ITALIAN 222: ITALIAN AMERICAN CULTURE

AMS/FST/ITL 222: ITALIAN AMERICAN CULTURE

SPRING, 2004

INSTRUCTOR: SANTE MATTEO

208 IRVIN HALL; tel. 9-5932; e-mail: matteos@muohio.edu

OFFICE HOURS: M T, 11-12; F 10-11

COURSE DESCRIPTION: A survey and investigations of the history of Italian immigration in America, the development of Italian American communities across the land, and the contributions that Italian Americans have made to American society and culture. Taught in English. No prerequisites.

This is a Foundation course in category IIIA United States Cultures.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

A. PREPARATION, ATTENDANCE, AND DISCUSSION: Regular attendance and active, informed participation in class discussion are crucial and will be worth 100 points. Three points will be deducted from the participation grade for each absence beyond three.

B. JOURNAL: A bi-weekly journal, consisting of short "reaction" essays to a specific passage from the reading assignments (2‑page maximum), will be due once every two weeks (see guidelines below).

C. ORAL PRESENTATION: Students, in groups of 3-4, depending on class size, will give an oral presentation to the class, explaining and analyzing an aspect of Italian American culture and providing a basis for further analysis and discussion (see guidelines below).

D. QUIZZES: Each week there will be a brief quiz (10 points) on that week’s viewing and reading assignments. The best 13 scores of 15 will count. Quizzes cannot be made up for any reason. Any missed quiz will be one of the two dropped.

E. EXAMS: There will be two exams: one mid-term test (March 5) and a comprehensive final exam at the end of the course (Friday, May 7, 9:45 AM).

GRADING: Each student's semester grade will be calculated by adding the points awarded in six categories. The standard breakdown scale will apply:

93%+=A; 90-92%=A-;

87-89%=B+; 83-86%=B; 80-82%=B-;

77-79%=C+; 73-76%=C; 70-72%=C-;

67-69%=D+; 63=66%=D; 60-62%=D-

Points

A. Participation 100

B. Journal of brief "reaction" papers (7 x 10@ + 2 x 50@) 170

C. Oral presentation 100

D. Quizzes (13/15 x 10@) 130

E. Mid-term exam 100

F. Final examination 200

TOTAL: 800

TEXTS TO PURCHASE:

A Sitdown with the Sopranos. Regina Barreca, ed. New York: Palmgrave Macmillar, 2002.

Christ in Concrete. Pietro Di Donato. New York: Signet, 1993.

The Fortunate Pilgrim. Mario Puzo. New York: Fawcett, 1998.

From the Margin: Writings in Italian Americana. Anthony J. Tamburri, Paolo A. Giordano, and Fred L. Gardaphé. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue UP, 1991.

La Storia: Five Centuries of the Italian American Experience. Jerre Mangione and Ben Morreale. New York: Harper Collins, 1992.

Moustache Pete Is Dead! Evviva Baffo Pietro! Fred L. Gardaphé. West Lafayette, IN: Bordighera, 1997.

Winter in Montreal. Pietro Corsi. Preface, Sante Matteo. Afterword, Giose Rimanelli. Toronto: Guernica, 2000.

PHOTOCOPY PACKET (available at Oxford Copy Shop, 10 S. Poplar, 523-3636):

1. Jan. 14, Belmonte, “The Contradictions of Italian American Identity”

2. Jan. 21, Krase, “America’s Little Italies: Past, Present and Future”

3. Jan. 23, Gambino, “From Blood of My Blood: The Dilemma of the Italian Americans”

4. Jan. 28, Muhammad, “Race, Crime, and Social Mobility: Black and Italian Undesirables in Modern America”

5. Jan. 30, Viscusi, “Oration upon the Most Recent Death of Christopher Columbus”

6. Feb. 4, Vecoli, “Are Italian Americans Just White Folks?”

7. Feb. 11, Talese, “The Italian-AmericanVoice: Where Is It?”

8. Feb. 18, Paglia, “The Italian Way of Death,” and Wright, “Paglia: Pop Culture Pseudo-Intellectual”

9. Feb. 25, Barolini, “Difference, Identity, and Saint Augustine”

10. Mar. 3, Malpezzi and Clements, “Foodways”

11. Mar. 24, Ferraro, “A Pornographic Nun: A Conversation with Camille Paglia,”

12. Mar. 29, Matteo, “Molise Lost and Regained”

13. Apr. 7, Laurino, “Bensonhurst”

14. Apr. 14, Hull and Viano, “The Image of Blacks in the Work of Coppola, De Palma, and Scorsese”

15. Apr. 16, Tamburri, “Italian/American Cultural Studies: Looking Forward”

16. April 30, Viscusi, “The Future of Italianità”

ON RESERVE: REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED READINGS TEXTS: Additional readings, both required and recommended, are contained in the following two books, placed on Reserve at King Library:

