2024-2025 Italian courses

F.I.R.E.-Canepa:The French and Italian Department offers a Full Immersion in Rome Experience (FIRE) at the University of Rome in Italy. FIRE is an experiential model of study abroad at Dartmouth in which students take full advantage of dynamic Roman cultural life through intensive study of the Italian language and culture in the energetic Trastevere neighborhood.

All courses involve in-class and on-site lectures, guest presentations, cultural activities such as walking tours, visits to piazzas and markets, and trips to the opera and sporting events. Students also visit significant Roman monuments (Colosseum, Roman Forum, St. Peters and Vatican Museums, Borghese Gallery) and travel to other towns and cities throughout Italy.

Courses are taught by Dartmouth faculty and local instructors.

Discover our Italian courses featuring innovative pedagogy, engaging experiential activities, and a deep sense of community. Embark on a learning journey that's not just about acquiring words and grammar. No matter your future career direction, Italian will enrich your experience with newly developed soft skills, intercultural sensitivity, and a global perspective. Join our welcoming and diverse community of faculty and students, where everyone is unique, heard, and valued.

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Italian 1: 3 sections--Ciniglia @ 10 and 11; Alberti @ 12-An introduction to Italian as a spoken and written language, with emphasis on practical conversation. The course includes regular practice in class and scheduled drill-sessions in understanding and using the spoken language. Never serves in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirements. This course is not open to students who have received credit for ITAL 11.

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Italian 2: 1 section--Callegari @ 12-Rapid review and continued study of the fundamentals of Italian, with intensive work in vocabulary building. The course will also include an introduction to the culture and civilization of Italy. Open to students by qualifying placement or to students who have passed ITAL 1. Does not serve in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirements. This course is not open to students who have received credit for ITAL 11.

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Italian 3:  2 sections--Alberti @ 11 and Gilebbi @ 12: This course is designed to reinforce and refine spoken and written language skills through a review of grammar, exposure to a broad spectrum of language ranging from colloquial to literary styles, and the use of samples of Italian language from multiple sources such as advertising, comics, television and literature. Frequent compositions, quizzes, plus linguistic and thematic analysis of texts. Open to students by qualifying placement or to students who have passed ITAL 2, ITAL 11 or ARTH 12. Does not serve in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirements.

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Italian 11: 1 section-- Gilebbi @ 11: This 1-credit course is designed for students with little or no knowledge of the Italian language, but who have a strong background in another Romance language (i.e. Spanish, French, Rumanian, Portuguese, Catalan, or Latin). Italian 11 is an accelerated course that combines Italian 1 and 2 in one term offering an exciting and fast-paced atmosphere to learn Italian. The course will have a hybrid component, that through cultural, grammar and multimedia introductory exercises will prepare students for the in-class activities. In this course, students will learn to talk about familiar events in the present and the past, as well as formulate plans for the future. Weekly cultural videos will situate in context the grammatical content of the course making it relevant and meaningful. Students will be actively engaged in a variety of creative written and oral activities that will help them develop their language skills. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to sign up for Italian 3 or apply for our Italian LSA+ program in Rome. Students who have not yet taken ITAL 003 may take the course after completing ITAL 011. The goal is to facilitate the acquisition of the target language, therefore this course will be conducted entirely in Italian. This course is not open to students who have received credit for Italian 1, 2 or 3. 

*from ZERO to CONVERSATION in 10 WEEKS!*

This course is perfect for students who speak another Romance language. If you graduate in 2026, and you have already taken a language up to level 3, the course will satisfy the language requirement. 

