy
HUI 310-I, Splendor of Renaissance Art in Italy
HUI 331-G, Special Topics in Italian Studies
HUI 333-G, The Italian American Experience in Literature
HUI 336-K, Italian American Ethnic Relations
HUI 338-G, Images of Italian Americans in Film
HUI 390-G, Italian American Studies in Humanities
HUI 392-F, Italian American Studies in Social and Behavior Sciences
HUI 431, Special Topics in Italian or Italian American Cinema

We also offer graduate courses through the School of Professional Development. For current course offerings, click here

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