Newsletter Summer-Fall 20042

AATI Officers and Executive Council 2004Officers—AATIPresident:Pier Raimondo Baldini

Department of Languages and LiteraturesArizona State UniversityTempe, AZ 85287-0202Tel. (480) 965-7783Fax (480) 965-0135e-mail: pbaldini@asu.edu

Vice President:Paolo Giordano

Foreign Languages and LiteraturesUniversity of Central Florida4000 Central Florida Blvd.P. O. Box 161348Orlando, FL 32816Tel: (773) 508 2855email: pgiordan@mail.ecf.edu

Secretary:Tullio Pagano

Department of French and ItalianDickinson CollegeCarlisle, PA 17013Tel. (717) 245-1274; 245-1819Fax (717) 245-1456e-mail: paganot@dickinson.edu

Treasurer:Maria Rosaria Vitti-Alexander

Nazareth College of Rochester4245 East AvenueRochester, NY 14618-3790Tel. (585) 389-2688Fax (585) 586-2452e-mail: mrvittia@naz.edu

Past President:Christopher Kleinhenz

Department of French and ItalianUniversity of Wisconsin618 Van Hise Hall1220 Linden DriveMadison, WI 53706Tel. (608) 262-3941 (o) (608) 257-0515 (h)Fax (608) 265-3892e-mail: ckleinhe@wisc.edu

New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)Bruna Petrarca Boyle

Narragansett High School245 South Pier RoadNarragansett, RI 02882Tel. (401) 792-9400 (o) (401) 738-8457 (h)e-mail: tennisadict@aol.com

CaliforniaIrene Marchegiani Jones

303 Mountain Ridge Dr.Mt. Sinai, NY 11766e-mail: imarchjn@fea.net

New York StateLucrezia Lindia

Department of Foreign LanguagesEastchester Middle/High School580 White Plains RoadEastchester, NY 10707Tel. (914) 793-6130 (o) (203) 869-1314 (h)e-mail: Iglindia@hotmail.com

Giuseppe FaustiniDepartment of Foreign Languages and LiteraturesSkidmore CollegeSaratoga Springs, NY 12866-1632e-mail: gfaustini@skidmore.edu

Mid-Atlantic (NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC)Laura Salsini

Department of Foreign Languages and LiteraturesUniversity of DelawareNewark, DE 19716Tel. (310) 831-2749e-mail: lsalsini@udel.edu

Southeast-Southern (NC, SC, VA,WV, KY, TN, AL, FL, GA, LA, AR, MS,PR)Mark Pietralunga

Department of Modern Languages and LinguisticsFlorida State UniversityTallahassee, FL 32306-1020e-mail: mpietral@mailer.fsu.edu

Midwest (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI, MN, IA)Luciano Farina

Department of French and ItalianOhio State University248 Cunz Hall1841 Millikin RoadColumbus, OH 43210e-mail: Farina.1@osu.edu

Plains-Southwest (KS, MO, AZ, NE,ND, SD, NM, OK, TX)Fabian Alfie

Department of French and ItalianP. O. Box 210067University of ArizonaTucson, AZ 85721Tel. (520) 621-3659 (o) (520) 325-7852 (h)Fax (520) 626-8022e-mail: alfie@u.arizona.edu

Rocky Mountains-Far West(CO, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY, AK, HI, OR,WA)Valerio Ferme

Department of French and ItalianCampus Box 238University of ColoradoBoulder, CO 80309Tel. (303) 492-7870 (o) (303) 233-1760 (h)e-mail: ferme@spot.colorado.edu

CanadaSalvatore Bancheri

Department of Italian StudiesErindale CollegeUniversity of TorontoMississauga, OntarioL5L1C6 CanadaTel. (905) 858-5997 (h)e-mail: sbancher@credito.erin.utoronto.ca

ItalyGianclaudio Macchiarella

Università di Venezia Ca’ FoscariDipartimento di Studi EurasiaticiCa’ Cappello-San Polo 203530125 Venezia, ItalyTel. +39 (041) 27-78-550 (h) +39 (041) 23-48-823 (o)Fax +39 (041) 52-41-847e-mail: macchiar@unive.it

