Italian History, Societal Changes, and Culture through Film Lens

This course provides an introduction to Italian history, societal changes, and culture through the Italian film lens. The objective of this course is to gain a better understanding of the often complex mechanism of Italian politics, the intriguing regional differences, and the cultural development that have shaped the Italian Republic. Through the screening of 12 films, this survey will study cinema from the 60s to the contemporary Italian film scene. A study on the representation of women in cinema will also be part of this study and the opportunity to visit the topic with our artist in residence Roberta Torre. It will be included also the study the role of film in Italian society as well as the unique artistic and technical achievements and obstacles for Italian filmmakers. Topics covered include:

1. Basics of Film Language;
2. Elements of Italian History with specific attention from the 60 to the present and including: Religion, Gender, and Sexuality, Industrialization, Internal Migration, Northern/Southern Italy divide in a Global Context.
3. Social Context of the Italian Film Industry;

Students will write short essays, and will lead in class presentations and discussions. There will be one final paper and exams.