January 2026 Recap

We started the new year with a series of events!

Events

Our first Meet your French Professors event of 2026 took place, with students enjoying lunch with Prof. Jeffrey Steele. The next event with Prof. Rosa Hong will follow in February.

The Language Studies Academic Society (LSAS) held a movie night on January 27, where students watched La Mafia Uccide Solo d’Estate (The Mafia Kills Only in Summer), a comedy-drama based on a boy’s first love and his curiosity about the mafia. This movie was also the focus of Prof. Teresa Lobalsamo's January 29 lecture for ITA309H5S Mafia Movies, and students had the opportunity to analyze the movie in further detail.

Guest Lecture

We also welcomed writer and screenwriter Alice Urciuolo to ITA351H5S Creative Writing in Italian Studies for a virtual conversation via Zoom to discuss her coming-of-age novel Adorazione (Adoration), which was recently adapted into the Netflix series Adoration, directed by Stefano Mordini. It was a wonderful eye-opening opportunity for students to hear firsthand about some of the challenges in writing literature and for television, as well as how Urciuolo personally uses the narrative strategies and techniques they have been learning about.