Graduate Student Group

The Dante Society of America is pleased to announce a new initiative to engage graduate students more fully in the work of the Society, a volunteer organization with a long and illustrious history. We are inviting graduate students to collaborate in a number of ways under the mentorship of our councilors, committee chairs, and officers. Opportunities may include copy-editing, in English or Italian, for Dante Studies; working with the editor of the on-line journal, Dante Notes; writing short biographies for our Honorary Members and Fellows to be posted on our website; assisting the Communications Director with social media; collaborating with Education and Outreach; organizing events for and maintaining the Graduate Group; or compiling the annual American Dante Bibliography. Interested graduate students can write directly to the officer in charge of areas in which they would like to collaborate (Dante Notes, Dante Studies, Communications, Education and Outreach, Bibliography) or to the President or the Secretary of the Society for more information.

Students who have served the Society in some significant capacity can nominate themselves or their peers for the Presidential Service Award.

Spring 2025 Reading Group: Roman de la Rose

In Spring 2025, the DSA Graduate Group read and discussed the Roman de la Rose. The group met three times: March 31, April 28, and May 12 via Zoom. This semester three professors helped us enrich our readings. 

• The first meeting — March 31 — featured Professor Jonathan Morton, Associate Professor of French, School of Liberal Arts at Tulane University
• The second meeting — April 28 — welcomed Professor Sarah Kay, Professor of French Literature, Thought and Culture at New York University
• The third and final meeting — May 12 — included Professor Stephen G. Nichols, James M. Beall Professor Emeritus of French and Humanities at Johns Hopkins University.

“Dante’s Other Worlds”, The 1st Annual Dante Society of America Graduate Student Conference 

[click here to download the conference program]

September 28th, 2024
New York University, Casa Italiana

The Dante Society of America is pleased to announce the first edition of "Dante's Other Worlds," a graduate conference organized by graduate students working in the field of Dante Studies in America. This opportunity will allow younger dantisti on this side of the Atlantic to present their work and research among other scholars.

Con ingegno e con arte: A Roundtable on Methodologies and Approaches to Teaching Dante

The second workshop of the Graduate Student Group of the Dante Society of America was held on April 4, 2023. Our guests included Professors Catherine Adoyo (University of Richmond), Fabian Alfie (University of Arizona), Eleonora Buonocore (University of Calgary), and Gary Cestaro (DePaul University).

Spring 2023 Reading Group: Brunetto Latini's Rettorica

In Spring 2023, the DSA Graduate Group read and discussed Brunetto Latini's La Rettorica.

The group met three times: February 16, March 23, and April 20 at 2pm ET via Zoom. This semester three professors helped us get the most from our readings.

The first meeting - February 16 - saw the participation of Professor Eugenio Refini, Associate Professor of Italian at New York University. We discussed the first part of the Rettorica, up to page 50 of the Italian text (Latini, La rettorica, a cura di F. Maggini, Firenze, Le Monnier, 1968) - or p. 47 of the English (ed. Stefania D'Agata D'Ottavi).

Interested graduate students can email dantesociety.graduate@gmail.com for more information.

Fall 2022 Reading Group: Brunetto Latini's Tesoretto

In Fall 2022, the DSA Graduate Group hosted a reading group on Brunetto Latini’s Tesoretto. The first session was held on September 23 from 2-3 pm EST. Participants read and discussed the dedication and incipit (verses 1-282). Catherine Keen (Professor of Dante Studies at University College London) joined this first meeting and to help kick off the reading group with introductory tips on how to read Brunetto’s works.

Subsequent reading group meetings were held on October 21, November 18, and December 9.

Roundtable on Job Market Challenges

On November 11, 2022, at 5pm, the DSA Graduate Group hosted "'L’alto lavoro' A Roundtable on the Challenges of the Job Market," featuring four speakers: Laura Ingallinella, Akash Kumar, Arielle Saber, and Alessandro Vettori (see flyer for details).

2023–2024

Martina Franzini 
Johns Hopkins University
Massimiliano Lorenzon 
University of Pennsylvania
Jessica Ruffolo
University of Calgary

2022–2023

Leonardo Chiarantini 
University of Michigan
Mario Sassi
University of Pennsylvania
Paolo Scartoni
Rutgers University