Italian
The Department of Italian offers courses in Italian language and literature, including courses in Italian women's writing, Dante's Divine Comedy, Italian Neorealism, the literature and culture of Naples, Calvino, Tasso, Italian cinema, and the literature and culture of Venice.
For questions about specific courses, contact the department.
Language Course Enrollment
Students are advised to consult the Department of Italian Web site in advance of the registration period. Enrollment is limited and the attendance policy is strict. Note that the telephone/online registration period for Italian language courses ends after the first Monday of classes.
Placement Test
Students who have taken courses in Italian elsewhere (whether in high school, college, or both), but not at Columbia, must take the Italian Placement Test before registering for any Italian course. The placement examination is given in the department the week before classes begin. The dates are available in the departmental office, 502 Hamilton, and on the department's Web site. The results are made known to the student before the start of classes.
Language Resource Center
The Language Resource Center, located in 353 IAB Extension, provides intensive practice in pronunciation, diction, and aural comprehension of some 25 modern languages. Exercises are closely coordinated with classroom work. Coordinated tape programs are available and mandatory for students registered in elementary Italian language courses; they are available and optional in intermediate Italian language courses. Taped exercises in pronunciation and intonation, as well as tapes of selected literary works, are also available to all students in Italian.
For questions about specific courses, contact the department.
Courses
Course Number
ITAL1101W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Th 10:10-12:00Tu 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/13033Enrollment
7 of 16Instructor
Federica FranzeCourse Number
ITAL1101W002Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Tu 12:10-14:00Th 12:10-14:00Section/Call Number
002/13034Enrollment
10 of 16Instructor
Federica FranzeCourse Number
ITAL1102W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Mo 09:10-10:00Tu 09:10-10:00We 09:10-10:00Th 09:10-10:00Section/Call Number
001/13041Enrollment
7 of 16Instructor
Kathleen CannonCourse Number
ITAL1102W002Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-11:00Tu 10:10-11:00We 10:10-11:00Th 10:10-11:00Section/Call Number
002/13037Enrollment
3 of 16Instructor
Maria Teresa De LucaCourse Number
ITAL1102W004Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Tu 12:10-14:00Th 12:10-14:00Section/Call Number
004/13038Enrollment
11 of 16Instructor
Maria Teresa De LucaCourse Number
ITAL1102W005Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Mo 08:40-09:55We 08:40-09:55Th 08:40-09:55Section/Call Number
005/13039Enrollment
4 of 16Instructor
Felice BeneduceCourse Number
ITAL1102W006Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-11:25We 10:10-11:25Th 10:10-11:25Section/Call Number
006/13040Enrollment
10 of 16Instructor
Felice BeneduceCourse Number
ITAL1102W007Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Mo 12:10-13:00Tu 12:10-13:00We 12:10-13:00Th 12:10-13:00Section/Call Number
007/13036Enrollment
9 of 16Instructor
Matteo HeilbrunAn intensive course that covers two semesters of elementary Italian in one, and prepares students to move into Intermediate Italian. Students will develop their Italian communicative competence through listening, (interactive) speaking, reading and (interactive) writing. The Italian language will be used for real-world purposes and in meaningful contexts to promote intercultural understanding. This course is especially recommended for students who already know another Romance language. May be used toward fulfillment of the language requirement.
Course Number
ITAL1121V001Format
In-PersonPoints
6 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Tu 12:10-14:00Th 12:10-14:00Fr 12:10-14:00Section/Call Number
001/13042Enrollment
6 of 16Instructor
Barbara SpinelliPrerequisites: ITAL W1221 or sufficient fluency to satisfy the instructor. Corequisites: Recommended: ITAL V1201-V/W1202 or ITAL W1201-W1202. Conversation courses may not be used to satisfy the language requirement or fulfill major or concentration requirements. Intensive practice in the spoken language, assigned topics for class discussions, and oral reports.
Course Number
ITAL1222W001Format
In-PersonPoints
2 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Th 10:10-11:25Tu 10:10-11:25Section/Call Number
001/13070Enrollment
5 of 16Instructor
Barbara SpinelliCourse Number
ITAL1312W001Format
In-PersonPoints
2 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Tu 18:10-19:25Th 18:10-19:25Section/Call Number
001/13043Enrollment
12 of 16Instructor
Patrizia PalumboPrerequisites: ITAL V1102 or W1102, or the equivalent. If you did not take Elementary Italian at Columbia in the semester preceding the current one, you must take the placement test, offered by the Italian Department at the beginning of each semester.
