(Offered in English) This course examines 20th- and 21st-century Italian narratives with a focus on how gender, identity, and marginalization are represented and contested in literary texts. Emphasizing speculative and genre-defying works, the course explores how female-identified writers innovate literary forms to engage with pressing social, political, and cultural transformations in contemporary Italian society. Authors studied include Sibilla Aleramo, Elena Ferrante, Dacia Maraini, Margaret Mazzantini, Melania Mazzucco, Anna Maria Ortese. Texts will be available in Italian and English. Experiential Learning Opportunities include engaging with authors, filmmakers, and scholars, and participating in virtual tours of locations featured in the works studied.