The Columbus People: Perspectives in Italian Immigration to the Americas and Australia. Lydio F. Tomasi, Piero Gastaldo, and Thomas Row, Eds. New York: Center for Migration Studies, 1994.

The Italian American Heritage. Pellegrino D’Acierno, Ed. New York: Garland, 1999.

REQUIRED READINGS: Because of Copyright laws, three required readings, contained in The Italian American Heritage, could not be included in the photocopy packet. Therefore, you will have to obtain them directly from the book on Reserve. Please read them, or photocopy them, well in advance of the due dates: March 10, ***Connolly and D’Acierno, “Italian American Musical Culture,” pp. 437-446; March 22, ***D’Acierno, “Madonna,” pp. 491-498; April 12, ***Bona, “On Being an Italian American Woman,” pp. 61-68. To help you locate them, in the “Assignments” section of the syllabus, the readings are indicated in boldface and preceded by three asterisks (***).

RECOMMENDED READINGS: These are additional readings, contained in the Reserve books, which provide additional information, insights, or interpretations of the week’s topics. Students are encouraged, but not required, to read them. Since many of you will likely want to read the recommended articles from those books at the same time, it may be difficult for all of you to get timely access. So, please make provisions ahead of time to avoid the rush and the risk of not being able to do the recommended reading in time: e.g. read the articles well in advance; make photocopies of the articles and share them with classmates; or if you think it’s worth the investment, consider ordering the books, online or through one of the bookstores, possibly sharing the cost with others and permitting the books to circulate among those who contribute to the cost. The Italian Heritage is very expensive (c. $130). The Columbus People, while not expensive (c. $20), has many articles on Italian immigrants in other parts of the world, which do not pertain directly to this course. Consequently, you may wish to look at the copies on reserve before deciding if it’s worth it to you to purchase your own copy.

ALSO ON RESERVE: La Storia (2 copies), From the Margin, A Sitdown with the Sopranos, The Fortunate Pilgrim, Winter in Montreal.

FILMS AND TV: Feature films, documentary videos, and TV episodes of “The Sopranos” will be broadcast at various times over the MU cable system, channel 75, at the end of each week and will be discussed in class the following week. Occasionally clips may be shown in class.

Week 1, Little Italy, documentary; 60 minutes

2, Wait until Spring, Bandini, Deruddere; 104 m

3, The Godfather, part I, Coppola; 171 m

4, The Godfather, part II, Coppola; 200 m

5, Italian American/The Big Shave, documentaries by Martin Scorsese; 54 m

6, Who’s That Knocking on My Door?, Scorsese; 90 m

7, Mean Streets, Scorsese; 112 m

8, Big Night, Tucci; 109 m

9, A Bronx Tale, De Niro; 122 m

10, Rocky, Stallone; 119 m

11, Do the Right Thing!, Spike Lee; 120 m

12, Jungle Fever, Lee; 132 m

13, episodes of the TV series The Sopranos, 160 m

14, episodes of the TV series The Sopranos, 160 m

The movies will be broadcast, on ch. 75, at the following times, for direct viewing or to record on a VCR for watching at a more convenient time. The movies should be viewed before class on Monday.

