Dr. Fiore, a former Fulbright scholar, illustrated the work done at ����vlog in the field of internationalization of the education experience: from the focus on Made in Italy in the Tri-State Area with the BA in Language, Business, and Culture to the Translation Project which created unique internships in Italy for students specializing in subtitling and surtitling for the Performing Arts.

Fiore has highlighted two recent projects: her 2025-26 sabbatical project about the Allied Landing in Sicily, which has produced a , as well as the two-month internship in a Sicily-based musical for three Montclair State students of Voice, Musical Theater and Italian who have performed in Il risveglio degli dei in the Valley of the Temples of Agrigento for several magical dawns.

“Given the upcoming 250th Anniversary of the foundation of the U.S., there will be opportunities for collaborations to highlight the historical relationships between Sicily and the U.S. as well as relevant current projects,” Cook remarked.

Thur. Nov. 30, 2023  6pm
Presentation Hall 1040 (School of Communication and Media)

(2022) chronicles the conflicts around monuments that arose in the United States during the George Floyd protests and the 2020 presidential election. As statues of Columbus, Confederates and Founding Fathers fall from their pedestals, the nation’s triumphalist myths are called into question. By exploring the shifting landscapes of American monumentality, this film interrogates the link between history and political action in a nation that must confront its past now more urgently than ever.

Stonebreakers has been included in the official selection of several festivals in the U.S and Italy (IFF Boston, Nastri d’Argento) and has received a number of recognition: Winner of the Imperdibili Award, MYmovies.it Audience Award, Special Mention, and Best Italian documentary at the prestigious Festival dei Popoli in 2022, as well as Winner for Best Independent Production Documentary and Best Film Editing at the 2023 History Film Festival, Rijeka, Croatia.

Organized and sponsored by the Inserra Endowed Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies 
in collaboration with the Italian Program (World Languages and Cultures Department) and the History Department at ����vlog.

 

Lunch speakers usually shared their personal stories linked to Italy and their professions, often focusing on select works (songs, films, food products, magazine articles). Interestingly, this year many speakers emphasized the importance of giving ourselves second and third chances in life, “because one’s passion may become clear at a later time and not as early as the end of high school and the beginning of college, which does not decide our course forever,” as late bloomer chocolatier Federica Heiman remarked. Whatever we choose is part of a much longer path that gets transformed by new circumstances and transforms us in the process, several of them seemed to suggest.

 

The first week, lunch speakers included Brazilian-Italian blogger and journalist Giulia Baldini (recently published in Vogue Italy!) who addressed her family story of inclusion versus incidents of racism in Italy, and in the afternoon, a brief history of fashion from the antiquity to the present, with an emphasis on “sprezzatura” (nonchalant style). Award-winning directors Marylou and Jerome Bongiorno presented their in-progress film “Our Return to Italy” about Italian descendants relocating to Italy, and later guided students through the technicalities of making a video on the topic, as part of their final project.

The second week, lunch speakers brought their personal experiences to the class to explain how they intersected with their profession: rapper and writer Amir Issaa discussed his trajectory from rapper to rap educator; Rossana Dell’Armellina her move from teaching Italian to mastering yoga; and Federica Heiman her switch from hospitality agent to chocolate expert.

In the afternoon workshops, students wrote a few lines for an in-progress rap song about mixed identity with Amir, while learning about a whole array of contemporary rappers in Italy; they tried yoga poses during a workshop with Megan Biondi, and learned how to make chocolate bonbons at Federica Heiman’s house off campus, her business headquarters when she is not in Costa Rica learning about cocoa plantations!

The third week, lunch speakers took students to two very different yet both culturally rich worlds – soccer and cheese: Julian Mossuto, a field marketing specialist for Adidas soccer, talked about the fascinating history of Italian soccer to show the interconnections between national sports, domestic and international politics, and society; Emilia D’Albero shared her itinerary from Montclair State student of Italian and French to award-winning cheese monger and educator.

During the afternoon workshops, students played soccer with the specialized equipment that Julian Mossuto kindly brought in from Adidas, and tasted a variety of Italian cheeses, from pecorino sardo to taleggio, to discover the inner workings of cheese production, including the specifics of the terroir, the mixing of ingredients, aging techniques, and the legal regulations in and outside of Italy for production and distribution. And they learned how to savor a piece of cheese and recognize a palette of flavors.