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERSAndrea Ciccarelli, Editor, Italica

Department of French and ItalianIndiana UniversityBallentine 642Blomington, IN 47405Tel. (812) 855-6029Fax: (812) 855-8877e-mail: aciccare@indiana.edu

Elissa Tognozzi, EditorAATI NewsletterDepartment of Italian, UCLA212 Royce HallLos Angeles, CA 90095-1535Tel. (310) 794-8910Fax (310) 825-9754e-mail: tognozzi@humnet.ucla.edu

3Newsletter Summer-Fall 2004

NATIONAL SUMMER INSTITUTE JULY 2004Great success reported by Summer Institute

held in Washington DC this summer!

The 2004 National Summer Institute “TheArt of Teaching Italian through ItalianArt.” was funded by a grant in the amountof $134,950 from the NationalEndowment for the Humanities (NEH),Division of Education Programs to theItalian Cultural Society of Washington,D.C.., a non profit cultural organization.

The first of its kind, and primarily directedto full-time teachers of Italian inelementary and secondary schools, bothpublic and private (K-12), this excitingInstitute was held in our nation’s capitalon the campus of Georgetown University,over a four-week period: July 5 to July30, 2004.

The primary purpose of the Institute wasthat of providing 25 teachers of Italiancoming from different states of the Union,with innovative tools and techniques onhow to teach Italian language and culturethrough the use of a content-basedapproach. The content chosen for thisInstitute was Italian art and the principalItalian artists whose outstanding workscan be found in the museums andmonuments of our capital.

Prof. Andreina Sgaglione and Prof.Maurizio Trifone, Senior linguists fromthe Italian “Università per Stranieri” ofSiena and Prof. Lidia Costamagna, fromthe “Università per Stranieri” of Perugia,lectured on how to prepare lessons usingart in the teaching of Italian as a secondlanguage as well as discussed newmethodologies and specific structures inthe language and recent changes in Italian.The participants were instructed andguided also by Prof. Rose de Benedetti, ascholar expert in the use of art in teachinga foreign language.

The Institute offered the participants theopportunity to interact with local arthistorians such as Prof. Angela Puglisi,Prof. Elizabeth Dunn and Prof. MarinaGalvani, specialists in various aspects ofItalian art, and received first-hand

accounts by Prof. Barbara Wolanin andProf. Marjorie Hunt on the contributionmade by Italian artists, such as Brumidi,and stone carvers, to the nation’s capital.Local artisans expert in mosaic, fresco andceramic demonstrated practicalapplications of their skills and guided theteachers in the production of individualworks.

Because of its intensive nature, the four-week Institute met five times per weekfrom 9 to 5, and in addition to lectures andconferences included on-site visits toimportant monuments and museums in theWashington area as well as workshops onart and handicraft’s techniques.

As the host institution, GeorgetownUniversity issued to all participants anofficial university ID, which allowed useof its bus transportation and a number ofon-campus facilities, including Libraries,Gym, Swimming Pool, and Tennis Courts.Through the Georgetown UniversitySchool of Summer and ContinuingEducation (GUSSCE) 14 interestedparticipants had also the opportunity toregister and receive six graduate creditseach for the course.

All participants received a $2,800 stipend,to help cover travel and living expenses.

At the conclusion of the Institute allteachers presented and shared variouslessons plans they prepared on theteaching of Italian using Italian art. Theywere encouraged to keep in touch witheach other, with the scholars, the artists,and with the directors, and to share theirexperiences in a critical and constructiveway. To the furtherance of this importantobjective a web-site was constructed andwill be maintained courtesy of the ItalianCultural Society of Washington DC.Many texts and relevant materials andhandouts were distributed to all theteachers.

Upon satisfactory attendance andcompletion of all course work,participants received an official certificateof “Institute Successful Completion”offered jointly by the Italian CulturalSociety of Washington, D.C.., Inc. andGeorgetown University School forSummer and Continuing Education.

