Conference Banquet at The Blackwell Hotel
Saturday April 22, 7:30-10:00
Drinks and appetizers hour followed by sit down dinner
(salad, choice of main course, dessert, wine, coffee)
Special Events:
Thursday, April 20th:
FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING WORKSHOP SERIES (APRIL 21, 22, and 23 at 1:00pm)
“Active Learning and Cognitive Engagement from Input to Output,” Janice M. Aski, Ohio State University, April 20, 1:00
“Blended Learning Environments: Design, Implementation, and Teacher Preparation,” Chiara Fabbian, University of Illinois, Chicago, April 21, 1:00pm
“Task-based Language Teaching as a Scaffold for Authentic Student Interaction,” Tom Means, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY, April 22, 1:00pm
OPENING RECEPTION
The Faculty Club, The Ohio State University, 6:15-7:45 (Co-Sponsored by The Italian Cultural Institute, Chicago)
Friday, April 21st:
MARIO BADAGLIACCA, PHOTOGRAPHY INSTALLATION AND CONVERATION WITH PHOTOGRAPHER, (http://www.mariobadagliacca.com)
9:00-10:00 (PLACE): Mario Badagliacca in Conversation with Valerio Ferme, University of Colorado at Boulder
Photography Installation “Italy is Out”, Hopkins Hall Gallery, 11:00am-5:00pm. The research is part of the AHRC-funded project “Transnationalizing Modern Languages: Mobility Identity and Translation in Modern Italian Cultures” involving researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Cardiff, Queen Margaret, St Andrews, and Warwick.
TOUR OF ITALIAN COMICS, THE BILLY IRELAND CARTOON MUSEUM AND LIBRARY
April 21, 10:15-11:45: Simone Castaldi, Hofstra University; two 45-minute tours; space limited, registration required
“Not just for kids anymore: The roots of the Italian Underground Comics and their North American counterparts.” This presentation aims to reassess the phenomenon of the Italian Underground comics — that is, comics targeted at a more adult readership and often dealing with political and social issues — by analyzing these works’ connection to their American counterparts. Those attending this guided tour at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum will have the opportunity to examine rare publications and original art by some of the most important underground artists of the late sixties and seventies.
There will be two tours total, each of which will last 45-minutes
*There are still spaces available for both tours. One will take place from 10:15-11:00 and the other from 11:00-11:45. You can sign-up for a tour at the Conference during registration.
SCREENING/AUDIENCE DISCUSSION, SPONSORED BY THE QUEER STUDIES CAUCUS
On the Other Side of the Mirror (Cecilia Grasso, 2015) focuses on the stories and experiences of a group of drag kings in Italy. The screening will be followed by an audience discussion. 1:00-2:30, Wexner Center Film/Video Theater
SCREENING AND DISCUSSION WITH THE DIRECTOR
Blaxploitalian: 100 Years of Blackness in Italian Cinema (Fred Kuwornu, 2016) is a documentary that uncovers the careers of a population of entertainers seldom heard from before: black actors in Italian cinema. Blaxploitalian unveils the historic struggles faced by Afro-Italian and African diasporic actors, which are correlated with stories of actors who work to find respectable and significant roles in contemporary films. Followed by a discussion with the director, Shelleen Greene, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and Kwaku Korang, The Ohio State University. 2:45-4:15, Wexner Center Film/Video Theater
PLENARY SPEAKER
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, “Leaps of Faith: On Intuition and Interdisciplinarity in Italian Studies”, 4:30-5:30, Wexner Center Film/Video Theater
This talk will reflect on the challenge of doing interdisciplinary work. The case study will be Professor Ben-Ghiat’s attempt to bring history and Italian film studies to bear on each other to understand Fascist empire cinema: the task of conveying the place of history in images, and the place of images in history. The talk also focuses on the interpretative issues posed in studying objects and texts about which little is known, and the place of intuition in such circumstances. This is one meaning of the “leaps of faith” in the talk’s title; others might be having the courage of one’s convictions, and the daring to go off-grid with respect to the canons of this, or any, discipline.
POST-PLENARY RECEPTION
The Ohio Union, The Ohio State University, 5:45-7:30 (Co-Sponsored by Taylor and Francis)
Saturday, April 22nd:
RARE BOOKS EXHIBIT, THOMPSON LIBRARY
April 22, 9:30am-1:00pm: Exhibit of select manuscripts and publications from the Italian collection of OSU’s Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, from Medieval to Modern. Thompson Library, (First Floor Gallery).
MARIO BADAGLIACCA, PHOTOGRAPHY INSTALLATION
“Italy is Out”, Hopkins Hall Gallery, 11:00am-5:00pm.
COCKTAIL HOUR AND BANQUET
Saturday April 22: The Blackwell Inn 7:30-10:00; $50.00 paid in advance