Topics in Italian Culture and Literature (349-0-20)

Topic

Beauty and the Beast: Mob Stories from the South

Instructors

Paola Nasti

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-435: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

This course explores how Naples' powerful criminal network - the Camorra - has been imagined, aestheticized, and exposed across literature, film, and media. Through texts such as Roberto Saviano's 'Gomorrah', along with documentaries, films, and TV series, we will analyze how representation engages with the beastly realities of violence, corruption, and survival.
Students will investigate how stories about organized crime both reveal and conceal the structures of power that shape modern Italy and the global economy. From gritty documentaries to stylized dramas, we will ask: What happens when crime becomes a cultural product? And what truths hide behind the allure of the underworld? As we move deeper, we will shed light on the syndicate's vast economic reach, its global networks, and its impact on local communities. Students will examine how artists and writers envision a society where legality and crime blur, and where violence, corruption, and survival intertwine in everyday life. Topics include urban decay, "geo-crimes," and the rise of the eco-mafia phenomenon. Students will gain a critical understanding of how organized crime shapes culture, politics, and the global economy - and how Naples becomes both a setting and a symbol of resistance, complexity, and survival.

Taught in Italian. Texts will be in Italian - with some exposure to dialect, films are subtitled.

Registration Requirements

IT 202-3 or equivalent (intermediate Italian)

Evaluation Method

written assignments, presentations, creative projects

Class Materials (Required)

Texts will be in Italian - with some exposure to dialect, but all films are subtitled.

Class Notes

Course will be taught in Italian

Class Attributes

Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline