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Gina Miele
Assistant Professor, World Languages and Cultures, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Office:
- Conrad J. Schmitt Hall 205J
- Email:
- mieleg@montclair.edu
- Degrees:
- BA, College of the Holy Cross
- MA, Harvard University
- PhD, Harvard University
- vCard:
- Download vCard
Profile
Dr. Gina M. Miele, professor of Italian, program coordinator for the MAT in Italian and the Dual MAT in Italian and Teaching Students with Disabilities, and Founding Director of the Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America at MSU, received her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard University.
For over twenty years, she has served on the Board of Directors for the Coccia Institute and as the chair of the Italian Scholarship Committee.
Dr. Miele is on the Board of Directors for NJEEPRE (New Jersey Educators Exploring the Practices of Reggio Emilia). In 2026-2027, she will serve as Chairperson-Elect.
She is the author of Italian Folklore: Rituals, Celebrations, & Ancient Traditions (Wellfleet Press, September 2026). https://geni.us/ItalianFolklore
Dr. Miele specializes in Italian folklore and folktales. Her work has been published in Italica, Marvels and Tales, Fabula, Italian Quarterly, and the Paterson Literary Review. She is a contributor to the Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales, Marvelous Transformations: An Anthology of Tales and Contemporary Critical Perspectives, and Teaching Fairy Tales.
Dr. Miele is co-author of the Student Activities Manual for Parliamo Italiano!, now in its fifth edition (Vista Higher Learning, 2025).
https://learn.vistahigherlearning.com/parliamo-italiano/
She currently is working on an annotated translation of the complete collection of fairy tales by Luigi Capuana and a study of how the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education can be extended to middle school, secondary school, and university settings.
Specialization
Folklore, Fairy Tales, and Children's Literature
Italian Women Writers
Italian Food Culture
Luigi Capuana
Italo Calvino
The Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education
Office Hours
Spring
- Monday
- 9:00 am - 10:00 am
- Tuesday
- 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Links
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Research Projects
Montclair in Italy Faculty-Led Fall Break Study Abroad 2026 Folk Magic, Food, and Cultural Narratives in Rome, Naples & the Mediterranean
Italy is one of the most mystically charged places in the world, and its mysteries run deepest beneath the surface. This Fall Break program pulls back the layers to reveal a hidden world where the sacred and the secular intertwine. In Naples, saints perform miracles, healers remove the evil eye, and the cuisine reflects centuries of cultural memory. In Rome, ancient ritual and culinary tradition have shaped the city for millennia. The volcanic island of Ischia and the dramatic villages of the Amalfi Coast invite students into their storied landscapes. This is Italy experienced from the inside, tasted, witnessed, and written into memory. Whether drawn by folklore, religion, cuisine, or generational interest, students will leave with a richer understanding of Italy and the narratives that continue to animate it.
Course Dates: Fall 2026
Travel Dates: Approximately October 18-25, 2026
Application Deadline: May 15, 2026
Cost: $2615 (not including flights)
Course One Information: ENWR 205 - 02 Creative Nonfiction
SEMESTER Course (required to travel):
Course One Information: SEED 109 02 Witches, Healers and Folk Magic
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: None. Course will be in English.
Faculty Leaders:
Gina Miele: mieleg@montclair.edu
Course Two Information: ENWR 205 - 02 Creative Nonfiction
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: None.
Faculty Leaders:
Mark Rotella: rotellam@montclair.edu
International Interdisciplinary Immersion: Reggio Emilia, Italy 2025
Following the first incredible international interdisciplinary immersion last year in Reggio Emilia, this second year will also involve both study in Italy as well as an online university course on the highly respected Reggio Emilia educational approach. This interdisciplinary initiative is co-taught with Dr. Elizabeth Erwin, Teaching and Learning, College for Education and Engaged Learning. Travel to Italy occurs in March to attend the 2025 Students-Professors Study Group. Our cohort for 2025 is now full and represents Montclair State University students across 2 colleges and multiple departments.
The Reggio Emilia educational philosophy is known worldwide for its inclusive and progressive approach for very young and school-aged children and has wide application to older students too. The Reggio Emilia Approach® reflects an inclusive educational philosophy and pedagogy that acknowledges the environment as teacher and shows deep respect for children as co-contributors to their own learning through purposeful research investigations. The application of this philosophy involves in-depth inquiry-based learning and an emergent curriculum which allows educators and children to co-construct knowledge about the world in which they live.