For their weekly visits off campus, students toured Eataly NY Downtown, where they learned about Italian foods and prepared tiramisu; under the expert guidance of Roberta Minnucci, the students explored Greek and Roman antiquities as the matrix of Renaissance and Neoclassical Art, with a focus on sculpture and architecture; and they also tried their hand at making pasta and cannoli at Healthy Italia, la buona cucina in Madison, NJ.

As Dr. Teresa Fiore (Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, WLC Dept.) stated: “I have been part of this unique and rewarding program since its inception as director, along with coordinator Patti Grunther, but this year I decided to also teach the class, which allowed me to see how students from many different socio-ethnic backgrounds come together and, within days, form a learning community, eager to hone language skills, deepen their cultural knowledge, and… have fun.” (see map below for the different cultural and linguistic associations of these students). Patti Grunther added: “At a time in which young people are rediscovering the value of sharing experiences in person, the residential option proved to be particularly successful: students used the sports facilities, the library, and the hang-out spots in the dorms where they spent time with visiting students from Italy, in a serendipitous coincidence that further enhanced our students’ communicative skills.”

In the evaluations, students remarked how the Italian Summer Program “smoothly wove classroom content, speakers’ talks, afternoon activities, and off-campus tours.” The program also gave them “a feel for what college/university life is like,” as they navigated different aspects of the campus and produced a final project that can be part of their college application portfolio. After six editions, the program continues to provide a unique bridge for these students, as they plan to transition from high school to college… in Italian.

The program is offered as part of the , in collaboration with Summer Sessions and Early College Programs, and with major support from the Inserra Endowment and the Inserra Scholarship Fund.

For more information about the program, see webpage.
For more pictures see posts on
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The delegation (see photo on top) that Teresa Fiore was part of included: the mayor of Agrigento, Francesco Micciché; the President of the University Consortium of Agrigento, Nenè Mangiacavallo; the project director, Roberto Albergoni; the project manager Margherita Orlando; the director of Farm Cultural Park, Florinda Saieva; the President of the Opera Cardinal Ferrari, Milan, Prof. Pasquale Seddio; City rep Costantino Ciulla; General Director of Coop Culture, Letizia Casuccio. The National President of FAI, Marco Magnifico was not able to be present, while the President of the Sicilian Regional Assembly Gaetano Galvagno attended.

As Roberto Albergoni has remarked: “The proclamation of Agrigento as Italian Capital of Culture 2025 commits us to carry out the participatory project approved by the Ministry focusing on art and culture in dialogue with the local communities as well as the international one, which includes university faculty and students with their scholarly contributions on the topical themes of environment, digital communication and new mobility.”

 

 

“It was a great honor and joy to be part of a delegation that worked as a well-integrated team.” Teresa Fiore added. “This project is giving me the chance to ‘return’ to my hometown in a unique way, leveraging my professional experience in cultural and migration studies, while remaining in tune with the very personal emotions that this special opportunity elicits. I look forward to connecting the academic and artistic world of the Tri-State area with Agrigento and its province, as an extension of the work I have done at ����vlog for over a decade in line with the internationalization of its educational and cultural offer.”

Read the full presentation by Teresa Fiore and .

Watch the proclamation of Agrigento (at 30’40”):

Short link: https://tinyurl.com/AG2025

Photo credit: Lynise Olivacce

The workshop didn’t just give students the opportunity to learn how to write lyrics to a beat in Dr. Miele’s and Dr. Antenos’ classes. Amir himself turned into a very relatable teacher of some apparently anachronistic subjects in today’s academia: metric and rhetoric. As he explains, rap is all about quantification of syllables and individuation of rhymes, not to mention apt choices of rhetorical figures. Amir, in his unique blend of tradition and innovation, describes his approach as “raptorical” (rap and rhetoric): students listen and absorb complex structures without consciously realizing it, while they rap stories about themselves, often interlacing Italian, Spanish and English. As Vittoria Iellimo, a student in the Italian Teaching Certification, put it, “I never would have imagined myself writing a rap prior to the workshop: we were using rhyming techniques that helped us expand our vocabulary, or known words to express new emotions. Amir made the experience enjoyable and memorable.”

