- Director of the Italian IEP
- International Engineering Program
- Phone: 401.874.5968
- Fax: 401.874.7088
- Email: laluna@uri.edu
- Office Location: Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures
314 Swan Hall
60 Upper College Road
Kingston, RI 02881
Biography
Michelangelo La Luna has been a Professor of Italian in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at University of Rhode Island since 2003. He is the Director of the URI Summer Program in Calabria, Italy, and of the URI Italian International Engineering, Business and Pharmaceutical Science Programs.
Professor La Luna’s principal contributions to the University of Rhode Island as a professor are the development of students’ skills and content knowledge through a methodology that aims at a constant interaction of the students in the class and a closer and more practical approach to the studying of the material (Italian Language, Literature, Culture, Civilization, etc.). Employing motivational strategies consistent with the national standards of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, he has opened up the classroom to the 5 C’s philosophy: Communication, Cultures, Comparisons, Connections, and, the ultimate aim, Community.
Research
Prof. La Luna research activity focuses on Girolamo De Rada (1814-1903), the major Italian-Albanian poet of the Romantic period. He is also a passionate researcher of Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” and of Luigi Capuana’s (1839-1915) fairy tales. As the Director of the book serie SOPHIA, Dr. La Luna edited several books in honor of the best Italian female writer, Dacia Maraini (1936-).
Education
Ph.D., Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University, 2001
Ph.D., Albanian Language and Literature, University of Calabria
1997 M.A., Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
1994 B.A., Classics, University of Calabria, 1991
Selected Publications
Forthcoming:
Capuana, Luigi. La Reginotta [The Little Queen.] Michelangelo La Luna, ed. Part of the series SOPHIA, VII, Literature 5, directed by Michelangelo La Luna. Rossano, conSenso publishing, 2019. Michelangelo La Luna, ed. Part of the series SOPHIA, X, Literature 8, directed by Michelangelo La Luna. Rossano-Kingston, RI: conSenso publishing and De Rada Italian Institute, 2019.
Maraini, Dacia. Writing Like Breathing. A Homage to Dacia Maraini. Vol. V: Festschrift. Michelangelo La Luna, ed. Part of the series SOPHIA, IX, Literature 7, directed by Michelangelo La Luna. Rossano-Kingston, RI: conSenso publishing and De Rada Italian Institute, 2019.
Maraini, Dacia. Writing Like Breathing. A Homage to Dacia Maraini. Vol. IV: Interviews and Essays. Michelangelo La Luna, ed. Part of the series SOPHIA, VIII, Literature 6, directed by Michelangelo La Luna. Rossano-Kingston, RI: conSenso publishing and De Rada Italian Institute, 2019.
Published:
Maraini, Dacia. Writing Like Breathing. A Homage to Dacia Maraini. Vol. III: USA 1964-2017: An Italian Reportage. Michelangelo La Luna, ed. Part of the series SOPHIA, VII, Literature 5, directed by Michelangelo La Luna. Rossano-Kingston, RI: conSenso publishing and De Rada Italian Institute, 2018.
Maraini, Dacia. Writing Like Breathing. A Homage to Dacia Maraini. Vol. II: Mafia and Other Plays. Michelangelo La Luna, ed. Part of the series SOPHIA, VI, Literature 4, directed by Michelangelo La Luna. Rossano-Kingston, RI: conSenso publishing and De Rada Italian Institute, 2017.
Maraini, Dacia. Writing Like Breathing. A Homage to Dacia Maraini. Vol. I: Beloved Writing. Michelangelo La Luna, ed. Part of the series SOPHIA, III, Literature 2, directed by Michelangelo La Luna. Barcelona, Trento, Rotterdam: UIBooks List, 2016.
Maraini, Dacia. Taccuino americano (1964-2016). Michelangelo La Luna, ed. Part of the series SOPHIA, V, Literature 3, directed by Michelangelo La Luna. Rossano: conSenso publishing, 2016.
De Rada, Girolamo. Epistolario con A. De Gubernatis. La corrispondenza tra Girolamo De Rada, Angelo De Gubernatis (1870-1900) et alii [The Correspondence Between Girolamo De Rada, Angelo De Gubernatis (1870-1900) et alii.] Michelangelo La Luna, ed. Part of the series SOPHIA, I, Literature 1, directed by Michelangelo La Luna. Rossano (CS): conSenso publishing, 2016.