Course Info

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Course Info for ITAL - 279 - 01, Spring 2023
Class number: 2832 Title: Ital Theater As A Way Of Life Department: Language and Culture Studies
Career: Undergraduate Component: Seminar Session: Regular
Instructor's Permission Required: No Grading Basis: Regular Units: 1.00
Enrollment limited to 11 Current enrollment: 8 Available seats: 3
Start date: Wednesday, January 25, 2023 End date: Friday, May 12, 2023 Mode of Instruction: In Person
Schedule: MW: 1:30PM-2:45PM, MC - 305 Instructor(s): Di Florio, Martina
Prerequisite(s): None
Distribution Requirement: Meets Humanities and Global Requirements
Note: 4 seats reserved for first-year students, 5 for Italian Studies Majors/Minors
Course Description:
The Nobel prize dramatist, Luigi Pirandello, argued paradoxically that art was more real than life. From Medieval sacred representations and Renaissance comedies of manner to Modernist and contemporary drama, Italian writers and performers have used theater as a vehicle of entertainment, education, and social change. This course examines the influence of Italian theater on the nation's culture, identity, and society. Besides analyzing several 'classics' (Machiavelli's Mandragola, Goldoni's La Locandiera, Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of An Author), 'theater', 'drama', and the 'theatrical' in a wider sense will be explored. Why does Carnival continue to be a ritualistic event for Italians? What role do dramatic religious and secular processions still play? How has theater influenced visual media? How are gender and diversity reflected in Italian drama?