Gerald and Beverly Bocciardi Undergraduate Prize
Each year, the Gerald and Beverly Bocciardi Undergraduate Prize showcases undergraduate students’ original work related to a specific theme of Italian culture. Italian Studies students present their work and compete for a monetary prize, generously funded by the Gerald and Beverly Bocciardi Italian Language Fund. See more about the latest Bocciardi conference here. Event contact: Giuliana Perco
Lectures in the Chair of Italian Culture
With the support of the Chair of Italian Culture Endowment, we are proud to invite eminent scholars from Italy to give public lectures at Berkeley, usually once a year. These visitors hold the title of either Chair of Italian Culture or Visiting Lecturer in the Chair of Italian Culture, depending on the length of their tenure and on their other duties while at Berkeley. Lectures in the Chair of Italian Culture vary widely in topic range and expertise.
Words in Action
Each spring, we are proud to present Words in Action, a multilingual student performance. UC Berkeley students perform scenes, songs, and poems in an array of languages, which in the past have included American Sign Language, Armenian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Chinese, Czech, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Irish, Japanese, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Swahili, Telugu, and Urdu — among others. Words in Action began in 2012 with generous sponsorship from the Berkeley Language Center, and was founded by Italian Studies faculty member Annamaria Bellezza, who continues to organize and direct the event to this day. Watch testimonials from students who participated in a recent Words in Action here.
Annual Marie G. Ringrose Graduate Lecture
The Ringrose Lecture, begun in 1998, features a distinguished scholar in some aspect of Italian Studies chosen by a committee of UCB graduate students, who also organize and run the event. The Ringrose lecturer delivers a public lecture and conducts a seminar for Italian Studies students. The lecture is one of many department activities made possible by the generous contributions of Marie G. Ringrose, a UCB alumna (BA 1930).
The Ringrose Lecturers have been:
2019 • Timothy Campbell (Literature)
2018 • Romy Golan (20th Century Art and Historiography)
2017 • Karla Mallette (Italian and Near Eastern Studies)
2015 • David Forgacs (Cultural Studies)
2014 • Karen Pinkus (Italian Literature)
2013 • Marvin Trachtenberg (Architecture)
2012 • Suzanne Stewart-Steinberg (Political Science & Italian Studies)
2010 • Millicent Marcus (Film)
2009 • Alessandro Portellli (Oral History)
2008 • Marilyn Migiel (Italian Literature)
2007 • Maurizio Ferraris (Philosophy)
2006 • William Kennedy (Comparative Literature)
2005 • Jane Schneider (Anthropology)
2004 • Paolo Valesio (Italian Literature)
2003 • Elissa Weaver (Italian Literature & Women’s Studies)
2002 • Mary Russo (Comparative Literature & Women’s Studies)
2001 • David Kertzer (Anthropology & History)
2000 • Gianni Vattimo (Philosophy)
1999 • Teresa de Lauretis (Film & History of Consciousness)
1998 • John Freccero (Italian Literature)