The Institute was directed by:Prof. Roberto Severino, GeorgetownUniversity Italian DepartmentProject Director

Dr. Maria Wilmeth, Director, ILP, ItalianCultural Society of WashingtonProject Co-Director

Dott.ssa Graziana Morini, DirettoreUfficio Scolastico, Embassy of ItalyProject Co-Director

For more specific information go to ourWeb site: www.italiancultualsocietyor contact: Dr. Maria Wilmeth at:Wilmeth@italianlanguageprogram.org4848 Battery Lane - Suite 100Bethesda, MD 20814Tel.: (301) 215 - 7885Fax: (301) 215 – 5998

AATI Long IslandJosephine A. Maietta, recipient of theNIAF teacher of the year award for 2003,is now AATI president for the Long IslandChapter. Her latest project is thecoordination of a group to participate inthe Columbus Parade in New York City onMonday, October 11 to promote APItalian. She has designed a 12 foot longbanner promoting AATI for AP Italian!They will distribute Italian flags andinformational flyers along Fifth Avenue.The flyers are entitled: “Why StudyItalian? The participants will include afolk group from Italy, teachers, parents,students and all others interested.

Newsletter Summer-Fall 20044

Conferences

Program schedules for both the AATIconference in Tempe, Arizona and AATIwith ACTFL conference in Chicago,Illinois, can be found on the AATIwebsite:http://www.aati-online.org

Reception at ACTFL

A reception will be hosted by YaleUniversity Press for their Conversationswith Native Speakers series, whichincludes Italia Contemporanea. Thematerials in the series consist of avideotape of interviews with nativespeakers on a wide range of topics and aworkbook that includes verbatimtranscripts of the interviews, culture andvocabulary notes, and exercises for thestudents. In addition to Italian, the seriesincludes French and Spanish (bothavailable this fall), Japanese (2005), andArabic (2006). The author of ItaliaContemporanea is AATI memberProfessor Ceil Lucas and she is also thegeneral editor for the series.

The reception will be held on Saturday,November 20, from 4-6 pm, in Room 4Kof the Chicago Hilton. The materials willbe demonstrated in a short presentation.

Hortulus AnnouncesKalamazoo Session:

“The Comparative MiddleAges”

Hortulus seeks abstracts for 20-minutepapers from graduate students andprofessors to be delivered at the 40thInternational Congress on MedievalStudies at Western Michigan Universityfrom May 5-8, 2005. Hortulus aims to create a venue forscholarly conversation and inter-disciplinary exchange among graduatestudents of medieval studies. In order tobring graduate student medievalists intoconversation with one another andpromote conviviality, we will sponsor asession on “The Comparative Middle

Ages” for the 40th International Congresson Medieval Studies.

In keeping with recent scholarlydiscussions regarding comparative,interdisciplinary, or multidisciplinaryapproaches to scholarship, graduateeducation, and pedagogy, we seek papersdealing with the Middle Ages from acomparative stance and especially invitepapers that present new approaches orperspectives to medieval studies thatinteract with and elaborate on themultivalent cultural production of theMiddle Ages. Papers in this session might examineissues of (re-)territorialization ofdisciplinary boundaries, communicationof theories and methodologies,(developing) pedagogy in MedievalStudies, or simply the elucidation ofmaterial from one field through evidencein other fields. Please address inquiries and abstracts byOctober 14, 2004 to: Editor (Kalamazoo@hortulus.net)or to Jay Paul Gates517 S. Randall Ave.Madison, WI 53715(608) 663-0807jaypaulgates@yahoo.com

Fulbright Opportunity

The Fulbright Teacher and AdministratorExchange is currently seeking applicationsfor the Contemporary Italy Seminar.

In July 2005 grantees will travel to Venice,Italy for four weeks of intensive languagestudy held at the University of Venice “Ca’Foscari.” The seminar will include:·Introductory cultural orientation to Italy;·Language instruction including practicalexercises provided by professors of Italianat the University of Venice;·Guidance in developing curriculumprojects;·Visits to historical monuments andmuseums in or near Venice.

