Italian Opera (L’italiano con l’opera)
S06, S07
Roberto de Lucca
Before the advent of movies and television, opera was the popular entertainment of the day. Comic and serious opera—in excerpt and complete—are explored in this course as we build students’ confidence and intermediate proficiency in Italian. Students will look at several operatic hits (La Bohème, Le nozze di Figaro, etc.), analyzing plot and character, becoming critics, dramatists, and actors themselves (no musical background or singing required). The aim of this intermediate-level course is twofold. First, students will develop their understanding of Italian culture and pursue research. Second, students will gain practical competence in spoken and written Italian, developing paragraph-level discourse. Class activities include music and video appreciation, independent study, filmmaking, brief written assignments, and presentations.