For students who have completed ITAL 401 or an equivalent. Aural comprehension, speaking, writing, reading. (No credit for students who have had two or more years of Italian in secondary school; however, any such students whose studies of Italian have been interrupted for seven years should consult the Program Coordinator about possibly receiving credit).

While studying in Italy students explore the relationship between cinema as art, the reception and distribution of films cinema historiography (including archives), and technology. Students read about movements, directors, and expectations of genre, and identify connections between artistic concerns and the technology involved in making, preserving and restoring films. Students visit the Cineteca di Bologna and attend the annual Cinema Ritrovato film festival.

Taking an interdisciplinary, but humanistically-centered perspective, this course examines the construction of Italy as both a nation and culture from the fifteenth century to the contemporary era.