Italian Studies

The Italian studies program offers courses in Italian language and culture. In addition to focusing on developing students’ fluency in Italian, the program provides students with a broad understanding of Italy’s culture and its intellectual and artistic past.

www.bucknell.edu/Italian

Study Abroad

The Italian Studies Program strongly encourages study abroad in Italy. Students may participate in programs in Bologna, Milan, Florence, Rome, or Padua. Residence abroad is the best way to gain proficiency in the language and knowledge of the culture.

Major in Italian Studies

  • The major in Italian Studies combines language proficiency with cultural knowledge. It includes the acquisition of the linguistic and cultural skills necessary to communicate on at least an intermediate level in Italian as well as content courses on various aspects of Italian culture including, but not limited to, art, music, literature, film, history, politics, and economics. The major is intended to offer students access to a culture vital to the development of the fine arts in the Western world and to add a new dimension to discussions about a rapidly changing Europe.
  • The major in Italian Studies is an interdisciplinary major. It consists of a minimum of seven course credits at the ITAL 104 level or above. The credits can be fulfilled with approved courses offered by the Italian Studies Program, by other departments at Bucknell (Music, Art and Art History, Classics, History, Political Science, International Relations), or by an approved study abroad program.

Minor in Italian Studies

  • The minor in Italian Studies includes the acquisition of intermediate linguistic and cultural skills necessary to communicate in Italian as well as content courses in English on various aspects of Italian culture.
  • The minor in Italian Studies consists of a minimum of five course credits at the ITAL 102 level or above. ITAL 205 (or their equivalent), is required for the minor. The remaining credits can be fulfilled with approved courses offered by the Italian Studies Program, other departments at Bucknell or an approved study abroad program.

Student/Faculty Research

Bucknell’s Italian Studies Program offers interested students the opportunity to engage in research projects in Italian. A few examples follow:

  • Paul X. Benedetto '02, "Italo Calvino's Six Memos for the Next Millennium and his novels," with Professor Bernhard Kuhn.
  • Michelle L. Santonacita '05, "The Role of Women in Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron," with Professor Bernhard Kuhn.
  • Jessica Stelma '05, "Il Sogno Italiano: Immigration in the Italian Cinema of the 1990s," with Professor Bernhard Kuhn.
  • Alexandra Simonetti '09, "Le donne nel cinema neorealista" ("Women in Neorealist Cinema"), with Professor Bernhard Kuhn.
  • Cristina Sacco '10, "La divisione dell'Italia" ("The Division of Italy"), with Professor Bernhard Kuhn.

Program Details

  • Bucknell's Italian Studies students learn about Italy's contemporary culture, its language and its intellectual and artistic past. Courses focus on language proficiency, literature, film, art, music, history, politics, and economics.
  • Italian Studies faculty members are both teachers and scholars who bring their expertise to the classroom. They offer innovative and interactive teaching and often use technology and digital media as teaching tools.
  • Small class sizes create a stimulating, highly personal learning environment. Students work closely with faculty and get the individual attention they need to progress rapidly.
  • Italian majors and minors are strongly encouraged to spend one semester or one year abroad and may choose from selected programs in Italy.
  • Our teaching assistants provide a direct link to contemporary Italy. They assist our students in and outside the classroom.
  • The Bucknell Italian Club promotes the study of Italian culture and language at Bucknell. Students enjoy student-initiated extra-curricular and co-curricular Italian events on and off campus.
  • The Italian Table gives students the opportunity to learn more about Italian language and culture at a weekly luncheon.

Faculty

Bernhard Kuhn, Associate Professor of Italian Studies
Director of the Italian Studies Program
Ph.D. Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, Germany
Specializes in 20th-century Italian literature and culture. His research focuses on the relationship between opera and the Italian cinema. He teaches courses in Italian language and culture.

Anna Paparcone, Assistant Professor of Italian Studies
Ph.D. Cornell University
Her primary area of research is contemporary Italian cinema, and she is interested in the relationship between fiction, reality and truth in the "political cinema" from the 1960s to the present. She currently teaches beginning and advanced Italian language and culture as well as an interdisciplinary course on Medieval and Renaissance Italy.

Lisa Perrone, Instructor of Italian
M.A. Middlebury College
She teaches introductory level Italian classes and a Foundation Seminar on Italian and Italian American culture. She is interested in 20th century Italian literature. She is the author of the audio script of the Random House Living Language Italian program.

Courses Offered

  • Elementary Italian I and II
  • Intermediate Italian I
  • Intermediate Italian II/Italian Civilization
  • Discovering Italy (Culture course taught in Italian focusing on conversation and composition)
  • Intermediate Italian conversation (.5 credit conversation course conducted by a native Italian speaker)
  • Introduction to Italian Literature
  • Introduction to Italian Cinema
  • Italian Emigration and Immigration
  • Topics in Italian Studies (Culture course taught in Italian or in English; topics vary according to students' interests)
  • Mamma-Macaroni-Mafia? Introduction to Italian Culture and Film (Foundation Seminar taught in English focusing on the representation of Italian and Italian American culture in film)
  • The Italian-American Connection (Foundation Seminar taught in English focusing on Italian and Italian American culture)
  • Love and Politics in Italy (Advanced course on Medieval and Renaissance Italy)

Facility and Technology Resources

Italian students use multimedia classrooms and a multimedia language learning center.