The CLIA Fall 2023-2024 is a Fulbright Lectureship in Italian-American Studies at the University of Calabria .
CLIA Fall 2023–2024
Course Description
In the United States over 16 million people self-identify as Italian Americans. What was a hundred years ago a marginalized ethnic enclave has emerged today as a vibrant and dynamic heritage community present in all aspects and in the highest echelons of American contemporary society.
Taking an interdisciplinary perspective, this seminar examines and analyzes the historical forces that shaped and generated the Italian diaspora and Italian American identity. Central to interpreting these phenomena are issues of religion, race, gender, sexual identity, ethnic identity, and class. While the seminar’s primary focus is Italian American literary production, a special emphasis is placed on the experiences and writings of Italian Americans of Calabrian origins.
The Italian American experience continues to evolve. Today, the majority of Italians who emigrate are well-educated and hail primarily from northern Italy. Immigration to Italy, internal mobility and repatriation are on the rise as well. The seminar concludes with an exploration of these phenomena and of Italian diaspora’s continuing evolution.
Course Objectives
1. Assess the social, cultural, economic, and political conditions leading to Italian
emigration throughout the twentieth century.
2. Evaluate and interpret the political and social experiences of Italian Americans, including the concepts of assimilation, acculturation, and incorporation as it relates to Italian Americans.
3. Evaluate and interpret Italian American expressive cultures in the context of their historical, sociological, political, and economic experiences.
4. Compare and contrast notions of identity, whether symbolic or instrumental, and the process of assimilation, acculturation, and incorporation in the contemporary Italian-American community.
5. Analyze and critique Italian American literary texts.
6. Interpret and evaluate the contributions of Italian Americans of Calabrian origins to American culture.