My research has focused on the early modern Italian fairy tale and its relationship to the discourses of monstrosity, science, and gender. Currently, I am working on two projects. The first, examines the ways in which Post-Tridentine Censorship shaped the Italian fairy tale tradition. The second, a co-edited volume, explores representations of enslavement in early modern Italian culture. I am also active as a translator and editor of early modern Italian texts, most recently working on Italian popular texts in verse, published between 1480 and 1650. I continue to present and publish on issues of pedagogy related to my research. Finally, I direct a digital project Fairy Tales at CU with Librarian Sean Babbs, which isa digital annotated bibliography of Norlin Library's exceptional fairy tale collection created in collaboration with CU undergraduates and graduate students.
keywords
Italian fairy tales, early modern Italian women writers, monstrosity, gender in the Renaissance, literature and the law, translation and editing of early modern Italian texts, pedagogy,digital humanities
FREN 1400 - Sexuality and Gender Wars in Italy and France
Primary Instructor
-
Spring 2023
Introduces students to key participants and arguments in the debate on the status of women in Italy and France during the period 1300 to 1700. Explores writings and art by women and men addressing topics such as gender roles, sexuality, sex work, marriage, and access to education. Taught in English. Approved for GT-AH2. Same as ITAL 1400.
FREN 1550 - The Power of Fairy Tales in Italy and France
Primary Instructor
-
Summer 2021 / Summer 2022 / Fall 2022 / Summer 2023 / Summer 2024 / Fall 2024
Examines French and Italian fairy tales written between 1550 and 1750 and analyzes their connections to each other and to contemporary fairy tales literature, film, and the arts. Same as ITAL 1550.
FYSM 1000 - First Year Seminar
Primary Instructor
-
Fall 2018
Provide first year students with an immersive experience in an interdisciplinary topic that addresses current issues including social, technical and global topics. Taught by faculty from across campus, the course provides students with an opportunity to interact in small classes, have project based learning experiences and gain valuable communication skills. Seminar style classes focused on discussion and projects.
HUMN 4150 - Boccaccio's Decameron: Tales of Sex and Death in the Middle Ages
Primary Instructor
-
Fall 2018
Studies Boccaccio's masterpiece, the Decameron, as emblematic of the post-Black Plague era in the late Middle Ages. Focuses on the art of storytelling through gendered perspectives to portray the complexity of the Middle Ages. Taught in English. Same as ITAL 4150.
ITAL 1300 - La Dolce Vita: How to Live a Good Life, Italian Style
Primary Instructor
-
Fall 2019
Introduces students to a critical appraisal of the Humanities in their world. Because the Humanities were rediscovered in the late Middle Ages in Italy, the course explores the Humanities from an Italian-centered perspective, though it broadens the scope of its analysis to make this perspective relevant for students who come from a variety of cultures and backgrounds.
ITAL 1400 - Sexuality and Gender Wars in Italy and France
Primary Instructor
-
Spring 2023
Introduces students to key participants and arguments in the debate on the status of women in Italy and France during the period 1300 to 1700. Explores writings and art by women and men addressing topics such as gender roles, sexuality, sex work, marriage, and access to education. Taught in English. Approved for GT-AH2. Same as FREN 1400.
ITAL 1550 - The Power of Fairy Tales in Italy and France
Primary Instructor
-
Summer 2021 / Summer 2022 / Fall 2022 / Summer 2023 / Summer 2024 / Fall 2024
Examines French and Italian fairy tales written between 1550 and 1750 and analyzes their connections to each other and to contemporary fairy tales literature, film, and the arts. Same as FREN 1550.
ITAL 2271 - Space, Invention, and Wonder in Fairy Tales, Literature and Film
Primary Instructor
-
Spring 2019 / Spring 2024
Explores the themes of space, invention, technology and wonder in fairy tales from Italian, Russian, French, German, and Spanish traditions in order to compare their transformation in different national and historical settings. Students analyze the intersection of fairy tales and science in literature and film. Counts for the Space Minor. Taught in English.
ITAL 3160 - Literary and Artistic Cultures in Italy 1: 1200-1800
Primary Instructor
-
Spring 2019 / Spring 2020 / Fall 2021 / Fall 2023
Uses literary masterpieces as springboard to explore the literature, visual arts, film, theater, and music produced in Italy from 1200 to 1800 in its cultural and historical context. Emphasizes interpretation and critical analysis of major cultural figures, artistic forms, and ideas of the period. Includes hands-on work with texts and arts from the period. Taught in Italian.
ITAL 4140 - What the Hell?: Dante�s Divine Comedy and the Meaning of Life
Primary Instructor
-
Summer 2020
Focuses on close reading of Dante's poetry with emphasis on the intellectual, religious, political, and scientific background of the medieval world. Taught in English. Same as HUMN 4140. Degree credit not granted for this course and ITAL 4145 or ITAL 4147.
ITAL 4147 - Visualizing Dante's Inferno: A Global Seminar in Florence Italy
Primary Instructor
-
Summer 2018 / Summer 2019 / Summer 2022 / Summer 2023 / Summer 2024
Focuses on close reading of Dante's Inferno. Examines the specific sites and art in Florence and nearby cities that Dante references in the Inferno, as well as visual representations of Hell created both before and after Dante's poem. Taught in English. Offered through the CU Study Abroad Program. Degree credit not granted for this course and ITAL 4140 or ITAL 4145 or HUMN 4140.
ITAL 4150 - Boccaccio's Decameron: Tales of Sex and Death in the Middle Ages
Primary Instructor
-
Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2020
Studies Boccaccio's masterpiece, the Decameron, as emblematic of the post-Black Plague era in the late Middle Ages. Focuses on the art of storytelling through gendered perspectives to portray the complexity of the Middle Ages. Taught in English. Same as HUMN 4150.
ITAL 4600 - Once Upon a Time in Italy
Primary Instructor
-
Summer 2018 / Summer 2019 / Spring 2020 / Spring 2022
Examines the evolution of the Italian fairy tale from the 1500s to the 2000s in literature, theater, and film. Considers the tales and their authors in their social-historical context.
ITAL 4990 - Senior Seminar
Primary Instructor
-
Fall 2018 / Spring 2022
Preparation of a 15-page research paper in Italian presented to two members of the faculty and defended orally in class.
REES 2271 - Space, Invention, and Wonder in Fairy Tales, Literature and Film
Primary Instructor
-
Spring 2024
Explores the themes of space, invention, technology and wonder in fairy tales from Italian, Russian, French, German, and Spanish traditions in order to compare their transformation in different national and historical settings. Students analyze the intersection of fairy tales and science in literature and film. Counts for the Space Minor. Taught in English.
RUSS 2271 - Space, Invention, and Wonder in Fairy Tales, Literature and Film
Primary Instructor
-
Spring 2019
Explores the themes of space, invention, technology and wonder in fairy tales from Italian, Russian, French, German, and Spanish traditions in order to compare their transformation in different national and historical settings. Students analyze the intersection of fairy tales and science in literature and film. Counts for the Space Minor. Taught in English. Same as ITAL 2271.
