comincia (finalmente!) il semestre

CLASSES HAVE FINALLY BEGUN!

I know my sisters will tease me for it, but I couldn't be happier to be getting back into the academic swing of things.  As beautiful as my summer was, it was very long, and I was starting to really miss the classroom environment.  It helps that I have great courses this semester.  Here's what's on my plate:

Storia Sociale (Social History):
This is the class that I am most excited to be taking.  We are going to talk about the political and social history of Italy from the time of fascism up until and including today.  We'll talk about what Italy was like under fascism, and what it left behind.  We'll talk about the political parties, social movements, etc., and how all of these things have worked over time to shape the mindset of the Italian people today.

Stilistica (Stylistics):
The professor for this class is the same as our orientation course, and I'm happy to be spending a semester with her.  I've never had an Italian professor that didn't speak English before, and it is actually better to learn this way.  If there is something that I don't understand, she has to use Italian to explain Italian, which basically forces me to understand.  She's funny, energetic, and has designed a course that involves reading, writing, listening and speaking.  

Storia di Firenze (History of Florence):
The title is self explanatory, really.  One semester is not enough to learn the entire history of this city, so the course focuses in on a few key centuries.  We start with the time of Dante, (1200s) and we'll work our way up until the end of the 1500s.  This means not only will we talk about Dante, but also the Medici family and all things Renaissance.  The professor is the same man who told us it took him years to make Florentine friends.  He's relaxed and (unintentionally) quite funny, and every class he gives us a five minute break (because what self respecting Italian can sit still for an hour and a half without getting up for an espresso?).  

Survey of Italian Literature II:
All of us took Survey I last semester at Smith with Alfonso- everyone's favorite teacher.  With him we read portions of La Divina Commedia, Il Decamerone, and worked our way up to Renaissance poets like Francesco Petrarca.  So, the class this semester will begin in the 1600s and will end with 20th century Italian literature. 

I will also be auditing a class at the University of Florence.  It counts as a two credit, pass/fail course for Smith.  More on that in a few weeks when the ball gets rolling.

I'm happy to have a more solidified schedule, and (I can't believe I'm saying this) I'm  happy to have work to do!  I think it will really help push my brain into the language, which is what I want.  Admittedly, we haven't been speaking as much Italian with each other as we should, so I'm hoping that the semester will help us to do the right thing.

Oh, I almost forgot.  There is one more really great thing about this semester.  I have four day weekends every week!