The concert held in Leshowitz Hall brought together students not just from the Italian program but across different disciplines on campus who are taking Italian Gen Ed and language requirement classes: additionally, a small contingent from Fordham University and Rutgers University joined members of the broader community including HS teachers and local residents, as well as students and faculty from the Cali School of Music. Equipped with lyrics in Italian and English, participants were able to appreciate the content of the songs, while singing along with Amir, who after the second piece had them stand up and forget about their chairs for the rest of the performance.

Photo credit: Lynise Olivacce

Different students had different favorites depending on their specific life experiences. Hana El Halawani, a major in Family Science and Human Development, liked I Am Not An Immigrant: “I related to this song because I am an Arab American Muslim. A lot of people think that just because I wear the hijab I was not born and raised in this country. The line that stayed with me is ‘I am not a terrorist, I am not a refugee.’ I relate because I have been called a terrorist.” Aldana Cerrate Banda, a major in Linguistics, identified with Amir’s statement in Game Over: ‘Like many others, I am a son of the street fighting for redemption, and I don’t want to make do with what I have – my parents already did.’ As she put it: “Growing up in very poor conditions has led me to have big expectations for my future. I had to leave my country in search of opportunities, and I will do everything I can to go further than anybody in my family ever has to achieve success.” 

Amir is also an author: (2017), his personal and artistic autobiography, is a testament to the challenges and imagination of the second generation in Italy (the book will be published in English by San Diego State University Press, edited by Clarissa Clò). Amir’s second book, (2021), looks at rap as a poetic linguistic exercise as well as a shared experience of social impact across borders. For this work as an educator he was interviewed by WMSC, ����vlog’s award-winning radio station led by general manager Anabella Poland (first on the right). Communication and Media Arts major Isaias Ramirez (second from the left) sat down with Amir to talk about his activism, music, and the power of rap. In the last bit of the , Amir rapped a cappella a few lines highlighting his belief in fighting with words rather than guns (see video below):

Once on stage, Amir mingled stories and anecdotes from his life with the performance of his songs. During the Q&A, the audience learned about his trajectory as an Afro-Italian struggling due to his father’s long-term prison conviction when he was a kid and the discrimination he experienced as a child of mixed race – his song La mia pelle/My Skin tells this story in incisive ways in collaboration with Somali-Italian writer Cristina Ali Farah- see English lyrics ).

This story came as a surprise to the students, who are often unaware of contemporary Italy’s racial and cultural diversity. Interestingly, they drew parallels with the experience of Italian Americans in very perceptive ways. Tori Sutera, remarked: “Amir’s story has definitely opened a new perception of Italy to me, especially as someone living in the U.S. with an Italian background. The Italian side of my family has surely faced their share of struggles and discrimination once arriving to America. However, Amir told stories of facing discrimination as an Italian living in Italy.” Students were displaced when they learned about Amir’s active role in the campaign for the reform of the blood-based Italian citizenship law which excludes the children of immigrants born on Italian soil until they turn 18, while it grants citizenship to Italian descendants around the world. Vittoria Iellimo commented: “It is so mind-blowing to know how I could obtain citizenship so easily since I am of Italian descent, while children of immigrants who were born and live in Italy do not have the opportunity to do so.”

Amir Issaa with student Vittoria Iellimo during the workshop (Photo credit: Enrico Rassu)

Journalism and Digital Media student Lynise Olivacce (journalist and photographer atThe Montclarion, pictured below) explored themes linked to the function of rap as therapy in Amir’s work both as a tool for self-expression, denunciation of social ills, and definition of a community of fellow artists across borders (see ). Amir expressed his connection to a whole tradition of U.S. rap, especially the East Coast one, but also articulated his own vision of rap rooted in Italy, with a social purpose, and as an occasion for enriching exchanges.

In fact, a story that stayed with the students is about Amir’s decision to change a word in the lyrics of his classic , his own reading of the mythical capital from the perspective of working-class youth with mixed backgrounds. In line with the rap tradition of using real-life language, he included a term to refer to street walkers that is widely used, but was resented by a group of young feminists that Amir agreed to meet. They explained to him that the word “sex worker” is preferable. Since it was not working in terms of rhythm, Amir thought about dropping this reference altogether. Students were struck by this decision. Child Advocacy and Policy major Emily Chargo noted: “It amazes me that he was so courteous and changed the lyrics not to offend people,” while Francesco Amore, a major in Public and Professional Writing, remarked that “instead of being a follower, accepting what is normal in rap music, Amir came across as a leader really thinking about how to describe women as a rapper.”

