Flavia Laviosa
Senior Lecturer in Italian Studies
In my research I examine representations of violence against women in world cinema and media. I am the Principal Editor of the Journal of Italian Cinema and Media Studies, and I teach Italian culture and European cinema.
In my teaching I celebrate diversity, variety and difference, cater for all learning styles, encourage positive group dynamics in class, and accommodate individual needs.
I completed my Bachelor Honors in Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Bari in Italy and also studied for a Master's degree in European Film Studies at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. I hold a Ph.D. in Foreign Language Education and a Master’s degree in Humanities from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
My research interests are in Italian cinema, with a special focus on women filmmakers. I edited the volume Visions of Struggle in Women's Filmmaking in the Mediterranean (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010). I also guest-edited the special issue ‘Cinematic Journeys of Italian Women Directors’ of Studies in European Cinema, 8:2, 2011.
I am the founder and Editor of the book series Trajectories in Italian Cinema and Media and of the Journal of Italian Cinema and Media Studies, both published by Intellect Ltd.
I organized the international symposium Visions of Struggle: Women’s Filmmaking in the Mediterranean at Wellesley College in 2007, and the international conferences Innovations and Tensions in Italian Cinema and Media in 2017 and Global Intersections and Artistic Interconnections: Italian Cinema and Media Across Times and Spaces in 2019, and Italian cinema and media: Past and present, continuity and change, expectations for the future in 2022, at The American University of Rome.
At Wellesley College, I teach language and culture courses in the Department of Italian Studies. In the Cinema and Media Studies Program, I have taught Introduction to Cinema and Media Studies, Italian Women Directors, and Transnational Journeys in European Women’s Filmmaking.
I acted as Resident Director of the Eastern College Consortium Program (E.C.Co.) for 2000-2001 in Siena and Bologna, also in fall 2018, and summers 2003 and 2006 in Lecce. I also established in 2003 the Winter Session study abroad program in Rome for the Italian Studies 202 intensive course and 250 Independent Study.
Education
- B.A., University of Bari (Italy)
- M.S., University of Edinburgh
- M.A., State University of New York (Buffalo)
- Ph.D., State University of New York (Buffalo)
Current and upcoming courses
Beginning Italian I
ITAS101
This course employs the latest language teaching methodology to provide students with an interactive learning experience. Students will be introduced to the basics of the Italian language, as well as to contemporary Italy and its culture. In class, students will practice the four skills - speaking, listening, reading and writing - through a variety of activities.
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Intermediate Italian I
ITAS201
The aim of this course is to develop students' fluency in spoken and written Italian. The reading of short stories, articles from Italian newspapers, and selected texts on Italian culture as well as the writing of compositions are used to promote critical and analytical skills. Listening is practiced through the viewing of Italian films. Both reading and listening activities are followed by in-class discussions.