Barbara Bernardeschi
Barbara is an Italian literature teacher and she works in a high school. For 12 years Barbara shares her passion for literature of Middle Ages teaching with American students in Siena. During her classes she will take you at the discovery of Italian language and literature’s origins with a special attention to the Middle Ages writers. If you like reading like she does this class will be the right adventure through the witty short stories of the Decameron (Giovanni Boccaccio), the great characters of the Divine Comedy (Dante Alighieri) and the sweet sonnets of the Petrarch’s Canzoniere.
COURSES TAUGHT
Dante’s Divine Comedy
This course will explore the Middle Ages as a historical, cultural, and literary period through Dante’s “The Divine Comedy.” Students will read, analyze and discuss several cantos taken from “Inferno,” “Purgatorio,” and “Paradiso” to understand the structure of the world inside the “Commedia”, the characters, and the moral implications in order to define the characteristics of the Middle Ages as a great moment for Italian literature. Students will increase knowledge through reading and analyzing several cantos from “The Divine Comedy,” and learning how to make connections and establish relationships between texts and historical periods. During the course, students will develop an understanding of the main features of the Middle Ages and demonstrate intermediate proficiency in reading and discussing “The Divine Comedy.”