This course traces the evolution of the Italian/American experience. Starting from the shores of Italy, we will chart a course to take us from the abject poverty of Southern Italy to the suburban comforts of Main Street USA. We will read the works of authors such as: Pascal D'Angelo (Son of Italy), John Fante (Ask The Dust); Mario Puzo (The Fortunate Pilgrim); Pietro di Donato (Christ in Concrete); Jerre Mangione (Mount Allegro); Helen Barolini (Umbertina), Lisa Scottoline, (Killer Smile), Francine Prose (Household Saints) and Albert Innaurato (Gemini.) We will consider the history of Italian immigration, acculturation, and resistance that followed, and the ways that authors have reimagined the cadre of stereotypical Italian American representations (the ruthless gangsters, lovable buffoons, irresistible lovers, and claustrophobic families) that the American media cooked up to serve a hungering public.