Italian Culture at the Movies

This course explores the characteristics of Italian Contemporary Culture as viewed through cinema. It will focus on a selection of Italian films from World War II to the present in order to gain an overview of the dramatic economic, social and political changes in Italian society over the last 55 years. Clips from such emblematic films as The Bicycle Thief, Roma Città Aperta, la Dolce Vita, Una Giornata Particola, Cinema Paradiso, Caro Diario, la Meglio Gioventù, L?Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio, I Cento Passi, and others will provide students with insight into topics such as fascism, the Catholic church, evolving attitudes towards women, the years of economic boom, political instability, rural poverty, the ?southern? question, the mafia, and immigration both to and from Italy. Class discussions will deal with relevant aspects of Italian society and history based on the films as well as the assigned readings. Films will be shown with English subtitles. The class is taught in English.