News and events
Italian Cineclub Series
Bernardo Bertolucci: a retrospective
3 movies by the Academy Award winner director Bernardo Bertolucci
With an introduction by Chris Wagstaff, Senior Lecturer in Italian Studies and world leading expert on Bertolucci's cinema.
Wednesday 22 May 2013 - 7.00 - 9.00pm HumSS 208
I0 Ballo Da Sola
Stealing Beauty (1995)
Wednesday 29 May 2013 - 7.00pm - 9.00pm HumSS 280
L'Assedio
Beseiged (1999)
Wednesday 5 June 2013 - 7.00pm - 9.00pm HumSS 208
The Dreamers (2003)
Professor wins prestigious award for research project on fiscal origins of the French Revolution
The University of Reading is delighted to announce that Professor Joël Félix, Head of Department of Modern Languages and European Studies, has been awarded a three year Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Research Professorship for his work on the fiscal origins of the French Revolution.
Professor Felix is a historian of the Ancien Regime and the French Revolution and has written numerous publications on the subject. His research projfect "Fiscal Origins of the French Revolution: financial crises, public opinion and institutional change in Early Modern Europe, 1688-1789", will be funded with the award, worth £242,965.
As part of the project, Professor Felix will organise a series of public lectures and two international conferences on historical finance to see how the past can inform today's issues. He will also write a comprehensive monograph on the fiscal origins of the French Revolution which is under contract with UOP.
The Association for the Study of Modern Italy Annual Lecture 2013
Annual Lecture 2013
Girlfriend still in a Coma?
A conversation with the former Editor of The Economist, Bill Emmott and Director, Annalisa Piras on their thought-provoking documentary about Italy
Thursday, 27 June 2013, 6.00pm
University of Reading, Minghella Building, Bulmershe Theatre.
Free event followed by a wine reception
All welcome
For more information contact the organisers at: asmi.annual.lecture2013@gmail.com or visit www.asmi.org.uk.
Italian Studies Professor wins Political History Book of the Year Award
Professor Christopher Duggan's book, Fascist Voices: An Intimate History of Mussolini's Italy, has been named Political History Book of the Year at The Paddy Power and Total Politics Political Book Awards 2013.
Since its publication last year, the book has met with considerable critical acclaim. Times Higher Education magazine said: "Fascist Voices takes up the challenge of understanding why the Duce and his regime appealed to so many Italians. The author's thoughtful tone and sensitive handling of his sources, which include diaries, police informers' reports and letters sent to Mussolini, enhance the book, and his clear prose makes it eminently readable."
Whilst writing Fascist Voices, Professor Duggan drew on the private diaries, letters and autobiographies of those who lived through the regime, to uncover how ordinary people experienced fascism. The book examines the support given to the regime by the majority of the Italian population, and details the personal relationships that millions of Italians had with Benito Mussolini, the dictator who occupied for many, an almost divine status.
The Paddy Power and Total Politics Political Book Awards recognise the very best in political writing and publishing. Lady Antonia Fraser presented the award to Professor Duggan, who is Head of the School of Literature and Languages and teaches Italian Studies in the Department of Modern Languages and European Studies.
Italian Studies Postgraduate Forum - ReadingItaly
The current issue of ReadingItaly, the new Italian Studies Postgraduate Forum in the UK, is 
now online at http://readingitaly.wordpress.com/. Led by research students, it gathers contributions from people working in the field of Italian Studies, and deals with several aspects of Italian Culture (Literature, History, Cinema, Art, etc.). All in a brief, simple and friendly format.
ReadingItaly is issued monthly, and each time will discuss a different topic.
Chancellor's Award 2012
We are delighted to announce that Meredith Compton, BA French and English Language, was recognised for her outstanding work receiving the Chancellor's Award for 2012.
These awards are given to students who have achieved the highest results in their subject at the end of either their first or second year of study, highlighting the brightest and best of the University's students. Congratulations Meredith!
DAAD Scholarships available
Every year the German Academic Exchange (DAAD) offers scholarships for three- to four-week summer courses at German instituations of higher education. These courses focus on German language, literature, and cultural studies.
The programme is open to students of all disciplines, provided they have a good knowledge of German at the time of application.
For more information and to see where you can undertake these summer schools please visit the DAAD German Summer Schools website.
Please be aware that applications must be made via the Department of Modern Languages, if you are interested please see Gillian Williams, Room 268 HumSS.
"Wo ist Spencer?"
The students of our German Studies programme have written and produced a new film!
The film, called "Wo ist Spencer?" is the tragic, romantic, funny and very scary tale of Spencer Brown, a student at Reading University, stars many of the department students and even has guest apperances from academic staff; Melani Shroeter, Ute Wölfel, Ian Roe, Florian Ganter and Stefanie Ochel.
The film can now also be viewed online at: http://ruon.tv/ondemand/video.php?vidid=526
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