Blog Post

“What I have learned teaching Italian within a World Studies and International Studies Curriculum”

Sydney Conrad, Virginia Commonwealth University

The goals of interdisciplinary and global education are some of the key elements at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). The School of World Studies, in particular, where I teach, is focused on creating global citizens—students who see themselves as members of a global community and are aware of the wider world, respect and value diversity, and are willing to act to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place (Chernotsky and Hobbs 15). This, of course, requires a global and interdisciplinary education that seeks to explore, reveal, and push forward those issues, which demand an understanding of cultural differences in order to effect change. The course that I created on Transnational Migration represents an attempt to unite languages and cultures within a global studies framework.

Since 2015 I have been teaching courses at VCU in Italian language and culture, as well as applying my background and interests in Italian Studies to develop courses that could satisfy elements of a curriculum in World, Global, or International Studies. Having also been a student of International Studies, it has been my mission to show students how Italian Studies could be incorporated into other fields that tackled global issues, representing Italy at the forefront of those conversations. Migration represented a good compromise that satisfied the goals of our World Studies curriculum, which stress language and cultural competencies while our International Studies program engages students in global issues.

Language and cultural programs contribute greatly to an International or Global Studies curriculum. In part, it is because of the deep cultural knowledge and context that we can provide on various topics related to the origin/region of the language. Even though the role of English within a language program is often debated, smaller programs may need the flexibility and exposure that a course in English could provide. In addition, it is important for educators in language studies to remember that we provide two important components that work well within these “world” programs: a technical skill (the language) and regional content. However, I have come to realize that these two elements will have different needs and require different approaches at times. The courses in World Studies at VCU are designed to give the program a chance to showcase world languages and cultures to incoming students, thus providing an opportunity to recruit students into our language programs. Moreover, migration has become an important topic across many different disciplines, and the Italian context occupies an important space within this discussion. It seemed like a worthy endeavor to situate Italian within relevant, contemporary debates. Given the price tag of a 4 year degree, students and parents are demanding that programs prepare students to enter directly into careers. As a result, it moves us away from the traditional framework of a humanities education to something that is maybe between humanities and technical? However, moving forward, it is essential that we understand this trend as we attempt to revamp and expand our programs. The more that we work across disciplines, collaborate, and address the needs of students in a 21^st century context, I do believe, will strengthen our language programs.

The original idea to create a course on transnational migration derived from my previous experience in coordinating and contributing to Modern Migrations—a 400-level course that examined migration within a multidisciplinary and multiregional framework with weekly guest lectures supported by a co-teaching method. Realizing that the School of World Studies could benefit from having another course in migration that could prepare students for the 400-level, I wanted to develop a course focusing more on the cultural component (migrant literature) that could promote Italian in a diverse way by focusing on migrant literature. The diversity of writers from Italian, to second generation, and to female writers introduced students to voices that they would not normally encounter in the traditional cannon of Italian Studies. The course focused primarily on Italy and Africa, and in particular Somalia; however, one can easily structure the course around different themes in migration, presenting other diasporic communities in Italy, and other writers of migrant literature. For example, I am currently revamping the course to expand its geographic range to include Italy, Spain, and Portugal in order to represent more languages and regions in support of the School of World Studies’ mission and my research interests.  In addition, given that the course is positioned at the 200-level and cross-listed with International Studies, I expanded upon key concepts in INTL 101 related to borders, identity, and migration, which prepare students for deeper discussions on migration at the 400-level. This dual strategy has started to bear fruit where some students have become interested in taking Italian while others have decided to study International Studies or both. The overall goals of the course can be summed up in the following points:

• Students will identify and recognize the different categories of migrants and how those experiences bring forth different challenges.
• Students will understand migration as a complex process—one that carries cultural, political, social, and economic implications.
• Students will become familiar with the field of migrant literature and competent in analyzing and critically assessing literary works.
• Students will develop a regional and cultural knowledge of migration with respect to Italy and Africa.