Thursdays: 8 PM, 12 Midnight
Fridays: 3 PM, 7 PM, 12 Midnight
Saturdays: 10 AM, 2 PM, 7 PM
Sundays: 1 AM, 3 PM, 7 PM, 11 PM
SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS: The readings and assignments should be done before the class period indicated:

January 12 Introduction to course

14 La Storia, Prologue and chpt. 1; Christ in Concrete Preface, Introduction, and ch. 1, pp. vii-18; Belmonte, “The Contradictions of Italian American Identity” (photocopy)

16 La Storia 2; Christ in Concrete 2, pp. 19-38; Mulas, “The Ethnic Language of Christ in Concrete,” in From the Margin, pp. 307-315; Quiz 1

FILM: documentary Litle Italy (on channel 75; see broadcast schedule above, p. 3)

(19 MLK Holiday)

21 La Storia 3; Christ in Concrete 2, pp. 38-58; Krase, “America’s Little Italies: Past, Present and Future” (photocopy); Discuss documentary Litle Italy; Journals A & B 1

23 La Storia 4; Christ in Concrete 2, pp. 58-78; Gambino, “From Blood of My Blood: The Dilemma of the Italian Americans” (photocopy); Jrnl C 1; Quiz 2

[Recommended: Gardaphé, “Italian American Novelists—Pietro Di Donato,” in The Italian American Heritage, pp. 165-172 (Reserve)]

FILM: Wait until Spring, Bandini, Dominique Deruddere

26 La Storia 5; Christ in Concrete 2, pp. 78-97; Discuss film Wait until Spring, Bandini; Jrnl D 1

28 La Storia 6; Christ in Concrete 3, pp. 101-134; Muhammad, “Race, Crime, and Social Mobility: Black and Italian Undesirables in Modern America” (photocopy); Jrnl E 1

30 La Storia 7; Christ in Concrete 4, pp. 137-161; Viscusi, “Oration upon the Most Recent Death of Christopher Columbus” (photocopy); Jrnl F 1; Quiz 3

FILM: The Godfather, I, Francis Ford Coppola

February 2 La Storia 8; Christ in Concrete 4, pp. 161-182; Discuss film The Godfather, I; Jrnl A 2

4 La Storia 9; Christ in Concrete 4, pp. 182-204; Vecoli, “Are Italian Americans Just White Folks?” (photocopy); Jrnl B 2

6 La Storia 10; Christ in Concrete 5, pp. 207-236; Jrnl C 2; Quiz 4

FILM: The Godfather, II, Coppola

9 La Storia 11; The Fortunate Pilgrim, Preface & ch. 1, pp. xi-21; Discuss film The Godfather, II; Jrnl D 2

11 La Storia 12; The Fortunate Pilgrim, 2, pp. 22-46; Talese, “The Italian-American Voice: Where Is It?” (photocopy); Jrnl E 2

13 La Storia 13; The Fortunate Pilgrim, 3-4, pp. 47-73; Jrnl F 2; Quiz 5

FILM: Italian American and The Big Shave, documentaries by Martin Scorsese

(16 M Presidents’ Day Holiday)

17 T (M/T Switch) La Storia 14; The Fortunate Pilgrim, 5-6, pp. 74-105; Discuss Italian American/The Big Shave; Jrnl A 3

[Recommended: Gardaphé, “Italian American Novelists—Mario Puzo,” in The Italian American Heritage, pp. 176-178 (Reserve)]

18 La Storia 15; The Fortunate Pilgrim, 7-8, pp. 106-132; Paglia, “The Italian Way of Death,” and Wright, “Paglia: Pop Culture Pseudo-Intellectual” (photocopy); Jrnl B 3

20 La Storia 16; The Fortunate Pilgrim, 9, pp. 133-155; Jrnl C 3; Quiz 6

FILM: Who’s That Knocking at My Door?, Martin Scorsese

February 23 La Storia 17; The Fortunate Pilgrim, 10-11, pp. 156-173; Discuss Who’s That Knocking at My Door?; Jrnl D 3

25 La Storia 18; The Fortunate Pilgrim, 12-14, pp. 174-199; Barolini, “Difference, Identity, and Saint Augustine” (photocopy); Jrnl E 3

27 La Storia 19; The Fortunate Pilgrim, 15-18, pp. 200-234; Jrnl F 3; Quiz 7

FILM: Mean Streets, Scorsese

March 1 La Storia 20; The Fortunate Pilgrim, 19-22, pp. 235-265; Discuss Mean Streets; Jrnl A 4

[Recommended: Viscusi, “Italian American Literary History,” in The Italian American Heritage, pp. 151-164 (Reserve)]

