Homepage News and Events – Inserra Chair

NJIHC (New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission) donates $10,000 to Summer Italian Intensive Course for HS students

karnerruehs1 — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 12:01:29 +0000

The Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies and the Italian Program are profoundly grateful to the , in particular to Mr. Robert DiBiase, for the generous donation of $10,000 which will fund scholarships for the 2019 Summer Italian Intensive Course for College Credit.

The summer course, now in its third edition, is an innovative approach to fostering the study of Italian across education systems: HS students are immersed in Italian language and culture for three weeks on a university campus. The result of a dynamic synergy between a HS teacher and two university professors, the course benefits the HS system by taking students to a more advanced level thanks to this pre-AP experience, and it strengthens the university efforts in outreach and retention. Studying a language for many years is an asset for personal success as much as it is for community building. The long and rich history of the Italian presence in NJ (and the Tri-State area at large) has created a large network of schools where Italian is taught: this state investment can only be made more impactful if students continue studying Italian after graduation. The support of a state-wide commission is fundamental in this effort.

The generous donation of $ 10,000 enabled the assignment of several scholarships for the Summer Italian Intensive Course. Scholarships have been granted based on demonstrated financial need (family income related to number of family members, as well as eligibility for meal vouchers in school). They have covered tuition only, or tuition, room and board combined.

Scholarship winners:

Kimberly Briceno (Watchung Hills Regional HS), Christine Tanko (Watchung Hills Regional HS), Varronika Siryon (Elizabeth HS), Chelsea Flores (Elizabeth HS), Jessica Martinez (Elizabeth HS), Nicole Trucios (Bloomfield HS), Carmen Nieto Walle (Lenape HS), Gabriella Rayne Raad (Red Bank Regional HS), Andrew Little (West Orange HS)

“The New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission is constantly in pursuit of our mission to educate and raise the awareness of our culture and positive achievements. The development and implementation of the Summer Italian Intensive Course for College Credit by the Italian Program and Inserra Chair in Italian American Studies at MSU is an example of a perfect project that coincides with our mission and is inspirational in our vision: we commend Teresa Fiore, Patti Grunther and Marisa Trubiano for their untiring efforts to bring this project to fruition. We know that funding is a necessity for young students, so we seek ways to channel donations to programs such as this one,” Robert DiBiase, Chair of NJIHC, commented.

The course has only grown in diversity over the years: next to Anglophones, including a good number of Italian Americans, students of Hispanic, African, and Slavic background have signed up to follow their passion for Italian. Some students, regardless of their ethnic background, state in their applications that summer programs are not an option for their family incomes. This MSU course is committed to economic and cultural diversity in equal ways.

, course coordinator, emphasizes the importance of the donation: “I am thrilled that the NJ Italian Heritage Commission has donated so generously to the Montclair State summer course. The Commission’s support will fund scholarships that allow many deserving students to deepen their knowledge of and passion for Italian language and culture. In addition, this donation will help us build stronger ties within the K-16 system, in particular strengthening the bonds between high schools and universities, connections that open up new directions and opportunities for Italian studies.”

Crossing language and cultural boundaries with agility is both a professional tool in a globalized world and a tool of understanding and peace-making among people with different backgrounds both in the U.S. and in the world.This type of inter-cultural work starts at the state level, and especially in a mixed state like New Jersey, and at the campus level, especially one like MSU’s which is so inclusive. Both are ideal places to develop inter-comprehension initiatives involving several languages.

“We are grateful to the NJIHC for its support of this innovative course, as we collaboratively work to strengthen the presence of Italian in the entire state of New Jersey – from north to south – and beyond. This generous donation, along with all the others from which the students are benefitting this year, are a testament to the community’s commitment to preserving and promoting one of the many languages that makes New Jersey, one of the most linguistically diverse,” , Associate Professor of Italian and co-developer at ��vlog, also expresses her gratitude towards the NJIHC.

Teresa Fiore, Associate Professor and Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, remarks: “I am profoundly grateful to the New Jersey Heritage Commission, in particular to Mr. Robert DiBiase with whom over the years I have conducted a very interesting and productive conversation about teaching and learning Italian in New Jersey, both in the High School and the University systems through a bridge program such as the Summer Italian Intensive Course for College Credit. This partnership reflects the overlapping of the mission of the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies/Italian Program at ��vlog and the New Jersey Heritage Commission for the promotion of Italian language and culture in our area. We look forward to more collaborations.”

Fundraising efforts for these initiatives are developed in contact with the MSU Foundation.

