Francesco Erspamer is professor of Italian and Romance studies at Harvard University.  He is interested in aesthetics, history of concepts and forms, politics, philosophy. He has worked extensively on the Renaissance, the 19^th  and 20^th century, and contemporary issues. His most recent books are The Creation of the Past: On Cultural Modernity and Fear of Change: Crisis and Criticism of the Concept of Culture. Email: erspamer@fas.harvard.edu.

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Pier Luigi Sacco is professor of political economy at the Università di Chieti-Pescara. His research is focused on the economy of culture in postindustrial times. He claims that investing in intangible goods must become a part of a new economic policy and that it is a way to include art in the building of our prosperity. Sacco has authored numerous publications on modern economics. Email: pierluigi_sacco@fas.harvard.edu.

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TEACHING ASSISTANTS

Bes Bajraktarević is a PhD student in Comparative Literature at Harvard, researching the convergences of German, French, and Italian modern literatures, law, and philosophy. She is passionate about equitable teaching and other forms of education support, particularly for nontraditional and system-impacted learners. Bio: scholar.harvard.edu/bes. Email: bajraktarevic@g.harvard.edu.

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Peter Lieberman has taught at Harvard a wide range of Italian courses for all ability levels. He strongly believes that authentic cultural materials and immersive experience are essential to language learning, and strives to incorporate non-didactic Italian texts and films in his curricula. Research and personal interests include Italian linguistic geography and dialectology, microhistory, and gelato. He grew up between rural New England and Florence. Email: plieberm@fas.harvard.edu.

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Alberto Parisi is a PhD candidate in Comparative Literature at Harvard . He holds a BA in Philosophy and Literature from the University of Warwick (UK) and has taught at Harvard in different departments: Philosophy, Comparative Literature, and General Education. He is mainly interested in philosophy, poetry, and theology; his dissertation explores the relationship between breath and intention. Email: albertoparisi@g.harvard.edu.

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