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Teaching

I teach undergraduate and graduate courses on translation and medieval Italian literature, as well as basic and advanced Italian language courses.

My colleague Jennifer Newman (Hunter College Libraries) and I received the 2022 MLA-EBSCO Collaboration for Information Literacy Prize, given for coursework developed in collaboration between department faculty members and academic librarians in literature, language, or related disciplines. Together we designed a series of library lesson plans for a BA/MA course on Dante’s Inferno.

On this page I’m sharing several course websites and open-access editions I’ve created, and some sample activities. Click on the images to access the resources.

Course websites

Dante’s Works

Home page of the course site "Dante's Works"

A website providing zero-cost readings and resources for a course on Dante’s prose works. Supported by a CUNY Academic Commons OER Fellowship.

Petrarch’s Poetry in Motion

Home page of the course site "Petrarch's Poetry in Motion"

Complete course website for a seminar on Petrarch’s Canzoniere, including open-access edition of selected poems created by the instructor.

Advanced Italian Composition

Home page of the course site "Advanced Italian Composition"

The course website for an advanced Italian language class, centered around (writing about) art.

Selections from Petrarch’s Canzoniere

Home page of Manifold edition "Selections from Petrarch's Canzoniere"

A selection of 75 poems from Petrarch’s Canzoniere with additional audiovisual and other resources. A Manifold edition created by the instructor.

Translating Nuova York

Home page of the course site "Translating Nuova York"

A website showcasing student writing on Italian and Italian American history and culture in New York City.

Sample Activities

Reciting Dante

VoiceThread assignment with the text of Paradiso 1.1-12

Students practice reading passages from Dante’s Divine Comedy and receive feedback from the instructor. Assignment in an Italian literature seminar.

Found Poetry

Students created and recited “found poems” based on an excerpt from Giorgio Vasta’s novel Il tempo materiale. Assignment in an advanced Italian language class.

A virtual “giro d’Italia”

A “giro d’Italia” or tour of Italy through student presentations on Italian cities and its famous inhabitants. Final project in an intermediate Italian language class.

Dante at the Met

Landing page for Met assignment with the title "Overview" and a picture of the Great Hall of the museum.

An assignment focusing on art inspired by and related to Dante’s Inferno in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Assignment for literature seminar, that can be completed at the museum or using the Met website.

Bilingual magazine

A semester-long group translation project resulting in the publication of a bilingual magazine. Final project in translation class.

Library lessons

Cover slide of presentation "Integrating Information Literacy & Course Content: Old Books & New Knowledge"

A series of library activities, developed together with Jennifer Newman, to focus student attention on elements of knowledge production in Dante’s time and our own. Sample lesson plans on pp. 8-11.