The structure of the course revolved around several texts, scholarly articles, and films to introduce students to themes in migration studies. The course opens up with the work of Khalid Koser, International Migration: A Very Short Introduction. Koser’s presentation situates migration within the processes of globalization. The volume presents the reader “with the explanations, analysis, and data required to understand today’s key migration issues” (Koser 12) in a way that is digestible and succinct. The literary text for the course included: Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous, Adua by Igiaba Scego, and Little Mother by Cristina Ali Farah. Even though the VCU course had to focus first on literature, one can easily integrate a variety of different kinds of secondary material including music, comics, or film. Students were required to integrate a number of secondary sources in their critical essays and exams, allowing them to expand their knowledge of migration studies beyond the literary texts.

An important goal of the course was to support technical writing skills. Students enhanced their analytical skills, applying, extending, and disagreeing with theoretical frameworks using the literary texts. Students also studied different literary features such as the use of heteroglossia in migrant literature as well as other literary devices. The course relied on a student-centered approach, mixed with lectures that gave students a cultural, historical, and political perspective of Italy and Africa and migration studies. There were several assignments that required presentations and group work. For each paper assignment, students attended a writing workshop that consisted of peer feedback, developing outlines, and creating critical theses.  Having transformed the course into an online format, I settled for outline submissions where I gave quick feedback to each student. This more personal approach was more effective in getting students on the right path. Even though it is more time consuming, it produced cleaner essays that were easier to grade thus saving time in the long run.

Despite its secondary role within the course, the cinematic representations of migration continued to develop the themes of the course, introducing students to the legal the processes of immigration. For instance, Emanuele Crialese’s Terraferma, provides empathetic depiction of the migrant encounter with Sicilians while Mauro Bucci’s film, Hotel Splendid, highlights the lives of African refugees at a hotel that was transformed into a reception center in Northern Italy. The final consisted of a take home exam with several short essay questions that required students to integrate the literature, scholarly articles, and cultural context of Italy and Africa into their responses.

Overall, the course presented a good portion of Italian material, introducing important writers of migrant literature, Italian history, and complicating the notion of Italian identity. The structure is quite flexible to act as a springboard to research and developing a background within the field, which can potentially lead to articles and other academic endeavors. The students also finished the course with a decent bibliography on migration studies in preparation of higher-level courses. The course was doable given that students should spend around 7-8 hours preparing for an undergraduate course. However, some students felt that there was too much reading, but an instructor can easily substitute some readings with formal lectures. My sense is that some students were accustomed to a teacher centered classroom instead of student centered one. However, what I enjoyed the most about the course is seeing the students grow in terms of their analytical skills and making connections between the literary texts, theories, and applying those concepts to contemporary migrant issues. This is attributed to the kind of engagement students get from a student centered class and close readings of the texts. From a language and cultural point of view, the course gave me the opportunity to discuss migration in Italy, colonialism, the North / South divide in Italy, cultural and historical sites, and expose students to the Italian language.

C O U R S E    S Y L L A B U S

The School of World Studies is committed to your academic success. Creating a classroom free of distractions where all students are fully and respectfully engaged is key to achieving this goal. We invite you to join us in making the classroom a positive and productive learning environment for everyone.

WRLD/INTL 203
Transnational Migration
Dr. Sydney Conrad

skconrad@vcu.edu     

Course Description
           
WRLD 203. Cultural Texts and Contexts: ____. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Through the analysis and interpretation of literary, cinematic and other cultural texts, this course explores the ways cultural and national identities have been shaped, imagined and contested in various regions of the world. While responding to the readings and films as artistic manifestations or social documents, students will also become familiar with the aesthetic, political and social contexts in which the works were and are produced. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester. Cross-listed as: INTL 203. This particular section will focus on migrant literature and will explore the political, cultural, and economic experiences of the migrant. Students of International Studies who are concentrating on European Studies, Mediterranean Studies, Social Justice, and students of Italian Studies will find that INTL/WRLD 203 will satisfy their major or/ minor requirements.

The course is structured around a few basic questions:  What is a migrant? What are the push and pull factors of migration?  What is the migrant experience like? Through the selected texts, students will encounter different kinds of migrants including forced, volunteered migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. The variety of stories will give a wider perspective of the migrant experience, introducing students to themes such as acculturation, diaspora, trauma, cultural assimilation, multiculturalism, and humanitarian questions.

