This course aims to place Italian Renaissance and Baroque literature in a broader 
cultural, social, and linguistic context. Students engage in a “close reading” and 
analysis of selected works by Italian Renaissance writers. They also study the 
literary genres, forms, and conventions that make up these works, and discuss the 
intellectual, historical, philosophical, and cultural background needed to 
understand the literature of this period.  By the end of the term, students will be 
familiar with the major literary genres of this period, and will improve their 
interpretive skills through their analysis of representative texts; they will also 
demonstrate an understanding of literature in relation to society, the arts and 
sciences.
 
Students are given study questions for the assigned readings.  The class breaks-up 
into small groups to answer the study questions; afterwards the whole class 
discusses the reading assigned for that day.  This is all done in the target 
language (Italian).  Since much of the work students do for this course is reflected 
in their classroom performance, they get either daily or weekly grades that take 
into account their oral/aural skills, their ability to answer the study questions, 
to paraphrase and analyze the assigned readings, and their participation in 
classroom discussions.
   
In addition to this, students also give several oral presentations in Italian on an 
assigned reading.  Furthermore, students write three essays in Italian of 
approximately 1000 words each.  For each essay the student gets two grades: one for 
the first draft, and one for the rewrite.  Both grades carry equal weight.  Finally, 
they take a final exam which tests not only their linguistic abilities in Italian, 
but also their ability to analyze literary texts of that period.

Like practically every course in our department, this course examines a Romance 
language, literature, and culture in an integrated manner.  Communication and 
writing skills are developed and given the same importance as analytical skills.

Renaissance Italy: Humanism and the birth of modern literary
scholarship.  Lyric poetry and the Petrarchan mode (selected
poetry by Chariteo, Tebaldeo, Serafino, Lorenzo, Tasso, Ariosto,
Michelangelo, Marino, Vittoria Colonna, Gaspara Stampa, Veronica
Franco, Isabella di Morra).  Bembo and the "Questione della
lingua."  Burchiello.  Neoplatonism and the figurative arts:
Poliziano's Stanze per la giostra.  Myth, art, and literature:
Giambattista Marino's Adone.  Marinismo.  From sacred to profane
theater: Poliziano's Fabula di Orfeo; Niccolo' Machiavelli's
Mandragola; Commedia dell'arte.  The return to Arcadia:
Sannazaro's Arcadia, Tasso's Aminta.  Love, madness, women
warriors and the fantastic in epic texts: Ariosto's Orlando
furioso, Boiardo's Orlando innamorato.  Life at court and
society: treatise of the perfect courtier and ideal love:
Castiglione's Libro del Cortegiano.  Selections from: political
treatises (Machiavelli's Principe, Guicciardini), and treatises
on feminine beauty (Firenzuola), epistolary texts, biographies,
and autobiographies (Strozzi, Vasari, Cellini), family and
pedagogical writings (Alberti), philosophical or philological
writings (Ficino, Pico, Valla), scientific prose (Leonardo da
Vinci, Galileo, Cristoforo Colombo, Vespucci), and novelle by
Bandello, Da Porto, Giraldi).