Brandon Essary
Professor of Italian
Department: World Languages and Cultures
Email: bessary@elon.edu
Phone number: (336) 278-6415
Brief Biography
Brandon Essary completed his PhD in Italian Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012. His dissertation title was "The Economy and Parody of Matrimony in Boccaccio’s Decameron," and reflects several research interests: Boccaccio, the Decameron, and marriage in medieval and early modern Italy. He also enjoys teaching the lives and works of Dante and Petrarch. He is interested in innovative approaches to teaching Italian language and literature: both "old school" and "new school". For instance, Prof. Essary has taught Italian language through paleography and calligraphy. He teaches medieval and Renaissance literature, Italian language, and critical thinking skills with video games (e.g., Dante's Inferno, the Assassin's Creed franchise) and board games.
Links
News & Notes
Education
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Doctor of Philosophy in Italian Studies, August 2012
Dissertation: The Economy and Parody of Matrimony in Boccaccio’s Decameron
Master of Arts in Italian Studies, May 2009
Thesis: Religious Parody and the Economy of Significance in Decameron Day Five
Clemson University
Bachelor of Arts in History, May 2007
Employment History
Associate Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, for Humanities, Social Sciences, and Interdisciplinary Programs, Elon University, June 2024 to present
Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, Elon University, Summer 2022 to present
Professor of Italian, Elon University, June 2024 to present
Associate Professor of Italian and Italian Studies Coordinator, Elon University, Fall 2018 to present
Associate Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, Elon University, Summer 2017 to Summer 2022
Assistant Professor of Italian and Italian Studies Coordinator, Elon University, Fall 2013 to Spring 2018
Summer Language Institute Director, University of South Carolina at Columbia Coordinated and taught intensive, month-long elementary Italian course. Summer 2013
Visiting Assistant Professor of Italian, Gettysburg College Fall 2012 – Spring 2013
Courses Taught
COR 110 The Global Experince (First-year student seminar - Elon)
COR 463 (Dante's Inferno: from Poetry to Video Games; Core Capstone Seminar – Elon)
COR 302 (Italian Mafia Cinema; Core Capstone Seminar – Elon)
ELON 101 (Advising seminar for first-year students)
Italian 121 (Elementary Italian I at Elon University, UNC Chapel Hill, Gettysburg College, USC Columbia)
Italian 122 (Elementary Italian II – Elon, UNC Chapel Hill, Gettysburg College, USC Columbia)
Italian 221 (Intermediate Italian I – Elon, UNC Chapel Hill, Gettysburg College)
Italian 222 (Intermediate Italian II – Elon, UNC Chapel Hill, Gettysburg College)
Italian 301 (Advanced Writing in Italian – UNC Chapel Hill)
Italian 300 (Advanced Grammar and Composition - UNC Chapel Hill)
Italian 310 (Conversations in Context - UNC Chapel Hill)
Italian 320 (Living Italian Civilization; - Gettysburg College)
Italian 373 (Italian Cinema - Elon)
Italian 374 (Italian Literature and Cuisine - Elon)
Leadership Positions
Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Annali d’italianistica, Summer 2019-present
Elon University Language Assessment Coordinator, April 2019-present
Associate Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, Elon University, June 2017 to present
Italian Studies Interdisciplinary Minor Coordinator, Elon University, Fall 2013 to present
Italian Language Section Coordinator, Elon University, Fall 2013 to Summer 2022
Grants Awarded
Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning Research Mini Grant, Spring 2020
Faculty Research and Development Summer Fellowship, Fall 2019
Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning Teaching Grant Recipient, Fall 2017
Academic Technology and Computing Committee Grant Recipient, Fall 2017; Fall 2018
“Expanding the Dimensions of Learning a Language: Designing Assignments that Strengthen Intercultural Competence.” Collaborative Humanities Redesign Project, Fall 2014 to Spring 2017
Mellon Summer Institute in Italian Paleography at the Newberry Library, Summer 2016
Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning Research Grant, Spring 2016
Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning Scholars Fellowship, Fall 2015 to Spring 2017
Hultquist and Faculty Research and Development Funds Recipient, Summer 2014
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
“From Poem to PlayStation 3: Teaching Dante with Video Games.” Approaches to Teaching Dante. Eds. Kleinhenz and Kristina Olson. New York: MLA, 2019. Pp. 192-99.