Class will consist of lectures, interactive activities, discussion, and small group activities that will thoroughly examine the literary works, the historical events, the authors’ background, and the significance of the novels as cultural artifacts. Students will encounter various examples of migratory experiences; therefore, students should seriously consider taking INTL 491: Modern Migrations to continue to expand and deepen their knowledge of migration.  Even though the topic course INTL/WRLD 203 changes frequently, students who have already taken this course regardless of the topic won’t receive credit a second time.

COURSE GOALS:

Courses in this area encourage students to:

• Examine the circumstances and choices that influence the production of creative work
• Investigate, establish, and/or apply criteria used to evaluate creative work
• Attend and/or participate in creative activities and explore their relevance
• Analyze how creative work reflects, responds to, and shapes various contemporary and historical contexts
• Consider the role of imagination in confronting and expressing the human condition
• Encounter ambiguity and diverse interpretations as aspects of aesthetic inquiry
• Consider the civic and ethical implications in production, consumption, and access to creative works.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• Students will understand the different categories of migrants and how those experiences bring forth different challenges.
• Students will understand migration as a complex process—one that carries cultural, political, social, and economic implications.
• Students will become familiar with the field of Italian migrant literature and competent in analyzing and critically assessing the literary works.
• Students will develop a regional and cultural knowledge of migration with respect to Italy and Africa.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: 

• Students will be able to contextualize the social and cultural context of creative work through historical analysis.
• Students will be able to confront controversial texts, substantiate arguments about creative work, and understand the grammar and language of creative expression through textual and/or oral reflections.
• Students will engage in experiential learning by participating in community activities within and outside the classroom
• Students will be able to recognize the diverse cultural and aesthetic ambiguity in creative expression to seize the nuances of the human condition.
• Students will learn how to engage their imaginations in response to the multifarious experience of living in the world.

These outcomes will be assessed through individual or group research projects, essays, creative projects, oral presentations, class discussions and/or similar assessments at the discretion of the instructor.

Mandatory Texts for INTL/WRLD 203:

1. Lakhous, Amara. Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio. [Italy, immigrant communities, racial prejudice, and cultural misconception] (144).
2. Scego, Igiaba. Adua. [Italy, diaspora, Somalia]
3. Ali Farah, Cristina. Little Mother. [Themes: Diaspora, Somalia Civil War, Italy] (264).

Optional Text: (This text is available at vcu libraries as open access or you can purchase it at Barnes and Nobles bookstore.)

Koser, Khalid. International Migration: A Very Short Introduction.

Grading Scheme

90 – 100%          A
80 – 89%           B

70 – 79%           C

60 – 69%           D

0 – 59% F

Grading Schedule 

15 % Participation

25 % HW / Quizzes
30 % Short papers (2)
10 % Presentation
20 % Final Exam

 

Course Outline Details	Topics	Due Dates
Week 1 Tuesday	Introduction to course
Thursday	Class Discussion (CD): Koser readings, “Who is a migrant” ch:2,  “Irregular Migration”  ch:5,
Week 2 Tuesday	Koser ch:6 “Refugees and Asylum Seekers”
Thursday	CD: Article “Italian Identity and Immigrant Writing: The Shaping of a New Discourse” by Gabriella Romani.
Week 3 Tuesday	CD:  Introduction to Author Amara Lakhous
Thursday	CD:  Clash of Civilization Ch: 1- 2
Week 4 Tuesday	CD:  Clash of Civilization Ch: 3-5
Thursday	CD: Article “Acculturation: When Individuals and Groups of Different Cultural  Backgrounds Meet” by David Sam and John Berry
Week 5 Tuesday	CD: Clash of Civilization ch: 6-11
Thursday	Writing Workshop Paper I
Week 6 Tuesday	CD:  Terraferma by Emanuele Crialese
Thursday	Movie Discussion
Week 7 Tuesday	Introduction to Igiaba Scego / Adua Ch: 1-3	Paper I due
Thursday	Lecture “Italy and Somalia: From colonialism to Nation State”
Week 8 Tuesday	CD: Adua Ch: 4-10
Thursday	CD: Article “Speak, Trauma: Toward a Revised Understanding of Literary Trauma Theory” by Joshua Pederson
Week 9 Tuesday	Break (Finish Adua)
Thursday	Break
Week 10 Tuesday	Discussion of  Adua
Thursday	Discussion of Adua
Week 11 Tuesday	Writing Workshop
Thursday	CD: Article “Towards a Theory of Cultural Trauma” by Jeffrey Alexander
Week 12 Tuesday	CD: Adua	Paper II Due
Thursday	CD: Introduction to Cristina Ali Farah ; Little Mother Ch: 1-2
Week 13 Tuesday	CD: Little Mother Ch: 3
Thursday	CD: Article  “Introducing Diaspora: Key Terms” in Diaspora: An Introduction by Jana Evans Braziel.
Week 14 Tuesday	CD: Little Mother  Ch: 4-6
Thursday	CD: Article Continuation “Diasporas, Transnational Spaces and Communities” by Michel Bruneau.
Week 15 Tuesday	CD: Little Mother  Ch: 7-8
Thursday	CD: Little Mother  Ch: 9
Week 16 Tuesday	CD Conclusion of class	Last Day
FINAL EXAM

 

Class Discussion: Students are expected to have completed any readings, comprehension questions, and voicethread topics for each class. Students will be given questions, concepts, or themes to guide their reading and preparation for class discussion.

Participation: Your participation is necessary in order to do well in the course. Please come to class prepared and ready to discuss the material. Participation will count 15% of your final grade, which includes completing any HW assignments, active participation on the voicethread, in class participation, and attendance.

Homework / Mini Quizzes: HW assignments will include a combination of quizzes on assigned readings, any writing assignment or voicethread activity. Students can expect mini quizzes on articles and novels on a weekly basis.

Presentations: Students will work in groups to present background information on an author. Students will be required to do a mini research on an author in order to properly contextualize the author and his/her work.

Papers: Students will have to write two literary analysis papers (3 pages). Improving the student’s writing and analytical skills will be greatly stressed. The writing workshops will stressed writing mechanics: creating solid outlines, formulating good arguments, and writing about them in an organized, critical fashion.

 

Final Exam: The final exam will be comprehensive, integrating the literary texts, articles, and classroom discussions.

 Bibliography

1. Alexander, Jeffrey. “Toward a Theory of Cultural Trauma.” Cultural Trauma and Collective Identity,
   edited by Jeffrey Alexander et al., U of California P, 2004, pp. 1-30.
2. Ali, Farah Cristina. Little Mother: A Novel. Translated by Giovanna Bellesia-Contuzzi and Victoria
   Offredi Poletto. Introduction by Alessandra Di Maio. Indiana UP, 2011.
3. Bucci, Mauro, director. Hotel Splendid. Kanopy Film, 2016.
4. Chernostsky, Harry I. and Heidi H. Hobbs. Crossing Borders: International Studies for the 21^st Century,
   edition 3, CQ Press, 2018.
5. Crialese, Emanuele, director. Terraferma. 01 Distribution, 2011.
6. Evans Braziel, Jana. Diaspora: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishing, 2008.
7. Lakhous, Amara. Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio. Translated by Ann
   Goldstein, Europa Editions, 2008.
8. Pederson, Joshua. “Speak, Trauma: Toward a Revised Understanding of Literary Trauma Theory.”
   Narrative, vol. 22, no. 3, Oct 2014, pp. 333-53.
9. Romani, Gabriella. “Italian Identity and Immigrant Writing: The Shaping of a New Discourse.”
   ItaliAfrica: Bridging Continents and Cultures, edited by Sante Matteo, Forum Italicum Publishing,
   2001, pp. 363-375.
10. Sam, L. David and John W. Berry. “Acculturation: When Individuals and Groups of Different Cultural
    Backgrounds Meet.” Perspectives on Psychological Science, vol. 5, no. 4, July 2010, pp. 472-81.