Interested candidates must be U.S.Citizens with the following criteria:1. full-time high school teachers of Italianlanguage;2. fluent in Italian;3. at least 3 years of full-time experienceby the time of departure for the seminar;4. little recent or limited experience inItaly.

Preference will be given to candidateswho teach in schools that plan onparticipating in the Advanced PlacementProgram for Italian language (pleaseindicate your school’s plans in yourapplication essay).

The Fulbright grant covers tuition andteaching materials; international travel;travel and accommodation for a one-dayorientation; room and board in Venice;guided tours. Participants are advised tobring additional funds for personalexpenses. Dependents are not allowed.

Applications are available atwww.fulbrightexchanges.org or by calling800.726.0479. Deadline for submissionis October 15, 2004.

For more information please contact RutaChagnon, at (202) 619-4565,ChagnonRX@state.gov.

FATIFlorida Association of

Teachers of ItalianBy Maria Grante Roos, President-Elect

Siamo giunti alla conclusione del nostroprimo anno di attività della FATI che havisto non solo la creazione e lo sviluppodi questa nuovissima organizzazione diinsegnanti di italiano qui in Florida, maanche il debutto di un concorso statale perstudenti di italiano intitolato Chissá chilo sa? e di un Book Club in italiano Ilsalotto del libro aperto a tutti coloro chesiano interessati a discutere di lavori dellaletteratura italiana in italiano.Informazioni più dettagliate al riguardopossono essere reperite nel nostro sitoweb www.fatifla.org.

5Newsletter Summer-Fall 2004

PUBLICATIONS

Hortulus Premiere Issue

Hortulus, a new online journal of medievalstudies published by graduate students,invites submissions for its premiere issue,to be published in January 2005. We seek the very best of graduate-studentwriting on all aspects of medieval studiesand aim to bring graduate medievalistsinto conversation with one another and thefield as a whole. The journal will alsofeature an extensive offering of resourceslike moderated message boards, calls forpapers, book reviews, and lighter fare likeinterviews and reviews of medieval-themed films.

See http://www.hortulus.net forsubmission guidelines and further details.All students currently pursuing graduatework in medieval studies or allieddisciplines are eligible to submit papersfor publication, as are alumni/ae ofmaster’s and doctoral programs withinone year of their graduation. Those whohold doctoral degrees are eligible only ifnot currently employed as professors.

Papers are due no later than October 14,2004. Authors should expect to receivefeedback within eight weeks. We welcome all questions and enquiriesat publicrelations2@hortulus.net

Le «muse bendate»: lapoesia del Novecentocontro la modernità

by Roberto Pasanisi Ci sia permesso questo avvicinamento tral’Umanesimo enciclopedico di RobertoPasanisi e quello di Mircea Eliade, cheabbiamo eletto per rappresentare quiquesta nozione ideale di un’esperienzaapparentemente irrealizzabile. In effetti,il nostro amico Pasanisi illustra in manieraconvincente la nozione di sapienza (chenoi gli troviamo a furia di leggere la suaopera già impressionante...) definita daProust il più chiaramente possibile.Dubitiamo che Proust abbia avutopresente anche un senso figurato, ma perquanto riguarda Roberto Pasanisiriteniamo che nessuno più di lui potrebbefare questo percorso, questo grandeperiplo attraverso la cultura del mondo, apartire dall’antichità greco-romana allapoesia di questa fin de siècle. Un veroexcursus, per non dire incursione, neglistrati quasi primordiali, nel fondamentodel pensiero umano: che non gli impediscein alcun modo di giungere agevolmentealle vette della sapienza di tutti i tempi,impossibili per la maggior parte di noi. Inprimo luogo, vi diciamo che l’operadell’autore in questione, almeno i suoipoemi e i suoi saggi, è vista qui, nel Suddell’Europa centrale, come un’operasolida, di valore sicuro, portatrice di unmessaggio chiaro, che arricchisce, di cuibisognerà tenere conto nell’evoluzioneulteriore di questi generi. [...] Dobbiamoammettere che la quotazione di quelleriviste è aumentata dall’oggi al domani,dopo la pubblicazione di questi saggi. Laserietà, la documentazione di unastupefacente vasta estensione, cosapiuttosto rara ai giorni nostri, la novitàdelle idee avanzate, l’audacia stessa ditaluni saggi inclusi in questo volume (laquale talvolta rasenta la cancellazione ditabu, vicino ad una iconoclastia nel sensopositivo della parola) fanno sì che ilvolume si legga come una meta-narrazione ad alto livello, d’un’eleganzaespressiva e d’una chiarità / concisioned’idee che lo rendono indispensabile adogni ricercatore o, semplicemente,

amatore di poesia o lettore di una criticasolidamente ancorata nel mondo deivalori. Eccoci dunque davanti ad un’operacomplessa, di grande finezza esegetica,segnata dalla capacità dell’autore diaffrontare con evidente competenza eduna deliziosa compiutezza filologica igrandi temi del patrimonio culturaleuniversale, non soltanto italiano [...].Diciamo piuttosto che l’autore è un veroenciclopedista moderno, viste le suemolteplici preoccupazioni, al punto chesi potrebbe addurre che la suainterdisciplinarità è pluridisciplinare(sic!). Lo sguardo del saggista si volgeverso la condizione umana e, allo stessotempo, verso la sua complessità eprofondità, proponendo il ritorno ai valorifondamentali dell’umanità, che solo l’artee la letteratura (grazie soprattutto allapoesia...) sono all’altezza di illustrare econservare, ovvero trasmettere allegenerazioni a venire. Perfino ad avvertirle,talvolta... Giacché i testi mettono a nudola decadenza etica e spirituale della vitaquotidiana, anche quella della culturaoccidentale considerata nel suo insieme.Noi, il lettore di questi saggi, abbiamoseguito da vicino quello sguardo, a voltesinuoso, a volte labirintico, e ciò cheabbiamo scoperto per caso dalle nostreletture ci spinge a proporvi questoeccellente volume, non fosse altro che perincitarvi a riflettere e sull’epoca in cuiviviamo, e su quella in cui ci condurrà ilnuovo millennio. Fatene dunque, finchéc’è tempo, il vostro pane, e ne farete allafine le vostre delizie: che non è affattomale per un libro di saggi.

Announcing a new Italian reader writtenin dialogue recounting month-longadventures of two students studyingItalian in Perugia, Italy. Includes exercisesfor comprehension, grammar, conversa-tion, writing and vocabulary. There are10 chapters, 112-pages, soft cover withillustrations.TITLE: Jean e Roscoe vanno a PerugiaISBN #: 0972356215PUBLISHER: Edizioni FarinelliPRICE: $19.95 + shipping/handling

New Italian ReaderHortulus

Hortulus is a new, electronic journal ofmedieval studies, founded and publishedby graduate students representing somefifteen institutions including the journal’shost, Rutgers University. As we movetoward our premiere issue in January2005, we hope that you will be kindenough to forward updates such as this tointerested students and/or colleagues. Formore information about the journal andits editorial staff, please consulthttp://www.hortulus.net.

Newsletter Summer-Fall 20046

Consorzio di 22 Università italiane (leUniversità di Bari, Cassino, Catania,Firenze, Genova, Milano Statale, Padova,Parma, Pavia, Perugia per Stranieri, Pisa,Roma “La Sapienza”, Roma “TorVergata”, Roma Tre, Salerno, Siena perStranieri, Teramo, Torino, Trento,Venezia, la Libera Università di Lingue eComunicazione IULM di Milano,l’Università degli Studi di Napoli“L’Orientale”), la Scuola Superiore diStudi Universitari e di PerfezionamentoS.Anna di Pisa e il Consorzio Net.t.uno.che ha lo scopo di promuovere ediffondere, per via telematica, la lingua ela cultura italiana nel mondo.