3 La Storia 21; The Fortunate Pilgrim, 23-26, pp. 266-283; Malpezzi and Clements, “Foodways” (photocopy); Jrnl B & C 4; Quiz 8

5 Mid-Term exam

FILM: Big Night, Stanley Tucci

8 La Storia 22; Moustache Pete Is Dead, pp. 1-32; Presentation 1: Food and Family; Discuss Big Night; Jrnl D 4

10 La Storia 23; Moustache Pete Is Dead, pp. 33-64; ***Connolly and D’Acierno, “Italian American Musical Culture,” (ON RESERVE, in The Italian American Heritage, pp. 437-446); Presentation 2: Music; Jrnl E 4

12 La Storia 24; Moustache Pete Is Dead, pp. 65-96; Jrnl F 4; Quiz 9

[Recommended: Connolly and D’Acierno, “Italian American Musical Culture,” in The Italian American Heritage, pp. 417-437, 446-462 (Reserve)]

FILM: A Bronx Tale, Robert De Niro

(SPRING BREAK, March 13-21)

22 La Storia 25; Winter in Montreal, pp. 7-23; ***D’Acierno, “Madonna” (ON RESERVE, in The Italian American Heritage, pp. 491-498); Discuss A Bronx Tale; Jrnl A 5

24 La Storia 26; Winter in Montreal, pp. 24-45; Ferraro, “A Pornographic Nun: A Conversation with Camille Paglia,” (photocopy); Presentation 3: Religion; Jrnl B 5

26 La Storia 27 & Epilogue; Winter in Montreal, pp. 46-55, 137-151; Jrnl C 5; Quiz 10

FILM: Rocky, Sylvester Stallone

29 From the Margin, Intro., pp. 1-11; Prose: Mangione, “David on Trial”; Gioseffi, “Rosa in Television Land”; Rimanelli, “Memory of Two Tuesdays”; Barolini, “Greener Grass”; pp. 15-43; Matteo, “Molise Lost and Regained” (photocopy); Presentation 4: Literature & Education; Discuss Christ in Concrete; Jrnl D 5

31 Margin, Prose: Morreale, “Monday Tuesday . . . Never Come Sunday”; Ardizzone, “Nonna”; Cavallo, “Juniper Street Sketches 1 and 2”; Marotta, “Her Sister,” pp. 44-78; Critical Essays: Viscusi, “A Literature Considering Itself,” pp. 257-273; Presentation 5: Art; Jrnl E 5

[Recommended: D’Acierno, “From Stella to Stella: Italian American Visual Culture,” pp. 499-552, and “The Italian American Culture of Scenes,” pp. 553-562, in The Italian American Heritage, (Reserve)]

April 2 Margin, Prose: Ruffolo, “My Grandfather’s Suit”; La Puma, “Cakes”; Mazziotti Gillan, “Angelina”; Papaleo, “Twenty-Nine Steps towards Re-addiction”; pp. 79-99; Critical Essays: Chiavola Birnbaum, “red, a little white, a lot of green, on a field of pink,” pp. 274-285; Jrnl F 5; Quiz 11

FILM: Do The Right Thing, Spike Lee

April 5 Margin, Prose: Bucci Bush, “Drowning”; Gardaphé, “Mora Amore”; Valerio, “The Last Godfather”; pp. 100-118; Presentation 6: Recreation; Discuss Do The Right Thing; Jrnl A 6

7 Margin, Prose: Valerio, “The Dante Society of Westchester”; Gilbert, “Piacere Conoscerla: On Being an Italian-American”; Maso, “Ghost Dance,” pp. 119-134; Laurino, “Bensonhurst” (photocopy); Presentation 7: Little Italy; Jrnl B 6

[Recommended: Tedesco, “Sacraments: Italian American Theatrical Culture and the Dramatization of Everyday Life,” in The Italian American Heritage, pp. 353-381 (Reserve)]

9 Margin, Poetry: Ferlinghetti, di Prima, pp. 135-145; Critical Essays: Gardaphé, “From Oral Tradition to Written Word,” pp. 286-298; Jrnl C 6; Quiz 12

[Recommended: Sartarelli, “Italian American Poets,” The Italian American Heritage, pp. 266-282 (Rserv)]

