Draft:Giovanni Minicucci



Giovanni Minicucci is originally from Pescara, Italy. He is a Ph.D. Student in Romance Languages and Literatures at The University of Chicago. His specialization is in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Studies. He is also Teaching Faculty at Middlebury College Language Schools and currently the Founder and Director of ITALengUSA at the Consulate General of Italy in New York, USA.

His research interests are: The Morisco Diaspora, Early Modern Iberia, Early Modern Printing Culture, the Romancero, the Golden Age, Romani Studies, Visual & Popular Culture.

Biography
Giovanni Minicucci received his Master of Arts in Spanish Language, Literature, and Culture (2023) from Syracuse University, NY, where he also taught Spanish and Italian. He obtained the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Latin American/Caribbean Studies “PLACA” from the Maxwell School of Citizenship at Syracuse University. His final thesis focused on the role of romances used by the Moriscos, with a particular emphasis on analyzing the romances found in the Tratado de los dos caminos por un morisco refugiado en Túnez and those by Luis de Góngora. In addition, he holds a Master of Arts in Italian Studies (2022) from Middlebury College, VT, focusing on Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean Studies. Since 2023, he has been a Teaching Language Faculty at Middlebury College Language Schools, where he also collaborates in organizing cultural events. Before obtaining his Masters, Giovanni completed his Laurea with honors at the University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy, specializing in Translation Studies, Linguistic Mediation, and Intercultural Communication in English and Spanish Studies (2020).

He furthered his academic pursuits as an Exchange Scholar for two semesters at Nazareth University (NY) and gained diverse experiences in the languages, literatures, and linguistics field at American and Canadian universities, including St. John's University (NYC, Queens), St. Thomas University (Miami), Occidental College (Los Angeles), and Niagara College (Welland, Ontario). He has presented his research on Hispanic and Italian Studies at various conferences, including the Mediterranean Studies Conferences, the Luci e Ombre Film Conferences, the AISNA Graduate Conference, and the MLA Conferences, among others. He is the Director and Founder of ITALengUSA, supported by the General Consulate of Italy in New York, where he has been coordinating a language exchange project between colleges and universities in the United States and Italy for four years. He also served as the former Chair for the Graduate Students Conference: Romance Languages Colloquium, which took place in November 2022 at Syracuse University, marking its first occurrence.

Publications

 * “El desarrollo del amor en circunstancias inusuales: un análisis de ‘La Comedia de Torcato’ (1574) escrita por Moriscos.” Hispanical, vol. 3, no. 1, 2024. https://www.asjp.cerist.dz/en/article/240547
 * “El don de la palabra: voz, poder e in/exclusión en Malinche de Laura Esquivel”, El Cid Revista – Citadel, 2023. https://www.citadel.edu/elcid/2023/05/el-don-de-la-palabra-voz-poder-e-in-exclusion-en-malinche-de-laura-esquivel/
 * “Gabriele D’Annunzio e la sua mediterraneità. La bellezza come stile di vita, natura come oggetto del ricordo.” Mediterranean Encounters and Legacies Incontri e lasciti mediterranei, 2021, pp. 163-172. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fcZm8jMdO_-yOqKXy8ADzI7esTOnheDv/view
 * “La Vita Davanti A Sé.” Rivista Luci e Ombre, vol 8, no. 2, 2020. https://rivistalucieombre.com/author/giovanni-minicucci/

Career

 * Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Program Student Representative
 * President, Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Student Committee (RSO)
 * Instructor of records, Italian Language and Grammar I, Middlebury College Languages School, VT (USA).
 * Bilingual Assistant, Italian – English, Middlebury College Languages School; Event coordinator I.
 * Teaching Assistant, Spanish and Italian Language, Literatures & Cultures at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY (USA).
 * Founder & Director of ITALengUSA, Consulate General of Italy in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, (USA).

Honors and Awads

 * Outstanding Teaching Assistant “Profesor Asistente”, AATSP: American Association of Teachers of Spanish & Portuguese, New York Upstate Chapter.
 * Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, The Graduate School, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY (USA).
 * Inductee; Phi Beta Delta: Honor Society for International Scholars. “The purpose of Phi Beta Delta is to recognize and encourage achievements in the areas of international education and exchange”, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY (USA);
 * Graduate Teaching Assistantships, Spanish and Italian; Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, (USA).
 * Recipient; European Union Erasmus+ Program Scholarship; Bishop Grosseteste University College; Lincoln (UK).
 * Recipient; Graduate Assistantship Grant; Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures; University of Pescara-Chieti, Pescara (Italy).
 * Honorary Member; CIAO: Cultural Italian American Organization; Auburn, New York (USA).
 * Best Student Award; Latin American Literature class SPN318; Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, Nazareth University, NY (USA).
 * Best Student Award; Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures; Nazareth University, NY (USA).
 * Recipient; European Union Erasmus+ Program Scholarship; Politécnico de Coimbra (Portugal).

Academic Certifications
Its mission is to promote excellence in multi-disciplinary scholarship focused on Latin America and the Caribbean, and to connect the Syracuse University community with students, scholars, artists, writers, and activists from the region.
 * Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI-RCR program): Graduate student, Arts and Humanities.
 * Professional Training Courses “VENEZIA: MODA, ARTE ESOSTENIBILITÀ. PROGETTARE PERCORSI INTERDISCIPLINARI DI ITALIANO LS”; University Ca ’Foscari of Venice, Italy and Consulate of Italy in New York City, (USA), asynchronous (Moodle and Zoom).
 * PLACA: Program on Latin American Studies Certificate, Maxwell School of Citizenship, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY (USA).
 * FPP: Future Professoriate Program Certificate, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY (USA).
 * CUT: Certificate in University Teaching, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY (USA).