Is the land of good food, beautiful landscapes, and la bella vita really how it looks in the movies? Where do our ideas about Italy come from and how do they compare to the realities behind the screen? In this first-year seminar we will explore the way that Italian media shapes and is shaped by society; by looking at contemporary, films, television shows, social media, and art, we will explore how “Italianness” gets constructed, what gets left out and why. By investigating representations of “the normal” we will begin to understand how the dominant cultural priorities, biases, and fears of the nation drive the inherent values at the heart of these mediatic depictions. Through written assignments, oral presentations, and multimedia projects we will critically reflect on how identity and representation work to create notions of nationhood and belonging in a multicultural, intersectional, globalized niche mediatic economy.

Course taught in English. Course Materials in English.