Stories

Evelyn Ferraro, professor of Italian, and Agustin Pace ’25, Italian Studies and Economics double major, presented “Italian Studies Reimagined: Integrating Curriculum, Research, and Community Engagement” at the biennial conference of The California Interdisciplinary Consortium for Italian Studies at UC Berkeley on March 1. Their talk introduced innovative initiatives in Italian Studies at SCU that prepare students to apply linguistic and cultural expertise in real-world contexts. Agustin shared how his journey began in Italian 1 and evolved through coursework, study abroad in Milan, internships in Italy and the Bay Area (supported by Vari Italian Studies Fellowships), and a faculty-mentored Provost Research Fellowship on 1930s fascist and antifascist media. He has pursued academic and experiential opportunities that organically connect classroom learning with community engagement and service. Ferraro highlighted the role of digital humanities in connecting research and teaching in ways that actively involve students in the production of knowledge, as explored in her recent article “Curriculum, Archives, and The Digital Turn: The Italian American Experience and the Transnational Approach to Community-Based Learning” that was recently published in Italian American Review 14.2 (2024).

These initiatives show that languages and cultural studies open doors to diverse opportunities, empowering students as global thinkers and cultural mediators.