Department of French and Italian

          Topic: The Cultures of the Italian Renaissance

The aim of this course is to provide a clear and comprehensive picture of what the Italian Renaissance was. We will first try to understand historically the core event of the Renaissance--the rediscovery and conscious imitation of ancient Greek and Latin languages, literatures, cultural artifacts--and we will then analyze the ways in which this rebirth fundamentally changed the languages, literatures, arts, philosophies, and politics of Italy at the dawn of the modern era. A key concern will be to demonstrate that while the Renaissance was ‘elitist’ in that only a few highly educated people could engage in this revolution, it produced far reaching consequences in the way we speak, read, write, and ultimately see the world. Students will write two short essays, take six quizzes and a final exam. Taught in English.

FRIT-M 222   #30861      9:45A-11:00A       MW       BQ C232        Prof. Massimo Scalabrini