“Dante’s Inferno, Video Games, and Pop Pedagogy.” Parole rubate 20. (Fall 2019): 59-82. Link.
Ramey, Lynn, David Neville, Sahar Amer, Jonathan deHaan, Maxime Durand, Brandon Essary, Robert Howland, et al. “Revisioning the Global Middle Ages: Immersive Environments for Teaching Medieval Languages and Culture.” Edited by Lynn Ramey and David Neville. Digital Philology 8.1. (Spring 2019): 86-104.
“Expanding the Dimensions of Learning a Language: Assignments That Emphasize Intercultural Competence and Balance It with Linguistic Proficiency.” Interdisciplinary Humanities 34.2 (Fall 2018): 70-85.
Essary, Brandon, Bregni, Simone, and Zamboni, Camilla. “(Video) Games, Gamification, and Game-Based Learning in the Foreign/L2 classroom.” Teaching Italian Language and Culture Annual Special Issue. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown U P, 2020.
“‘La dottrina è tarda’: The Good of Marriage in Decameron 7.4.” The Decameron Seventh Day in Perspective. Ed. Elsa Filosa. Toronto: Toronto UP. [Forthcoming].
“Making Macrotextual Sense: History and Shame in RVF 102-04.” Rassegna Europea di Letteratura Italiana 46 (2015). Pp 12.
“Between Two Sad Love Songs: The Trials and Tribulations of Marriage in Decameron 5.” Annali d’Italianistica 31 (2013). Pp. 29.
Book reviews
Mariarosa Masoero, Ed. Levia gravia. Quaderno annuale di letteratura italiana. “‘Umana cosa è aver compassione degli afflitti...’: Raccontare, consolare, curare nella narrativa europea da Boccaccio al Seicento.” Vol. XV-XVI (2013-2014). Alessandria: Edizioni dell’Orso, 2015. Pp. 706. Renaissance Quarterly: [Forthcoming 2016]
Christopher Kleinhenz & Andrea Dini, eds. Approaches to Teaching Petrarch’s Canzoniere and the Petrarchan Tradition. New York: MLA Press, 2014. Annali d’italianistica: (2016).
F. Ciabattoni & P. M. Forni, eds. The Decameron Third Day in Perspective. Toronto: Toronto UP, 2014. Annali d’Italianistica: (2015).
Pina Palma. Savoring Power, Consuming the Times: The Metaphors of Food in Medieval and Renaissance Italian Literature. Notre Dame: Notre Dame University Press (2013). Annali d’Italianistica: (2014).
Elsa Filosa and Michael Papio, Eds. Boccaccio in America. Ravenna: Longo Editore, 2012. Pp. 286. Renaissance Quarterly 66.1: (2013): 327-329.
Jason M. Houston. Building a Monument to Dante, Boccaccio as Dantista. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 2010. Pp. 228. Annali d’Italianistica: (2012): 482-84.
Franco Cardini. Le cento novelle contro la morte: Giovanni Boccaccio e la rifondazionedel mondo. Roma: Salerno Editrice, 2007. Pp. 153. Annali d’Italianistica (2010): 503-04.
Tommaso di Carpegna Falconieri. The Man Who Believed He was King of France: A True Medieval Tale. Trans. William McCuaig. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2008. Pp. 220. Annali d’Italianistica (2009): 424-26.
Presentations
Roundtable: Innovative Approaches to Teaching Italian: Teaching Italian through Games.” American Association of Italian Studies Conference, Ohio State University, April 20-22, 2017. (Organizer, Chair, Presenter)
“Teaching Dante with Video Games.” Digital Humanities Conference on Immersive Environments, Vanderbilt University’s Center for Digital Humanities, December 9-11, 2016.
“Workshop: Coding Student Learning in the Humanities: ‘Close Reading’ for Teaching and Learning” with Olivia Choplin, Ketevan Kupatadze, Kristina Meinking, Brandon Essary, Robin Attas, & Shawn Tucker. Elon Teaching and Learning Conference 2016, August 18, 2016.