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Italian 9: 1 section Convertini @ 11-Advanced Language Through Culture expands on the skills acquired in the Italian language sequence (Italian 1, 2, 3, and/or the LSA) as well as offering a transition to Italian 10 and our upper-division literature and culture courses. This course introduces students to modern and contemporary Italian literature, culture and society through a focus on topics such as evolving political and regional identities, gender relations, the role of the media, and the culture of daily life. Students expand their active use of Italian, refine communicative, reading, and writing strategies, and comprehensively review grammar. Course work includes active participation in class discussions, oral presentations, and regular reading and writing assignments in the areas of narrative and poetry, cinema, music, and journalism. Instructors usually choose one or several "anchor" texts around which coursework revolves.  NRO eligible.  Dist:LIT; WCult:W. Prerequisite:  ITAL 3 or permission of the instructor. 

Italian 14: Convertini @ 12: Journey to Italy: An Introduction to Italian Culture:  This course introduces students to Italian culture through a representative selection of texts and topics from past to present, as well as encouraging students to think critically about notions of culture and identity. Topics include stereotypes and the idea of national identity, modern history, society and politics, food culture, the visual arts, music, cinema, religion, science and technology, the environment, Made in Italy, immigration, sports, and mafia.  In many units, guest lecturers will widen the discussion by considering the global impact of Italian cultural production across time and space. Students will actively engage with Italian cultural phenomena through in-class lectures and discussions, hands-on exercises, and site visits.  No prerequisites.  Dist:SOC; WCult:CI.

Italian 25.01-Parati @ 10: Terrorism Made in Italy:  At the end of WWII a number of amnesties allowed former fascists, some of them guilty of genocide, to go free. Italy did not have a postwar process of truth and reconciliation. While fascism was deemed unconstitutional in the newly born republic, fascist groups continued to flourish, attempting numerous coups-d'etat aimed at re-establishing a fascist regime. Consequently, terrorist groups of the extreme left emerged and targeted those in government who had been so tolerant of fascists. Through historical documentation, films, literature, and personal testimonies, we will explore these tumultuous thirty years of Italian history.  Degree Requirement Attributes:  Dist:INT or LIT; WCult:W. Prerequisite:  ITAL 10 or permission of the instructor.  

Italian 33.01-Callegari @ 11: Dante: The Divine Comedy; The work of Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) stages from beginning to end a struggle between personal desire, social obligation, and the conflicting cultures of Christian religion and the body politic. The unprecedented fusion Dante made of these elements in the Commedia [The Divine Comedy] has guaranteed his great poem a vast public, extending across world cultures and the seven centuries since it initially traveled among elite readers in north-central Italy in the early decades of the fourteenth century. This course will first examine the development of Dante's poetic voice in La vita nova [The New Life, ca. 1293-94] and then focus on its subsequent expansion into an all-encompassing vision of life and death in Inferno [Hell, ca. 1306-09], the first of the three canticles of the Commedia. Situating Dante in his own time and place will be essential to our analysis of his poetry, but attention to the multiple ways that Dante's work has been interpreted, translated, and appropriated in other periods, languages, and media will provide a critical framework for understanding its enduring appeal, why – in the words of Italo Calvino – it "has not finished saying what it has to say." Readings, lectures, discussion, and written work – to include a mid-term exam, two short essays, and a final digital project – will be in English. Students taking the course for major or minor credit will attend a weekly X-hour and write the two essays in Italian.  Students taking the course for major or minor credit must have ITAL 10 or permission of the instructor to enroll, and will attend a weekly X-hour in Italian. NRO eligible.   Cross Listed Courses:  REL 32.02.  Dist:LIT; WCult:W

Italian 35.02 XL with COLT 57.07 & INT 17.10-Parati @ 2: How to Be a Fascist; How do people become fascists?  How do they rise to power? Why did people support fascism? We will focus initially on the original model for fascist dictatorships, that is Italian fascism, but we will also have in-class presentations by Dartmouth professors on German, Spanish, French and Japanese forms of fascism.  This is a course that will concentrate on history, film, literature, and fashion in order to talk about the slippery definitions of fascism. Students taking the course for major or minor credit must have ITAL 10 or permission of the instructor to enroll, and will attend a weekly X-hour in Italian.  NRO eligible.   Cross Listed Courses:  COLT 57.09 INTS 17.10.   Dist:INT; WCult:W.