Photo credit: Enrico Rassu

Dr. Teresa Fiore (Inserra Chair, pictured above) embraced the program as part of a mini-tour Amir presented in the states of NJ, NY and PA, and designed it so that it would be able to reach students well beyond the specific field of Italian, leveraging the multi-layered meanings of Amir’s raps to address anti-racism and the inclusion of diverse voices. “I have organized almost one hundred programs on campus over the past decade or so” – she remarked – “and hosted the most diverse artists fully committed to their art, but I have rarely seen such sustained dedication in the course of a non-stop marathon of eight hours on campus during which Amir met informally with faculty to plan the program, guided students through the creation of rap lyrics, shared stories with radio hosts and student journalists as part of engaged interviews, and then rapped on stage for over an hour getting the whole audience standing and singing along. It is a testimony to an agenda which is artistic and political at once, and that foregrounds human relationships and lived experiences.”

����vlog had already hosted Amir Issaa as part of an online program organized by Dr. Antenos (2021 Coccia Institute Teaching Symposium titled “Do You Speak Global? Intercultural Communicative Citizenship in the Italian Classroom”) before this past October’s in-person visit: we look forward to having him again for new initiatives in the future! Torna presto, Amir, with your scialla (it means “cool” or “chill” in Italian slang, as a of his recites)!

“I really enjoyed learning about aspects of Italian culture that were completely new to me,” says Dalia of the three-week immersive experience at ����vlog.

Thematic units, including immigration and Italian identity, “Made in Italy” (food and fashion) and sustainability, introduced students to contemporary Italy as well as the profoundly Italian fabric of the New York metropolitan area.

“We’re very lucky because we can bring together the high school experience and the university experience in the most ideal Italian area outside of Italy,” says program director Teresa Fiore, the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies and professor of Italian at Montclair State. “This year, offering the program was a challenge due to COVID, but we were able to do it thanks to the positive response of students, teachers and donors.”

“Since 2017, our aim has been to connect high school and college Italian as we feel that there is often a link missing there,” adds Patti Grunther, the program coordinator and Italian teacher at Watchung Hills Regional High School. “Our students, instead, enter their senior year of high school with a greater sense of confidence, and that is incredibly important when speaking world languages.”

Spending three weeks on a college campus also has its benefits, Grunther adds, pointing out that half of the students lived in the residence halls under the supervision of the course instructor, Tiziana Rinaldi, who coordinated targeted activities for them such as visiting the Yogi Berra Museum. “Students see what kind of academic programs and opportunities are available and they figure out how they can fit in.”

“If it weren’t for this course, I don’t think I would have wanted to study Italian in college,” says Vincent Falcone, a 2019 summer program participant who now attends Montclair State, majoring in Italian.

This was also the experience of Cristina Latino ’21, who attended the first Italian immersion as a high school student from Wallington, New Jersey. Field trips to “must-see” Italian destinations, including the culinary hotspot Eataly in New York City, provided inspiration, she says. “It opened my eyes that I could get a job in an Italian company doing something that I absolutely love.”

Latino parlayed the summer experience into a focus of study at Montclair State and graduated with a double major in Language, Business and Culture (Italian concentration) and Fashion Studies. “It all started in the Italian Intensive Program, and I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I hadn’t attended,” says Latino, who was among the guest speakers this summer, sharing her internship experiences.

Other speakers introduced students to post-war Italian art at the Magazzino museum in Cold Spring, New York; Italian architecture in Montclair; pizza and olive oil making by recent immigrants from Italy; Italian journalism in the U.S., and Sicilian art and literature.

Among the activities planned in and outside the classroom, the cheese tasting at The Greene Grape in Brooklyn stood out because it was led by Emilia D’Albero ’15, now a professional cheesemonger, who only a few years ago as an Italian major at Montclair State took advantage of the opportunities offered by the Italian program from assistantships to internships and scholarships.

The Summer Italian Intensive is offered by the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies and the Italian Program (Department of World Languages and Cultures). Partners include the Early College Program, Summer Sessions and IACE with the generous support of the Inserra family with full scholarships and a contribution from the Italian committee COMITES.

Italian students on a field trip to the Brooklyn gourmet shop, The Greene Grape.

