The Mafia began in Italy in the late 1800s. This course will examine the history of this organization, as well as its depiction in Italian literature, non-fiction accounts, and film. The second part of the course will focus on how the Mafia evolved as it moved into the United States. We will look in particular at how American film directors promulgate or challenge the stereotypes of the Mafia and Italian-American identity in such films as The Godfather, and, GoodFellas, among others.