Italian 1:  2 sections-Alberti and Ciniglia @ TBD: An introduction to Italian as a spoken and written language, with emphasis on practical conversation. The course includes regular practice in class and scheduled drill-sessions in understanding and using the spoken language. Does not serve in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirements. This course is not open to students who have received credit for ITAL 11.

Italian 2:  2 sections-Gilebbi @TBD: Rapid review and continued study of the fundamentals of Italian, with intensive work in vocabulary building. The course will also include an introduction to the culture and civilization of Italy. Open to students by qualifying placement or to students who have passed ITAL 1. Does not serve in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirements. This course is not open to students who have received credit for ITAL 11.

Italian 3:  1 section-Ciniglia @ TBD: This course is designed to reinforce and refine spoken and written language skills through a review of grammar, exposure to a broad spectrum of language ranging from colloquial to literary styles, and the use of samples of Italian language from multiple sources such as advertising, comics, television and literature. Frequent compositions, quizzes, plus linguistic and thematic analysis of texts. Open to students by qualifying placement or to students who have passed ITAL 2, ITAL 11 or ARTH 12. Does not serve in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirements.

Italian 11: Gilebbi @ TBD:  This 1-credit course is designed for students with little or no knowledge of the Italian language, but who have a strong background in another Romance language (i.e. Spanish, French, Rumanian, Portuguese, Catalan, or Latin). Italian 11 is an accelerated course that combines Italian 1 and 2 in one term offering an exciting and fast-paced atmosphere to learn Italian. The course will have a hybrid component, that through cultural, grammar and multimedia introductory exercises will prepare students for the in-class activities. In this course, students will learn to talk about familiar events in the present and the past, as well as formulate plans for the future. Weekly cultural videos will situate in context the grammatical content of the course making it relevant and meaningful. Students will be actively engaged in a variety of creative written and oral activities that will help them develop their language skills. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to sign up for Italian 3 or apply for our Italian LSA+ program in Rome. Students who have not yet taken ITAL 003 may take the course after completing ITAL 011. The goal is to facilitate the acquisition of the target language, therefore this course will be conducted entirely in Italian. This course is not open to students who have received credit for Italian 1, 2 or 3. 

Italian 9:  1 section-Convertini-12:  Advanced Language Through Culture expands on the skills acquired in the Italian language sequence (Italian 1, 2, 3, and/or the LSA) as well as offering a transition to Italian 10 and our upper-division literature and culture courses. This course introduces students to modern and contemporary Italian literature, culture and society through a focus on topics such as evolving political and regional identities, gender relations, the role of the media, and the culture of daily life. Students expand their active use of Italian, refine communicative, reading, and writing strategies, and comprehensively review grammar. Course work includes active participation in class discussions, oral presentations, and regular reading and writing assignments in the areas of narrative and poetry, cinema, music, and journalism. Instructors usually choose one or several "anchor" texts around which coursework revolves.  NRO eligible. Prerequisite:  ITAL 3 or permission of the instructor. 

ITAL 21 Early Italian Literature and Culture Boccaccio:  Callegari @ 11: This course will offer an introduction to medieval Italian literature and culture through readings of literary masterworks of the period. The approach will be interdisciplinary: we will consider connections between literary texts and medieval art, music, philosophical currents, and historical events. Specific topics will vary for each offering; themes may include the importance of writing in the vernacular, discourses of love, conceptions of sex roles and gender, personal and political aspirations of the self in society, and the constitution of ideal forms of social organization. Readings will be selected from Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch, Caterina da Siena, and others.  Prerequisite:  Italian 10 or permission of the instructor.  Degree Requirement Attributes:  Dist:LIT; WCult:W. 

