Some of the papers from that conference have now been published as a special issue in Symposium (volume 3, number 2), in the peer-reviewed journal, Bulletin of Italian Politics. The issue is edited by Isabella Clough-Marinaro and James Walston. The articles look at the history of the process which led to unification and at how the process continued after the formal proclamation of the kingdom of Italy. They also look at the ways in which interpretations of the Risorgimento have changed over the last century and a half. One of the articles is by Bjørn Thomassen from the Department of International Relations, co-authored with Rosario Forlenza (NYU), “From Myth to Reality and Back Again: The Fascist and Post-Fascist Reading of Garibaldi and the Risorgimento,”, while James Walston is author of the general Introduction.

The Bulletin of Italian Politics is an open access journal, so enjoy the reading!

The Future of Italian Teaching: Media, Social Networks, New Technologies & Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives

The Department of Italian Studies at The American University of Rome invites all with an interest in the study of teaching Italian language, culture and literature to an international and multidisciplinary conference on October 5-6, 2012. The conference will be held at The American University of Rome.

The conference addresses multiple disciplinary perspectives, including teaching Italian through literature, art, cinema, music and other fields as well as innovative approaches to language pedagogy, use of new technology and social media in the language classroom.

Proposals for 20 minute papers will be accepted as well as workshop proposals. Submissions for pre-formed three-person panels will be considered.

The conference languages are English and Italian and papers can be delivered in either language. We hope to publish selected papers and are currently seeking a publisher.

E-mail submissions are preferred. Please send a 250 word abstract, a short bio and your institutional affiliation, e-mail address, a postal address at which you can be reached and any expected audio-visual needs.

Proposals should be sent to Catherine Ramsey-Portolano and Lucy Delogu at fit@aur.edu

The deadline for proposals is May 14, 2012. Applicants will be notified by early June.

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Il Dipartimento di Italian Studies di The American University of Rome invita gli studiosi di lingua, letteratura e cultura italiana ad una conferenza internazionale sulle prospettive didattiche dell’italiano LS/L2. La conferenza si propone di raccogliere contributi che investigano in prospettiva multidisciplinare l’apprendimento dell’italiano in Italia e all’estero, attraverso la letteratura, l’arte, la musica, il cinema o attraverso l’uso di nuove tecnologie.

Si accettano relazioni sia in italiano che in inglese, sessioni complete (formate da un presidente e tre relatori) e workshops. Ogni relatore avrà 20 minuti per la propria presentazione.

Gli studiosi interessati a intervenire sono pregati di inviare le loro proposte, entro il 14 maggio 2012, a Catherine Ramsey-Portolano e Lucy Delogu all’indirizzo di posta elettronica: fit@aur.edu.

Oltre al titolo e all’abstract (250 parole) della relazione si prega di inviare una breve nota biografica (nome, cognome, istituzioni di appartenenza, e-mail e indirizzo postale).

Gli organizzatori comunicheranno la scelta dei relatori all’inizio di giugno 2012 e si occuperanno di cercare una casa editrice per la redazione e pubblicazione degli atti.

The speaker will be Brooke Galloway, Development and Policy Director of the Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center, founded in September 1999, as an on-line resource by Paula Lucas, who fled to the United States and lived in a shelter with her three sons after escaping 14 years of domestic violence and child abuse.

In April 2000, a domestic violence crisis toll free international telephone line, 866USWOMEN, was created to help an underserved population of Americans suffering with domestic violence overseas.  Brooke recently returned from Cyprus where she spent five months researching the conflict and interning at a civil society for non-profit.

She is also a project coordinator with the African Diaspora Dialogue Project. Her experience and education with conflict resolution stems from her background working with survivors of domestic violence.  Experiencing the courage of domestic violence survivors has made a lasting impression on her and she is highly motivated to focus on advocating nonviolence.

• Video: Watch an interview with AWAR founder Paola Lucas.

This conference comes at a decisive moment for the EU and Europe, confronted with an economic and financial crisis of global and historical dimensions. Denmark holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at a time of great uncertainty: Can the EU member states agree to common strategies for growth, welfare, sustainability and security? Is there a European way out of the crisis? Is the very European project at stake?

Birger Riis-Jørgensen will outline the Danish agenda and prospects for the Presidency. Ambassador Riis-Jørgensen will be accompanied by his wife Karin Riis-Jørgensen, who has 15 years of experience as a member of the European Parliament before she stood down in 2009. Karin will be happy to take part of the debate and answer questions on her experiences following the Ambassador’s question and answer session. Professors James Walston & Bjørn Thomassen from the International Relations Department will introduce and chair the debate, open to all.
Join us for an evening with the Danish Ambassador on the presence and future of Europe.

The lecture will take place:

• Wednesday, February 1st 18.40 – 20.00
• Auriana Auditorium, Via P. Roselli, 16.

After three and half years of sexual scandals, criminal charges and declining economy, Silvio Berlusconi stepped down as prime minister last November. Bocconi economist and former European Commissioner, Mario Monti took over with a “technocratic” government supported by a broad bipartisan coalition. Italy’s problems are closely linked to the wider euro debt crisis and understanding both has become essential not just for bankers and hedge fund managers but anyone from pensioners to students.