Attraverso il sito www.italicon.it, ICoNmette a disposizione varie risorse culturalie didattiche per lo studio della lingua ecultura italiana: una biblioteca digitalecontenente tutti i principali classici dellaletteratura italiana liberamente scaricabili,un archivio di immagini di opere d’arte,corsi di lingua italiana di vari livellirealizzati da specialisti delle Universitàper stranieri, corsi di italiano scrittoprofessionale per aziende e per banche persostenere l’uso dell’italiano come linguadelle relazioni economiche internazionali,una sezione di news contenente attualitàculturale dall’Italia. Ciò che caratterizzaICoN in quanto consorzio di universita’e’ un vero e proprio Corso di laurea inLingua e cultura italiana, riservato astudenti residenti all’estero e interamenteerogato attraverso Internet. Una iniziativadi e-learning che rilascia una laureaitaliana ufficialmente riconosciuta,rilasciata congiuntamente da tutte leuniversità del Consorzio, articolata inquattro curricula: didattico-linguistico,letterario, arti-musica-spettacolo, storia:Attualmente sono pubblicati nel sito oltre320 corsi di Letteratura, Linguistica,Storia, Geografia, Storia dell’arte, dellaMusica, dello Spettacolo, Filosofia eStoria della Scienza, Antichistica, ecc.,tutti dotati di esercizi interattivi, per untotale di circa 100.000 pagine. Ulterioriinformazioni al sito www.italicon.it

ICoN Italian Culture on the NetFino al 25 settembre 2004 sono aperte leiscrizioni al Corso di laurea in Lingua ecultura italiana.

Tutti questi contenuti sono a disposizionenon solo degli studenti iscritti, ma di tuttele strutture che insegnano l’italianoall’estero o sono comunque interessatealla cultura italiana, perche’ possanoutilizzarli nell’ambito della loro propriadidattica. Per ulteriori informazioni:abbonamenti@italicon.it

In collaborazione con la Niaf NationalItalian American Foundation, ICoN offreun pacchetto completo di quattro corsi online di lingua italiana di vario livello: ForSpeakers of English, per principianti,intermedio, avanzato: 480 ore di lezionein autoapprendimento o con tutorato surichiesta per imparare la lingua italiana omigliorarne la conoscenza.Per ulteriori informazioni:http://www.italicon.it/(corsi/offertaniaf)

Laura De RenzisResponsabile Relazioni Esterne ICoNItalian Culture on the Nethttp://www.italicon.itvia S. Maria, 36 - 56126 Pisa - Italiaderenzis@italicon.itTel. +39 050 221 26 91FAX:+39 050 221 26 97

An Italian RenaissanceSextet

Six Tales in Historical Contextby Lauro Martines

Translations by Murtha Baca

Since the approach to history by way offiction cannot involve historical analysisof a conventional sort, the reader of theessays should expect no measuredmovement through time, no reliance onchronologies or on major events asguideposts. Instead, the analysis willtouch upon marriage, ritual, age, gender,sexuality, love, family, ideals, clericalmisconduct, personal social identities,small groups, links between town andcountry, and the invasiveness of the publicface of neighbourhood and urban space.Professional historians will recognize thatthe foregoing themes belong to the mostsearching and novel historical work of thepast twenty years: scholarship with acombined demographic, anthropological,and cultural slant. An Italian RenaissanceSextet can thus claim to be an introductionto current historical practice.

AATI ListserveIf you are not receiving AATI emails fromPiero Baldini it means that your name isnot on the electronic listserve. If youwould like to be on this list, please sendyour email address to him at:pbaldini@asu.edu.

The Lorenzo da Ponte Italian LibraryUniversity of Toronto Press, 2004

7Newsletter Summer-Fall 2004

“Arrivederci” means goodbye in Italianand the expression could be heard oftenin some Mississippi classrooms in acouple of years.