“Marriage, Violence, and the Sacred in Boccaccio’s Filocolo.” American Association of Italian Studies Conference, April 21-23, 2016.
“Roundtable: Innovative Approaches to Teaching Italian.” American Association of Italian Studies Conference, Louisiana State University, April 21-23, 2016. (Organizer, Chair, and Presenter)
“‘La dottrina è tarda’: The Good of Marriage in Decameron 7.4.” Renaissance Society of America Annual Conference, Hynes Convention Center, March 31-April 2, 2016.
“Teaching Italian through the Archives of Siena.” American Association of Teachers of Italian Annual Conference, Università per Stranieri di Siena, June 22-26, 2015.
“Vernacular Paleography in the Italian Classroom.” Renaissance Society of America Annual Conference, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, March 25-29, 2015. (Panel Organizer)
“Ingenium, Fortune, Misfortune, and Marriage in Decameron 1-5.” American Association of Italian Studies XXXIV Annual Conference, University of Zurich, May 23-25, 2014.
“Marriage Before Decameron Day Five: From the Filocolo and the “Corte d’Amore” to Decameron Days Two, Three, and Four.” Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference 2012, Wake Forest University, October 19-21, 2012.
“‘Mi sentì gir legando / ogni vertù’: Love and Virtue in Decameron 5 and Dioneo’s Ballad.” The American Association for Italian Studies XXXII Annual Conference, College of Charleston, May 3-5, 2012.
“Bride Trafficking, Conjugal Debt, and the Economics of Parody in Boccaccio’s Decameron.” The American Association for Italian Studies XXXI Annual Conference, University of Pittsburgh, April 7-9, 2011.
“The Poet’s Shame: Images of Love and Fame in RVF 102-04.” 2010 South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Atlanta, November 5-7, 2010. (Panel organizer and chair)
“Religious Parody and the Economy of Significance in Decameron Day Five.” 2010 International Boccaccio Conference, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, April 30-May 1, 2010.
“La città alla rovescia: Dis as Parody of the Medieval City.” Carolina Conference on Romance Literatures, UNC-CH, March 25-27, 2010. (Panel organizer)
“The Representation of Fascism in Bertolucci’s 1900.” Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference 2009, Furman University, October 8-10, 2009. (Panel organizer and chair)
“Making Macrotextual Sense: Love, Fame and Shame in RVF 102-04.” Carolina Conference on Romance Literatures, UNC-CH, March 26-28, 2009. (Panel organizer)
“Foundations of Florence: Boccaccio, Bruni & Salutati.” South Atlantic Modern Language Association, November 7-9, Louisville, 2008.
“Between Two Songs: Day to Day Connectivity and Parody in Decameron Day Five.” Carolina Conference on Romance Literatures, UNC-CH, March 27-29, 2008.
Service Activities
Consultant to the “Instruction and the Classroom” subgroup of the Task Force on Fall Semester 2020, Spring 2020
Member of the Implementation Team for the Committee for Increasing Second-Language Proficiency, Spring 2020-Present
Faculty Leader of Online Course Development for World Languages and Cultures Dept.
Selected to lead online language course development by department in for Spanish, German, and Italian. Solicited and secured university funding for developing faculty stipends; hosting of online course experts to hold workshop on course design; lead developer of online Italian language course offerings. Fall 2015 to present
Member of Committee for Increasing Second-Language Proficiency (Elon University)
Invited to serve as member on account of extensive study abroad leadership experience; coordination of an intensive summer language institute; and excellence in language teaching. Headed the sub-committee on intensive and immersion experiences. Fall 2014 to Spring 2017
Skills
English: Native Proficiency
Italian: Native Proficiency
French: Intermediate Proficiency
Awards
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (UNC Chapel Hill)
Established to recognize outstanding undergraduate instruction. A committee comprised of students reviewed nominations and selected ten awardees from a university-wide pool of submissions by students and faculty. Award bestowed by the Chancellor of the University. Fall 2010
Falvo and Coccia Awards for Excellence in Italian Studies (UNC Chapel Hill)
Awards bestowed upon one graduate student in Italian Studies per year. Fall 2012; Fall 2010