Romance Languages and Literatures

Carmen Merolla graduated in Comparative Languages and Literatures with a focus on English and Japanese, from the Istituto Universitario L’Orientale of Napoli, and received her Master of Arts in Italian Literature and Culture from Boston College. Her research addresses the application of smart technology in the language class and the use of Italian cinema for every level of the language learning process to foster intercultural competences and improve students’ cross-cultural awareness. Carmen has created the Tandem Project, a technology-based language and cultural exchange with Italian college students, and she has developed a full-immersion summer program in Italy for STEM students. Her research has recently focused on the artistic production of first-generation Italians and on inclusive and nonbinary Italian.

Interpretazioni, Italian Language and Culture through Film. Cristina Pausini and Carmen Merolla. Georgetown University Press, Washington DC, 2019. An intermediate and advanced level ancillary textbook to learn Italian language and culture through cinema. Author.

Caleidoscopio. Daniela Bartalesi-Graf and Colleen Ryan. Pearson, 2014. An intermediate-level textbook of Italian. Author of the on-line testing program.

L’unità debole: lettere dell’ambasciatore americano George P. Marsh sull’Italia unita. Lucia Ducci, L’ornitorinco, Milano, 2009. A book about George Perkins Marsh, American diplomat appointed in 1861 by President Lincoln to be the first United States minister to the new kingdom of Italy. Collaborating editor and collaborating translator.

Studiare l’Italiano. An ancillary textbook of Italian for foreign students created by Italian instructors of the language academy Sorrento Lingue. Collaborating author.

Inclusiveness Beyond the (Non)Binary in Romance Languages: from Research to Classroom Implementation. Routledge, 2024. A collection of articles on the development and use of inclusive language in the Romance language class. Contributing author.

ACTFL Annual Convention. Presentation Title: “Inclusive Italian Guidelines.” 2022.

Inclusive Language and Gender Equity: A Colloquium, Boston University, virtual. Presentation Title: “Inclusive Italian: Ideas for the Class.”  2022.

Boston Area Pedagogy Conference (BAPC) Annual Conference, virtual. Presentation Title: “Inclusive Italian Guidelines.”  2022.

ACTFL Annual Convention, virtual. Presentation Title: “When Data Scientists Fall in Love with Humanities. Re-Think Study Abroad.”  2020.

NeMLA Annual Convention, Boston. Presentation Title: “Teaching Italian through Films. Using Apps to Foster Intercultural Competencies and Cross-Cultural Awareness.”  2020.

Boston College, Workshop for language professors and graduate students. Workshop Title: “Ciak, Si Insegna! Teaching Languages through Film.”  2020.

IDEA Boston (Annual Festival of the Italian Culture). Presentation Title: “Learning and Teaching Italian through Film. Apps for the Smart Phone to Teach Intercultural Competencies.”  2019.

ACTFL Annual Convention, Nashville. Presentation Title: “Let’s Call Italy: Gaining Intercultural Competence through Skype and Other Video-Conference Apps.”  2017.

AATI & Consulate General of Italy in Boston, Education Office. Workshop Title: “Ciak Si Insegna! Come Didattizzare un Film nella Classe di Italiano: Esempi, Attività e Applicazioni Pratiche.” 2017

AATI Annual Conference, Naples, Italy. Presentation Title: “Let’s Call Italy: Implementation, Assessment and Benefits of Using Video-Conference Apps for Smart Phones in the Language Class.” 2016

Georgetown University Conference on Teaching Italian Culture, Washington DC. Presentation Title: “The Italian Skype Pal Project: A Deep Dive Into Culture.” 2013