Italian Studies

Nicholas completed a BA (2023) and an MA (2025) in Italian and English literature and linguistics at the University of Zurich. His Master’s thesis, “Riflesso di immersione: il postumanesimo nei naufragi di Omero, Dante e Boccaccio”, linked Steve Mentz’s exploration of saltwater encounters and environments with Rosi Braidotti’s definition of the posthuman subject, arguing that during moments of shipwreck human subjects in the Odyssey, Inferno, and Decameron temporarily emerge as posthuman. At Brown, he seeks to continue reconsidering approaches to medieval works by examining the hybridization of humans and their nonhuman counterparts. He also aims to pursue his other research interests, which mainly include 20th- and 21st-century writers such as Giorgio Manganelli, Silvia Bre, Chandra Candiani, and Michele Mari. Before joining the Italian Studies Department, Nicholas interned at the Corriere del Ticino, writing articles on cultural topics, and worked as a substitute teacher of Italian literature and English at several high schools in Lugano.