As of 12/23/2015, this course is CANCELLED.

In this course we will read several notable works from the Italian Renaissance and watch modern film adaptations of them. The course will allow students to not only become familiar with important pieces of literature and political theory, but also to investigate questions about the way modernity portrays the Renaissance, and about how film portrays literature. We will read two works by Niccolò Machiavelli, “The Mandrake Root” and “The Prince,” watching a stage version of the first and a film closely related to the themes of the second, Paolo Sorrentino’s “Il Divo.” We will then read selections from Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso and watch Ermanno Olmi’s “Il Mestiere delle Armi,” followed by selections from Tasso’s Gerusalemme liberata and operatic versions of its more popular episodes (“Armida” and “Tancredi and Clorinda”).

This course will be taught in English. Grades will be determined by active participation, three essays and a final exam.

Prerequisites: none.