Rachel A. Walsh
Associate Professor, Italian; Chair
Interim Chair
What I do
I am an adviser and mentor, and a professor of Italian, presently serving as Chair of the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures. I also served as Interim Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences during AY 24-25.Specialization(s)
18th-Century Italian Literature, 19th-Century Italian Literature, canon formation and literary history, Italian theatre
Professional Biography
Dr. Walsh is Associate Professor of Italian and Chair of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. She previously served as Interim Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (2024-25), and her leadership work centers on building academic capacity, fostering collaboration and turning strategy into sustainable structures. She treats advising and mentoring as extensions of teaching and as leadership tools that strengthen student persistence and faculty development.
Rachel serves the profession nationally. She chaired the Program Committee of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (2020) and has served on the Executive Committee of the MLA Forum on 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-Century Italian Language, Literature, and Culture (2013-18) and the MLA Delegate Assembly (2017, 2023-25).
A scholar of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Italian literature, theatre and canon formation, she is the author of Ugo Foscolo's Tragic Vision in Italy and England (University of Toronto Press, 2014), widely reviewed in leading journals in the field. Her articles have appeared in Giornale Storico della Letteratura Italiana, Italica, MLN, and Rassegna Europea di Letteratura Italiana and her current research examines the proto-nationalist efforts of the Accademia degli Arcadi.
Outside work, Rachel spends her time with her husband Josh, their children and their rescue dog Patches.
Rachel serves the profession nationally. She chaired the Program Committee of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (2020) and has served on the Executive Committee of the MLA Forum on 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-Century Italian Language, Literature, and Culture (2013-18) and the MLA Delegate Assembly (2017, 2023-25).
A scholar of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Italian literature, theatre and canon formation, she is the author of Ugo Foscolo's Tragic Vision in Italy and England (University of Toronto Press, 2014), widely reviewed in leading journals in the field. Her articles have appeared in Giornale Storico della Letteratura Italiana, Italica, MLN, and Rassegna Europea di Letteratura Italiana and her current research examines the proto-nationalist efforts of the Accademia degli Arcadi.
Outside work, Rachel spends her time with her husband Josh, their children and their rescue dog Patches.
Degree(s)
- Ph.D., Romance Languages and Literatures, University of Chicago, 2007
- MA, Romance Languages and Literatures, University of Chicago, 1998
- AB, Music Theory & Composition, The College of William and Mary, 1997
Professional Affiliations
- Modern Language Association
- American Society of Eighteenth-Century Studies
- American Association of Teachers of Italian
Featured Publications
Walsh, R. A. (2014). Ugo Foscolo’s Tragic Vision in Italy and England. Toronto, ONT, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
Walsh, R. A. (2013). Defensio Italiæ: Exploring Rhetorical Strategies in the Writings of L. A. Muratori and P. J. Martello. Italica, 90(4), 548–566.
Walsh, R. A. (2012). Difetti di disegno: Sul nuovo teatro di Como di Ugo Foscolo. Giornale Storico della Letteratura Italiana, 625(1), 91–109.
Walsh, R. A. (2010). Making Histories and Defending Reputations: Ludovico Antonio Muratori and Ugo Foscolo. Rassegna Europea di Letteratura Italiana , 36, 111–128.
Walsh, R. A. (2009). Theatrical Spinning: Ricciarda and Ugo Foscolo’s Campaign for Fame. MLN - Italian Issue, 137–157.
Performances
Walsh, R. A. (1969). I tre bravi. Denver, CO.
Walsh, R. A. (1969). Non tutti i ladri vengono per nuocere . Denver, CO.
Presentations
Walsh, R. A. (2020). From 18th-Century Stage to Page: The Novel Case of Pietro Chiari. MLA Annual Convention. Seatle, WA: Forum on 17th-, 18th-, 19th-Century Italian LLC.
Walsh, R. A. (2018). Metastasio and the Proto-National Idea of Italy. ASECS Annual Convention. Orlando, FL: Italian Studies Caucus.
Walsh, R. A. (2017). Printing Italian Proto-National Identity: The Case of Antonio de’ Rossi. MLA’s Annual Convention. Philadelphia, PA: Forum on 17th-, 18th-, & 19th-Century Italian Language, Literature and Culture.
Walsh, R. A. (2016). Legitimizing Arcadian Practices: Crescimbeni and Celebratory Poems. MLA’s Annual Convention. Austin, TX: Forum on 17th-, 18th-, & 19th-Century Italian Language, Literature & Culture.
Walsh, R. A. (2015). Collective Identities: Academies, Salons and Other Networks. MLA’s Division on 17th, 18th-, and 19th-Century Italian Literature . Vancouver, BC: Modern Language Association.
Awards
- Newberry Library, Monticello College Foundation Fellow - $25,200, Newberry Library, Chicago IL
- Faculty Advisor of the Year, Division of Student Life, University of Denver
- OTL $20k Grant, University of Denver