Dr. Fiore Awarded Edinburgh Gadda Prize for her book Pre-Occupied Spaces

karnerruehs1 — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 10:38:30 +0000

In May 2019 Teresa Fiore’s book was assigned the

Granted by the University of Edinburgh, the Edinburgh Gadda Prize provides an international platform to recognise scholarly brilliance in Contemporary Italian Studies. One hundred forty-seven scholars have entered the Prize this year. Fiore’s book was selected among 93 monographs in the Established Scholars category.

Scholars in this category among which Fiore’s book was selected the Runner Up Winner included Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Fabio Camilletti, Teresa Fiore, Gaia Giuliani, Patrizia Guarnieri and Giuliana Minghelli. Jurers have worked on the Submission for three months, casting three electronic votes in order to arrive at a Longlist (51), Shortlist (20) and Winners (6) which the latter being accounced on May 21, 2019.

The Award Ceremony took place at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on Wednesday 26 June.

The prize was bestowed on the recipients by Pulitzer prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri, the keynote speaker for the night.

Teresa Fiore, Tony Crolla (sponsor of Gadda Prize) and Federica Pedriali (Professor of Modern Italian Studies)

The book had previously received an , was nominated for the 2018 Bridge Book Award and had been awarded the in the 20th-21st centuries category.

2019 Cali Grant Assigned to Dr. Fiore and Post-BA student Ken Browne

karnerruehs1 — Fri, 12 Apr 2019 21:27:22 +0000

For a second year in a row a summer research grant made possible by the Angelo and Marie Cali Fund for Italian Studies has been assigned to a project led by Dr. Fiore (Inserra Endowed Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies) with the assistance of Kenneth Browne (post-BA student in the Italian Teaching Certificate program and the University’s Adult Learning Program). Entitled “Food, Hunger, Migration and the American Myth in Sicily at the Time of the WWII Allied Landing,” the project relies on video-interviews with senior Sicilian citizens who have direct memories of that historical moment, and investigates through them food practices, military operations, and human mobility in Sicily before and after 1943 (the year the Allied forces landed in Licata and Gela, the latter being portrayed below).

Funds will be used to edit the material collected so far (roughly 15 interviews) and create a pilot video. Additionally, they will support the presentation of the first paper about the project to be given on July 5, 2019 at the conference “” at the School of Advanced Studies, University of London, U.K. The paper includes the analysis of literary works and local historical reports as well. Matching funds for the project continue to be provided by the Inserra Chair Endowment.

For more information, see Food, Hunger, Migration and the American Myth in Sicily at the Time of the WWII Allied Landing. See also .

Photo taken in Licata in Summer 2018 features Massimo Ingiaimo, Ken Browne, Teresa Fiore, Arturo Cambiano with his niece, Carmela Zangara and Mr. Lauria, the pharmacist (from left).

Theater and Music from Mediterranean Italy

eideg — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 14:51:33 +0000

Italian theater and music was highlighted at ��vlog in February as two renowned Italian artistic groups – the award-winning Teatro delle Albe and the acclaimed musical duo, the Mancuso brothers – brought their artistry to campus. Sponsored by a collaboration of cultural organizations and the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies at ��vlog, the events included a play, a theater workshop and a music workshop.

The centerpiece of the programming was Teatro delle Albe’s powerful play, Rumore di Acque (Noise in the Waters), which addresses the perils of asylum seekers and economic migrants attempting to reach Europe from North Africa by way of the Mediterranean Sea. The moving performance was followed by a Q&A session with the playwright and director, Marco Martinelli.

Musician brothers, Enzo and Lorenzo Mancuso, known as Fratelli Mancuso, brought their unique sound to Leshowitz Hall for a concert/workshop entitled, “Sicilian Music Revisited.” The Mancusos sang some of the highlights of their repertoire, which consists of an eclectic mix of sacred music, lullabies, and songs of protest. They also invited select participants to join them on stage to sing the love song, “Nesci, Maria.”

Teatro delle Albe co-founders, Marco Martinelli and Ermanna Montanari, ran the theater workshop that was attended by students of the Department of Theatre and Dance as well as select high school students of Italian who were invited to visit the campus. Conducted entirely in Italian, the workshop included work in movement, breathing and singing.

“Spanning both large and intimate settings, these visiting artists from Italy provided the Montclair State community with opportunities to learn, to be challenged and perhaps most importantly, to be part of a warm community that cherishes intellectual pursuits in the humanities and beyond,” says Teresa Fiore, associate professor and Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies. “I am profoundly grateful to the Inserra Endowment for what it allows us to bring to our campus.”

Video by Stefani Gore.