FILM: Jungle Fever, Spike Lee

12 Margin, Poetry: Stefanile, Gioseffi, Gilbert, pp. 146-159; ***Bona, “On Being an Italian American Woman” (ON RESERVE, in The Italian American Heritage, pp. 61-68); Presentation 8: Gender roles; Discuss Jungle Fever; Jrnl D 6

14 Margin, Poetry: Parini, Mazziotti Gillan, pp. 160-173; Hull and Viano, “The Image of Blacks in the Work of Coppola, De Palma, and Scorsese” (photocopy); Presentation 9: Race relations; Jrnl E 6

[Recommended: Barolini, “Italian American Women Writers,” in The Italian American Heritage, pp. 193-218 (Reserve)]

16 Margin, Poetry: Galassi, DeRosa, 174-187; Tamburri, “Italian/American Cultural Studies: Looking Forward” (photocopy); Jrnl F 6; Quiz 13

[Recommended: Barolini, “Italian American Women Writers,” in The Italian American Heritage, pp. 218-235 (Reserve)]

TV EPISODES: The Sopranos

19 Margin, Poetry: Gangemi, Raptosh, pp. 188-202; A Sitdown with the Sopranos, Intro & ch. 1, pp. 1-25; Presentation 10: Television; Discuss The Sopranos; Jrnl A 7

[Recommended: Barolini, “Italian American Women Writers,” in The Italian American Heritage, pp. 235-258 (Reserve)]

21 Margin, Poetry: Mazzaro, Bona, pp. 203-215; Critical Essays: Casillo, “Moments in Italian-American Cinema,” pp. 394-416; Sopranos, 2, pp. 27-46; Presentation 11: Cinema; Jrnl B 7

23 Margin, Poetry: Nicolai, Carravetta, Capello, pp. 216-231; Critical Essays: Lawton, “America through Italian/American Eyes,” pp. 417-449; Sitdown with Sopranos, 3 pp. 47-74; Jrnl C 7; Quiz 14

TV EPISODES: The Sopranos

26 Margin, Poetry: Clements, Gioia, pp. 232-242; Sitdown with Sopranos, 4-5, pp. 75-111; Presentation 12: Mafia; Discuss The Sopranos; Jrnl D 7

[Recommended: Gambino, “Italian-Americans, Today’s Immigrants, Multiculturalism, and the Mark of Cain” in The Italian American Heritage, pp. 69-74 (Reserve)]

28 Margin, Poetry: Viscusi, Tusiani, pp. 243-254; Essays: Giordano, “From Southern Italian Emigrant to Reluctant American,” pp. 314-326; Sitdown with Sopranos, 6-7, pp. 113-148; Presentation 13: Politics; Jrnl E 7

30 Margin, Critical Essays: Boelhower, “’Pago, Pago!’ The Gift Principle in Contemporary Italian/American Narratives”; pp. 372-393; Viscusi, “The Future of Italianità” (photocopy); Sitdown with Sopranos, 8, pp. 149-166; Jrnl F 7; Quiz 15

[Recommended: Barone, “A Turning Point in the Italian-American Experience,” in The Columbus People, pp. 491-495 (Reserve)]

FINAL EXAM: Friday, May 7, 9:45 AM

JOURNAL GUIDELINES: c. 300-500 words (1-2 pages), double-spaced or with wide margins to allow for my comments, due every other week as indicated on the syllabus. These should be "thought" or "reaction" essays rather than research reports. You do not have to read other sources, but rather should rely on your own analysis and interpretation of a specific textual passage from the assignment for that day (from the required reading, not the recommended, and preferably from a primary, creative text--novels, short stories, poetry, plays--rather than a historical or critical text, whenever possible). From the material assigned for the day on which your essay is due, choose a specific passage, image, or idea, and explicate it in your own terms. Whenever appropriate, pay attention to the literal as well as the allegorical meaning(s), and to stylistic as well as narrative or thematic aspects.

The important thing is to work from the particular to the general--focus your attention on a concrete, well-defined part of the text, and by close analysis and interpretation, suggest how it contributes to the more general meaning of the text as a whole. Your explication should consist of three sequential steps, with each subsequent step following logically and coherently from the previous one:

1) a description of the content and stylistic devices used, if any (e.g. similes, metaphors, alliteration, rhyme scheme, imagery, allusions, etc.).

