HUM 311 - A Region of Fantasy: Journey through Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Italy is a country comprised of regions, each differing in identity, history and traditions. This course offers a way to understand the extraordinary complexity of Italy’s regional life through the case study of one specific region, that of Emilia-Romagna, an area that has distinguished itself for its massive creative output in virtually all fields of cultural production, craft, cuisine, and industry. Students will be immersed in one of the most inventive and imaginative regions of the peninsula, exploring Medieval fortified hill towns, unique mountain and coastal environments, and cities such as Bologna, Rimini, Parma, Ferrara and Ravenna. Emilia-Romagna is the birthplace of most of Italy’s chief filmmakers (Fellini, Bertolucci, Antonioni, etc.), the seat of Renaissance epic literature (Boiardo, Tasso, Ariosto), the land of extraordinary poets such as Pascoli and Guerra. Furthermore, the region has expressed its creativity in many areas of craft, exporting its specialty foods, ceramics and sport cars all over the world. The course’s objective is to understand the ways in which regional identity has expressed and continues to express itself in contemporary Italy, and to understand how traditions can be interpreted and kept vital in today’s world. Some sections of this course may be taught with ITAL 311. Fee: TBD. (Offered as needed.) 3 credits