Leaders with the Italian governmentbegan talks this week with Mississippiofficials to discuss teaching Italian in thestate’s public schools.

At a Capitol news conference on Friday,the Hon. Gianfranco Colognato, theconsul general of Italy, who is based inMiami, said he hopes Mississippi can joinstates like Florida that offer Italian. Hesays his government is interested inhelping supply the dollars to get a pilotprogram started. For thousands ofAmerican children, “knowing a secondlanguage is of very keen importance —they improve themselves,’’ Colognatosaid. “It gives the kids the possibility toopen their minds to a different culture.’’

The Italian Ministry of Educationprovides grants to establish Italianeducation programs in U.S. schools. Apilot program that began a little more thana year ago in Florida has enrolled 4,000students, he said. “It’s incredible how easyit is for kids to learn languages.”Colognato said he could not say howmuch money his government would beable to supply until officials know howmany Mississippi schools would beinterested in signing up for a pilotprogram. Money would be spent tosupport training courses for teachers,among other things.

While money will be tight again at theCapitol in 2005, Rep. Lee Jarrell Davisof Hattiesburg said he will see if theLegislature can find some funds to get theprogram off the ground. He said he’schecking with Petal, Lamar County andHattiesburg public schools to gauge theirinterest. Colognato met Friday with Gov.Haley Barbour, Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck andkey lawmakers after discussions Thursday

Italian Pushed forMississippi ClassroomsBy Andy Kanengiser, Clarion-Ledger

with members of the state Board ofEducation.

Mississippi public schools already teachabout a half dozen languages, includingFrench, Spanish, Japanese and German.Davis said it would make sense to teachItalian, too, because Italy is one ofAmerica’s allies and the world’s fifth-leading economy.

”We’re always interested in expanding ourcourse offerings,” said Jackson CountySchools Superintendent Rucks Robinson.But he said there’s a perennial shortageof foreign language, math and scienceteachers now and money is inadequate forkey education programs. If the state’sschools are fully funded next year,Robinson said he would consider Italianclasses. But it would take new money topay for it, he said.

Hattiesburg businessman David M. Gratta,who has cousins living in Italy, pointedout that schools such as the University ofSouthern Mississippi and the Universityof Mississippi teach Italian, but they don’toffer a major in it. He sees interest inMississippi, though, since census reportsshowing there are now 40,000 people ofItalian descent living in the MagnoliaState.

John Jordan, an assistant superintendentwith the Department of Education, saidofficials will now try to identify schoolsinterested and help expand horizons forstudents.

Errata corrigeThe 2003 AATI College Essay ContestThird Prize Winner, William Stoecker, isa student at Yale University (not theUniversity of Missouri, as previouslyidentified).

star — your destiny — to reach a“glorious haven.”

Kleinhenz’s star clearly pointed tomedieval Italian literature and culture.Universally described as a teacher whocan hold learners’ attention, he uses aninterdisciplinary pedagogical techniqueto catch and hold interest.

“I have a particular interest in therelationship between literature and art.My participation in study-abroadprograms, and Wisconsin AlumniAssociation tours in Italy and elsewhere,has allowed me to develop on-siteteaching strategies that rely not only onthe reading of literary works but also ondirect observation of their historical andmaterial contexts,” he says.

Kleinhenz believes strongly thatprofessional involvement enhances histeaching. As president of the AmericanAssociation of Teachers of Italian, he leda successful campaign to create anadvanced placement course in Italian forthe nation’s high schools. He also workedto provide continuing educationopportunities for teachers of Italian inNorth America. Since 2000 he has beenan active member of WisItalia, a nonprofitorganization that promotes the study ofall things Italian in this state.

Campus Honors Facultyfor

Excellence in Teaching

By Barbara Wolff

AATI’s past president ProfessorChristopher Kleinhenz was recipient of the2004 Chancellor’s award for excellence inteaching at the University of Wisconsin,Madison. Poet Dante Alighieri, one ofKleinhenz’s scholarly specialties, advisedin “The Divine Comedy” to follow your