ITAL 37 Topics in Literature and Culture: A Cultural History of Italy Through Food:  Callegari @ 12:  TBD//Offerings of this course will consist of various topics in Literature and Culture.  Open to all students. Text, lectures and discussion in English. Students taking the course for major or minor credit must have ITAL 10 or permission of the instructor to enroll, and will attend a weekly X-hour in Italian and do all written work in the Italian.

LSA+:  Parati in Rome-please email Professor Parati with any questions-Graziella.Parati@dartmouth.edu.  

Italian 1:  1 section-Ciniglia @ TBD:  An introduction to Italian as a spoken and written language, with emphasis on practical conversation. The course includes regular practice in class and scheduled drill-sessions in understanding and using the spoken language. Does not serve in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirements. This course is not open to students who have received credit for ITAL 11.

Italian 2:  1 section-D'Angelo @ TBD: Rapid review and continued study of the fundamentals of Italian, with intensive work in vocabulary building. The course will also include an introduction to the culture and civilization of Italy. Open to students by qualifying placement or to students who have passed ITAL 1. Does not serve in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirements. This course is not open to students who have received credit for ITAL 11.

Italian 3:  2 sections-Convertini @ TBD:  This course is designed to reinforce and refine spoken and written language skills through a review of grammar, exposure to a broad spectrum of language ranging from colloquial to literary styles, and the use of samples of Italian language from multiple sources such as advertising, comics, television and literature. Frequent compositions, quizzes, plus linguistic and thematic analysis of texts. Open to students by qualifying placement or to students who have passed ITAL 2, ITAL 11 or ARTH 12. Does not serve in partial satisfaction of the Distributive or World Culture Requirements.

Italian 11: Ciniglia @ TBD:  This 1-credit course is designed for students with little or no knowledge of the Italian language, but who have a strong background in another Romance language (i.e. Spanish, French, Rumanian, Portuguese, Catalan, or Latin). Italian 11 is an accelerated course that combines Italian 1 and 2 in one term offering an exciting and fast-paced atmosphere to learn Italian. The course will have a hybrid component, that through cultural, grammar and multimedia introductory exercises will prepare students for the in-class activities. In this course, students will learn to talk about familiar events in the present and the past, as well as formulate plans for the future. Weekly cultural videos will situate in context the grammatical content of the course making it relevant and meaningful. Students will be actively engaged in a variety of creative written and oral activities that will help them develop their language skills. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to sign up for Italian 3 or apply for our Italian LSA+ program in Rome. Students who have not yet taken ITAL 003 may take the course after completing ITAL 011. The goal is to facilitate the acquisition of the target language, therefore this course will be conducted entirely in Italian. This course is not open to students who have received credit for Italian 1, 2 or 3. 

FYS 07: Gilebbi:  TBD

ITAL 10.21:  Eat, Pray, Love:  Modes of Desire in Italian Literature-Alberti @ 11:  An introduction to Italian Literature, especially short prose fiction and poetry. In this course, we will study the ways in which desire drives narrative plot; contributes to the creation of meaning; and challenges traditional constructions of politics, identity, community, gender and sexuality. Attention will be given to building a vocabulary and critical toolset for interpreting and writing about literary texts from Middle Ages to the contemporary period.  Dist:LIT; WCult:W. Prerequisite:  ITAL 9. 

ITAL 27 Topics in Italian Literature:  Alberti @ 12: Modern Italian Literature: Offerings of this course will consist of various topics in Italian literature//TBD.  Degree Requirement Attributes: Dist:LIT; WCult:W. Prerequisite:  ITAL 10 or permission of the instructor. 

ITAL 37 Topics in Literature and Culture/TBD Environmental Humanities/Environmental Italy. :  Gilebbi @ 10a:  Offerings of this course will consist of various topics in Literature and Culture.  Open to all students. Text, lectures and discussion in English. Students taking the course for major or minor credit must have ITAL 10 or permission of the instructor to enroll, and will attend a weekly X-hour in Italian and do all written work in Italian.