2) an analysis of the effects produced by this content and these devices, i.e. the immediate reaction elicited from the reader: What thoughts, feelings, responses do they produce in you?

3) an interpretation of the general meaning of the work, based on your analysis of specific parts or aspects: What kind of ideological statement is the work as a whole making about the human condition? What does it say about life, the world, nature, etc.? And what significant aspect(s) of Italian American culture does it reveal or address?

PROCEDURE: The class will be divided into 6 groupings: A, B, C, D, E, and F. Papers from students in each category will be due sequentially: e.g. “A” students will hand in their essay on Monday, “B” students on Wednesday, and “C” students on Friday of the first week; and “D” students on Monday, “E” students on Wednesday, and “F” students on Friday of the second week; and then the cycle will start again: A, B, and C the third week; D, E, and F the fourth week; and so on. These papers will be read and critiqued but not graded. They will all automatically be worth 10 points each, if done correctly and handed in on time. Late papers will be penalized 5 points.

DISCUSSION: Each day the class will be divided into small groups of 5 or 6 students for a 10-minute discussion of the papers. Students who have written a paper for that day will present their papers to the other members of the group, who will then discuss and critique the paper, offering suggestions on how to improve it: corrections, additions, or other modifications. The student will hand in a copy of the original paper at the end of the period, but should subsequently rewrite the paper for inclusion in the journal, based on the feedback received from the small-group discussion, on ideas generated during the whole-class discussion, as well as the instructor’s written comments on the papers.

FINAL JOURNAL: At the end of the semester students will hand in a journal containing all their papers, with both the original and the rewritten versions of each one. I will randomly pick 2 of the papers to evaluate and grade, based on how well they follow the guidelines above and how cogently and persuasively they make their argument (50 points each).

ORAL PRESENTATION GUIDELINES: Students, working in groups of three, should prepare a 15-20-minute joint, well-coordinated presentation on one of the topics listed below. To accompany your oral presentation you should collectively prepare a 1 or 2-page handout (one per group, not a separate one for each speaker), consisting of the following components: 1) an outline of the information in your presentation, 2) a compilation of pertinent and striking quotations which provide insight into your subject, 3) a bibliography of the sources you have consulted (author, title, publisher, place and date of publication; or web-site address), and 4)--if you wish; but it's not required--graphs, pictures, or anything else that you feel will make your presentation more memorable. You should make enough copies of this handout for every member of the class so that they can follow your discussion better and also have something with which to study afterwards. The information provided in these presentations will be included in the quizzes and exams.

THESE ARE RESEARCH PROJECTS. You should consult at least five sources (books, articles, tapes, web sites, etc.) in researching the topic, and list them in your bibliography. There are encyclopedias and reference materials in the Humanities Reference area of the library. Ask for assistance at the Reference desk.

Students taking this as a Film Studies course (FST 222) should concentrate on cinematic representations for their research. Italian minors and other students who know Italian should use Italian sources whenever possible.

A portion of the grade (60 points) will be assigned collectively to all members of the group: level of research (20 points), accuracy of information (20), and significance of content (20). The rest of the points (40) will be assigned individually to each presenter: clarity and knowledge of argument (20), and rhetorical efficacy (eliciting and maintaining interest in the audience, presenting information persuasively and in such a way that it will hit home and be retained) (20 points).

TOPICS: Choose one of the topics listed below by printing your names next to it:

1. Food & Family, Mar. 8 _________________ ____________________ _________________

2. Music, Mar. 10 _________________ _______________________ ______________________

3. Religion, Mar. 24 _____________________ ___________________ _____________________

4. Literature (& education), Mar. 29 ________________ _________________ _______________

5. Art, Mar. 31 ___________________ _______________________ ______________________

6. Recreation (games, feasts), Apr. 5 _________________ _______________ _______________

7. Little Italy, Apr. 7 __________________ __________________ _____________________

8. Gender roles, Apr. 12 ____________________ __________________ ___________________

9. Race relations, Apr. 14 ___________________ ____________________ ________________

10. Television, Apr. 19 ___________________ _____________________ ________________

11. Cinema, Apr. 21 ___________________ ___________________ _____________________

12. Mafia, Apr. 26 ____________________ __________________ ___________________

13. Politics, Apr. 28 ____________________ __________________ ___________________