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren

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Project will create repository of materials, oral histories and an advanced course for Hispanic students

Italian Professor Teresa Fiore, the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, World Languages and Cultures, was one of 21 professors nationwide to receive a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Award for Faculty.

On December 16, 2020, the NEH announced a total of $32.8 million in various types of grants, including the faculty awards, that will support, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

In the Awards for Faculty category, 21 grants totalling $987,500 will support advanced research in the humanities by teachers at Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Tribal Colleges and Universities, according to the .

Only about 14 percent of the submissions to the NEH were awarded grants, and only four universities in New Jersey received NEH grants – Montclair State, Princeton, Rutgers and William Paterson University.

“As we conclude an extremely difficult year for our nation and its cultural institutions, it is heartening to see so many excellent projects being undertaken by humanities scholars, researchers, curators and educators,” said NEH Chairman Jon Parrish Peede. “These new NEH grants will foster intellectual inquiry, promote broad engagement with history, literature and other humanities fields, and expand access to cultural collections and resources for all Americans.”

Fiore’s $10,000 award is for a project titled “Memoria Presente: The Common Spanish Legacy in Italian and Latin American Cultures” that was developed in connection with “Italian for Spanish speakers,” a course she has been teaching for three semesters. The project will result in a digital repository of material for cultural comparison in Italian language instruction for Spanish speakers and oral testimonies of Latin@ students whose family history is also linked to Italy.

Work on the project will be conducted during the summer of 2021 with an additional goal of organizing materials from interdisciplinary sources that connect Italy, Spain and Latin America to create an advanced class for Hispanic students so that they can further understand the common past, linguistics and culture of the three areas.

“The success of an NEH grant of this nature is deeply linked to the institution it entrusts,” Fiore added. “Montclair State has the tools to attract many more Hispanic students to classes specifically designed for them, such as the NEH-supported sequence of Italian for Spanish speakers.”

Fiore said resources from the project will also be useful to teachers of existing classes, including K-12 and community college classes, where approaches based on inter-cultural comprehension and translanguaging are identified as the most innovative tools in the teaching of languages and the humanities to respond to diversity on university campuses and enhance inclusivity.

Story by Laura Griffin published in the MSU News Center

VERSIONE ITALIANA

LA PROF.SSA TERESA FIORE RICEVE FONDI DI RICERCA DI RILEVANZA NAZIONALE (NEH)

Il progetto creerà un archivio di materiali, storie orali e un corso avanzato per studenti ispanofoni

La Prof.ssa Teresa Fiore, ordinaria della cattedra Inserra di studi italiani e italoamericani presso la ����vlog (USA), è una dei 21 professori a livello nazionale che hanno ricevuto fondi di ricerca di rilevanza nazionale dall’NEH (), paragonabili ai PRIN del MIUR in Italia.

Nel dicembre del 2020, la NEH ha annunciato un totale di 32,8 milioni di dollari in vari tipi di fondi, compresi i premi a docenti singoli chiamati Awards for Faculty, che sosterranno in totale in 44 stati, nel Distretto della capitale Washington, e a Porto Rico.

Nella categoria Awards for Faculty, 21 borse di studio per un totale di $987.500 sosterranno progetti di ricerca avanzata nelle discipline umanistiche da parte di insegnanti di atenei designati a livello federale come istituzioni a servizio della comunità ispanica, di quella afro-americana e di quella nativo-americana, secondo la .

Solo circa il 14 percento delle candidature alla NEH ha ricevuto fondi federali e, tra queste, quattro università del New Jersey: Montclair State, Princeton, Rutgers e William Paterson University. “Mentre concludiamo un anno estremamente difficile per la nostra nazione e le sue istituzioni culturali, è incoraggiante vedere così tanti progetti di eccellenza condotti da studiosi nelle scienze umanistiche, ricercatori, curatori ed educatori”, ha affermato il presidente dell’NEH Jon Parrish Peede. “Queste nuove forme di sostegno dell’NEH promuoveranno la ricerca intellettuale, abbracciando la storia, la letteratura e altri campi umanistici, ed amplieranno l’accesso a collezioni e risorse culturali per tutti gli americani”.

