Tuesday Assignments (due by start of class)

Dear Group,

As a reminder, here is what's due by Tuesday (check your week 2 schedule handout):

--Readings (all readings are on blog except the MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE reading)

1. EU websites to learn about the EU and Italy's place in the EU
2. "Borders in a Borderless World"
3. "Immigration and Social Identities" (ITALIAN CULTURAL STUDIES)
4. selections from MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE IN CONTEMPORARY ITALY "Intro" 11-27 and "Salvation" 65-75

We'll begin discussion of the readings this week, but will certainly continue discussions throughout the quarter. Take time these first few weeks to ground yourself in the border concepts that emerge from the readings. These concepts will ground you in the work you will do for your group research project and your Rione assignment (more on this Tuesday!).

--Buy a journal this weekend and start writing. Take time to choose the right journal for your needs. It's going to be with you for 10 weeks. Your journal will be a personal tool to write your reflections of the city and to craft the draft for the writing assignments that you will then post on to your blog. You can also use your journal for your reading notes. Other ways to use your journal: you can draw in your journal. You can write down new Italian words you learn as you explore the city.

Make your journal an extension of you for the next 10 weeks.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT #!
Your first writing assignment is due on Thursday. It should be posted to your blog by the start of the class. This first assignment should be around 1-2 pages at least, but feel free to make it as long as you need to in order to get your points across. Use visual imagery, write down the details, avoid generalities, and avoid words that don't pull the reader into your experience. You want the reader to be engaged in what you experienced and this won't happen if you use those dull words like "great", "wonderful", "interesting". Take risks in your writing!

Topic: find borders in Rome and borders you encounter in your wandering. Borders can be physical, psychological,or metaphorical as manifested in language, identity, memory, etc. Engage the city as a "traveler". Don't always go in a group. Often you will find more inspiration alone or with one or two companions.

A few quotes for inspiration:

"Hurrying through Rome is travel from hell. Lost in a fog of general impressions, you have a hard time believing there's more to this city than exhaustion. For beauty happens only in the particular....Travel means finding yourself through a journey, and letting it change you" (SMILES OF ROME page 1).

“ If we really want to know what borders mean to people, then we need to listen to their personal and group narratives… they help us understand the notions of ‘difference’ and ‘other’ in the real daily lives of people, rather than as abstract sociological constructs” (Newman 154).

Also, you can read "Roman Hours" in THE SMILES OF ROME for more inspiration and an example of travel writing (this is on the blog).

Have fun, and let me know if any questions.

Julie