Course Number
ITAL2101W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Tu 12:10-14:00Th 12:10-14:00Section/Call Number
001/13044Enrollment
7 of 16Instructor
Patrizia PalumboPrerequisites: ITAL V1102 or W1102, or the equivalent. If you did not take Elementary Italian at Columbia in the semester preceding the current one, you must take the placement test, offered by the Italian Department at the beginning of each semester.
Course Number
ITAL2101W002Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Tu 16:10-18:00Th 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
002/13045Enrollment
10 of 16Instructor
Patrizia PalumboCourse Number
ITAL2102W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-11:25We 10:10-11:25Th 10:10-11:25Section/Call Number
001/13046Enrollment
14 of 16Instructor
Alessandra SagginCourse Number
ITAL2102W002Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Mo 08:40-09:55We 08:40-09:55Fr 08:40-09:55Section/Call Number
002/13048Enrollment
0 of 16Instructor
Luca AbbattistaCourse Number
ITAL2102W003Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Mo 11:40-12:55We 11:40-12:55Fr 11:40-12:55Section/Call Number
003/13049Enrollment
13 of 16Instructor
Lara SantoroPrerequisites: ITAL UN1102 or the equivalent, with a grade of B+ or higher. An intensive course that covers two semesters of intermediate Italian in one, and prepares students for advanced language and literature study. Grammar, reading, writing, and conversation. Exploration of literary and cultural materials. This course may be used to fulfill the language requirement.
Course Number
ITAL2121V001Format
In-PersonPoints
6 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Mo 12:10-14:00Tu 12:10-14:00Th 12:10-14:00Section/Call Number
001/13050Enrollment
4 of 16Instructor
Maria Luisa GozziPrerequisites: ITAL UN2102 or the equivalent. UN3334-UN3333 is the basic course in Italian literature. UN3334: Authors and works from the Cinquecento to the present. Taught in Italian.
Course Number
ITAL3334V001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Mo 11:40-12:55We 11:40-12:55Section/Call Number
001/13069Enrollment
8 of 20Instructor
Steven BakerCourse Number
ITAL3335V001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Tu 14:40-15:55Th 14:40-15:55Section/Call Number
001/13051Enrollment
6 of 16Instructor
Federica FranzeCourse Number
ITAL3341W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Mo 13:10-14:25We 13:10-14:25Section/Call Number
001/13052Enrollment
7 of 16Instructor
Alessandra SagginThis course explores the evolution of Italian Cinema from the pre-Fascist era to the millenium, and examines how films construct an image of Italy and the Italians. Special focus will be on the cinematic representations of gender. Films by major directors (Fellini, De Sica, Visconti) as well as by leading contemporaries (Moretti, Garrone, Rohrwacher) will be discussed.
Course Number
ITAL3643W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Th 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/13053Enrollment
12 of 25Instructor
Elizabeth LeakeCourse Number
ITAL3993V001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsSpring 2025
Section/Call Number
001/13055Enrollment
0 of 3Instructor
Teodolinda BaroliniCourse Number
ITAL3993V002Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsSpring 2025
Section/Call Number
002/13056Enrollment
0 of 3Instructor
Elizabeth LeakeCourse Number
ITAL3993V003Points
3 ptsCourse Number
ITAL3993V004Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsSpring 2025
Section/Call Number
004/13057Enrollment
0 of 3Instructor
Nelson MoeCourse Number
ITAL3993V005Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsSpring 2025
Section/Call Number
005/13058Enrollment
0 of 3Instructor
Pier Mattia TommasinoCourse Number
ITAL3993V006Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsSpring 2025
Section/Call Number
006/13059Enrollment
0 of 3Instructor
Konstantia ZanouCourse Number
ITAL4005W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsSpring 2025
Times/Location
Tu 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/13054Enrollment
2 of 16Instructor
Maria Luisa GozziIn the 1970s and 1980s a group of young Italian historians transformed the methods of historical inquiry and narrative. This class explores the origins, the diffusion, as well as the debate around Italian Microhistory across Europe and the United States. In particular, we will focus on “cultural” and “social” Microhistory and its evolution in Italy, France, and the US. We will read masterpieces such as Carlo Ginzburg’s The Cheese and the Worms, as well as Nathalie Zemon Davis’s The Return of Martin Guerrre. Also, we will analyze the current application of microhistorical methods to contemporary global history and the genre of biography. Topics include pre-modern popular culture and literacy, minority and marginality, the Inquisition, individual and collective identities, and the relation between the pre-modern Mediterranean, Europe and the world. In Italian.