As well as teaching political science and international relations at AUR, Thomassen and Walston comment widely in the international media on Italian politics from the BBC, CNN, al Jazeera, France 24, Danish TV to RT, CCTV, PressTV, ABC as well as Reuters and AP and on radio from Colombia to NPR in the US, RTE in Ireland and ABC in Australia. Dr. Walston’s blog Italian Politics with Walston has become a standard source for anyone who follows Italian politics. He has recently started consulting on Italian politics for financial service information providers. Dr. Thomassen’s most recent publication on Italy is “Re-narrating Italy, reinventing the nation: assessing the presidency of Ciampi” (with R. Forlenza)

In 1990, when in exile in Zimbabwe, he received a letter bomb; he lost both hands and an eye as well as suffering serious hearing loss. Since then he worked for South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission; he founded the Institute for Healing of Memories http://www.healing-memories.org/

“Michael’s life represents a compelling metaphor … a foreigner who came to our country and was transformed…. (His) life is part of the tapestry of the many long journeys and struggles of our people.” Nelson Mandela.

Fr. Michael will meet with AUR students on Friday 27 January between 12.30 and 13.30 in the Auriana Auditorium, to talk about “Young People and the Art of Peace” together with the South African Ambassador, Thenjiwe Mtintso. There will be light refreshements.

The conference aims to provide a forum for academics, policymakers and operators in the field to discuss issues of common concern. There is a constant need both to examine the evolving social contexts within which organized crime operates and to evaluate the political, economic and social costs of the globalization of this phenomenon in a country which has a long history of powerful mafias with their own international ramifications. There is a large amount of research on Italy’s crime groups and growing scholarship on the transnational dimensions of the phenomenon. At the same time, political and law enforcement agencies which have to deal with the issues directly produce operational and policymaking material. The opportunities for the different fields to learn about the others and discuss issues and solutions are relatively rare; this initiative seeks to fill this gap and encourage a dialogue.

We particularly invite contributions that relate to one or more of the following themes and which focus on the international dimensions. Papers should present original research and analysis.

• Debates on defining organized crime in Italy
• Methodologies for studying TOC and its effects
• Globalization and ‘liquidity’ of Italian mafia operations
• Transplantation of foreign groups in Italy
• Political connections, clientelism and corruption
• Ties to terrorism
• Money laundering and the legal economy
• ‘Gray’ economies
• Human smuggling and trafficking through and to Italy
• Art crime, fashion and culture industries
• Waste removal and disposal
• Environmental crimes and impacts
• Drugs routes and markets
• Fakes and contraband
• Arms trafficking
• Legal frameworks, national and international
• Current policy approaches
• Italy’s judicial system
• Enforcement agencies, policing and surveillance
• Civil society responses
• The ‘anti-mafia’ economy

The conference will be held in English and Italian.
We hope to publish selected papers and are currently seeking a publisher.

Proposals (c. 300 words) are invited from both established and unpublished scholars and practitioners and should be sent to Isabella Clough Marinaro and James Walston at:

TOC@aur.edu

Deadline for proposals: April 21st, 2011.

Registration Fee: 40 Euro
Students: 10 Euro
AUR students: Free

Gerald Dwyer addresses enthusiastic guests in the Auriana Auditorium.

The Carlucci Entrepreneurship Forum, conceived in 2010 by AUR’ s Honorary Degree recipient and prominent businessman Robert E. Carlucci and organized annually to recognize and honor his significant achievements as both an entrepreneur and a philanthropist, drew a crowd of enthusiastic guests, students, faculty and staff on December 5th.

This year’s talk was held by guest speaker Gerald P. Dwyer, Director of the Center for Financial Innovation and Stability at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, where he leads the Bank’s efforts on those issues. Dwyer spoke to enthusiastic Business students, faculty and AUR guests about a very topical subject, the current global financial crisis which, originated in 2007-2008, has changed into a more difficult sovereign debt crisis. He argued that the initial financial crisis in 2007 and 2008 was due to developments in several countries, many associated with housing and perhaps all due to increases in risk taking. This initial crisis has been followed by a sovereign debt crisis. Much of this sovereign debt crisis appears to be due to high levels of government debt, some associated with the financial crisis and some not. This crisis has yet to be resolved and does not have an obvious, feasible, good outcome.  AUR trustee Gabe Battista brought greetings from Robert Carlucci, who was unable to attend this year’s Forum owing to prior commitments.

Dwyer teaches at the University of Carlos III in Madrid and Trinity College in Dublin. Prior to joining the Atlanta Fed, Dr. Dwyer was a faculty member at research universities and a visitor at Federal Reserve Banks.

Dr. Dwyer’s research has appeared in leading economics and finance journals, in Federal Reserve publications and in books. He is a past President of the Association of Private Enterprise Education and of the Society for Nonlinear Dynamics and Econometrics.