Il premio di $10.000 ottenuto dalla Prof.ssa Teresa Fiore è per un progetto intitolato “Memoria Presente: The Common Spanish Legacy in Italian and Latin American Cultures” (L’eredità spagnola condivisa dalla cultura italiana e dalle culture latino-americane), che è stato sviluppato in connessione con “Italiano per ispanofoni”, un corso che ha già insegnato  negli ultimi tre semestri. Il progetto si tradurrà in un archivio digitale di materiale per confronti culturali nell’insegnamento della lingua italiana per ispanofoni e testimonianze orali di studenti di origine latinoamericani, la cui storia familiare è anche legata all’Italia.

Il lavoro sul progetto sarà condotto durante l’estate del 2021 con l’obiettivo di organizzare materiali da fonti interdisciplinari che collegano Italia, Spagna e America Latina al fine di creare un corso avanzato per studenti ispanici in modo che possano comprendere più approfonditamente il passato che accomuna linguisticamente e culturalmente le tre aree geografiche.

“Il successo di un progetto sostenuto dell’NEH di questo tipo, è profondamente legato all’istituzione universitaria”, ha aggiunto la Prof.ssa Fiore. “La ����vlog ha gli strumenti per attrarre molti più studenti ispanici versi corsi appositamente pensati per loro, come la sequenza di italiano per ispanofoni adesso supportata dall’NEH”.

La Prof.ssa Fiore ha inoltre specificato che le risorse del progetto saranno utili anche agli insegnanti dei corsi di italiano già esistenti, così come ai corsi di delle scuole dell’obbligo e dei college. Gli approcci basati sulla comprensione interculturale e sulla produzione trans-linguistica sono oggi identificati come i più innovativi nell’insegnamento delle lingue e delle discipline umanistiche, proprio per rispondere alla diversità culturale dei campus universitari e per migliorarne il livello di inclusività.

Story by Laura Griffin published in the MSU News Center

VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL

LA PROF. TERESA FIORE RECIBE FONDOS DE INVESTIGACIÓN DE RELEVANCIA NACIONAL (NEH)

El proyecto creará un archivo de materiales, historias orales y un curso avanzado para estudiantes hispanohablantes.

La profesora Teresa Fiore, titular de la cátedra Inserra de estudios italianos e italoamericanos en ����vlog (EE. UU.) es una de los 21 profesores a nivel nacional que han recibido fondos de investigación de importancia nacional de la NEH ().

En diciembre de 2020, NEH anunció un total de $ 32,8 millones en varios tipos de fondos, incluidos premios individuales para profesores llamados Awards for Faculty, que respaldarán un total de en 44 estados, en el Distrito de la Capital y en Puerto Rico.

En la categoría Premios Awards for Faculty, 21 becas por un total de $ 987,500 apoyarán proyectos de investigación avanzada en humanidades por parte de investigadores de universidades designadas a nivel federal como instituciones que sirven a las comunidades hispana, afroamericana y nativoamericana, según .

Solo alrededor del 14 por ciento de las solicitudes de NEH recibieron fondos federales, incluidas cuatro universidades de Nueva Jersey: ����vlog, Princeton, Rutgers y William Paterson University. “Al concluir un año extremadamente difícil para nuestra nación y sus instituciones culturales, es alentador ver tantos proyectos excelentes dirigidos por académicos, investigadores, curadores y educadores en las humanidades”, dijo el presidente de NEH, Jon Parrish Peede. “Estas nuevas formas de apoyo de NEH promoverán la investigación intelectual, abarcando la historia, la literatura y otros campos humanísticos, y ampliarán el acceso a las colecciones y recursos culturales para todos los estadounidenses”.

El premio de $10,000 otorgado por la Prof. Teresa Fiore es para un proyecto titulado “Memoria Presente: El legado español común en las culturas italianas y latinoamericanas”, que se desarrolló en relación con “Italiano para hispanohablantes”, un curso que ya ha impartido en los últimos tres semestres. El proyecto dará lugar a un archivo digital de material de comparación cultural en la enseñanza de la lengua italiana para hispanohablantes y testimonios orales de estudiantes de origen latinoamericano, cuya historia familiar también está vinculada a Italia.

El trabajo en el proyecto se llevará a cabo durante el verano de 2021 con el objetivo de organizar materiales de fuentes interdisciplinarias que unan Italia, España y América Latina con el fin de crear un curso avanzada para los estudiantes hispanos para que puedan comprender más profundamente el pasado que une las tres áreas geográficas lingüística y culturalmente.

“El éxito de un proyecto de este tipo apoyado por NEH está profundamente vinculado a la institución universitaria”, añadió la Prof. Fiore. “����vlog tiene las herramientas para atraer a muchos más estudiantes hispanos a cursos diseñados específicamente para ellos, como la secuencia de italiano para hispano ahora respaldada por NEH”.

La Prof. Fiore especificó que los recursos del proyecto también serán útiles para los profesores de los cursos de italiano existentes, así como para los cursos de las escuelas obligatorias y de los colegios. Los enfoques basados ​​en la comprensión intercultural y la producción translingüística se identifican hoy como los más innovadores en la enseñanza de idiomas y humanidades, precisamente para dar respuesta a la diversidad cultural de los campus universitarios y mejorar su nivel de inclusividad.

Texto de Laura Griffin publicado en el MSU News Center

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A specific section analyzes the 2011 play Italianesi by Saverio La Ruina, which weaves tales of Italian departures and returns prompted by colonial expansion, international politics, and the lure of Italy, and in the process it productively “confuses” the notion of Italian-ness vis-à-vis an Albanian identity. Overall, the essay illustrates specific pedagogical routes and teaching materials, as well as opportunities and challenges within the classroom, including the yet-unexplored possibility of a pluri-language syllabus for a pluri-cultural student body interested in migrations from/to Italy as a telling example of transnational mobilities at large across time and space.

The essay appears in a volume included in a book series called and in a larger project titled supported by an Arts and Humanities Research Council grant in the UK (2014-2017). The series and the whole project offer an innovative approach to language teaching and learning as part of a transdisciplinary vision.

Choose New Jersey is a privately funded economic development organization, whose mission is to stimulate job creation and attract capital investment to New Jersey. CNJ markets New Jersey both domestically and internationally as the best place to grow one’s business in the United States. In 2019, 17% of Choose New Jersey’s international pipeline were Italian companies.

In the course of Winter and Spring breaks, Cristina Latino worked alongside CNJ’s business development and marketing teams. She assisted in research on taxes, incentives, workforce, and education programs within New Jersey and in its neighboring states. Some of the projects she was involved in included translating a marketing brochure from English to Italian to attract Italian companies to relocate to New Jersey, analyzing data for Requests for Information (RFIs) from international and domestic businesses looking to relocate to New Jersey, and assisting in the preparation of Annual Report metrics.

“Throughout my internship, I was able to collaborate within a professional and dynamic environment while deepening my knowledge of the impact that Italian companies have on the American business sector,” Latino commented. “This internship has given me the ability to learn about the global market in new ways in addition to the importance and relevance of cultural awareness within today’s business world. I am grateful to the Inserra Chair for offering this opportunity within the Italian Program at Montclair State.”

As the CNJ team noted, “This is the third year that Choose New Jersey has participated in this program with Montclair State. The students that we have worked with have brought energy and professionalism to our team. Their Italian language skills are extremely helpful as we market the state of New Jersey to companies in Italy. In particular this year, Cristina’s attention to detail and her commitment to executing projects made her a vital member of the team.”

The regular format of the internship includes a 10-day trip to Italy in the course of the Select USA conference in Italy, which for 2020 would have included meetings in Naples, Rome, Padua, and Milan. But this year, the trip had to be canceled due to COVID19, and Latino’s remaining hours were re-allocated to a safe remote-work experience.

“In the midst of the radical changes that the pandemic is prompting, it is heartening to see that an internship program was brought to conclusion despite the challenges imposed on it in terms of content and experience”. Dr. Teresa Fiore (Inserra Chair) remarked. “We owe this to a solid relationship with the CNJ team, and to the resilience of our student Cristina. Together they have been able to re-design the internship to still make it relevant. This bodes well for the future: Italians are known for their art of adjusting in dire circumstances (arrangiarsi), and we feel that CNJ and MSU have embraced that spirit on this occasion. Better days will bring even better opportunities to strengthen the collaboration between our university and the NJ Italian business eco-system that CNJ fosters with its mission and that the Inserra Endowment supports as part of its vision about .”

Latino stayed on as an intern for the rest of the semester, as a result of this internship. A similar outcome occurred when a sign of how impactful internship programs of this nature can be for Montclair State students who choose to study languages in combination with Business.

Cristina Latino (right) and Talia Antonacci (left) at lunch break with another intern.