Salvatore Iacone, Ph.D.: Decades of Expertise

by Erin Donohue

Salvatore Iacone, Ph.D., a senior adjunct lecturer at Adelphi’s University College, specializes in teaching film and literature courses in a blended format—allowing him to teach classes in person and online. Most recently, he taught undergraduate-level electives on Classic Film Noir and Alfred Hitchcock, and he finds most of his students take his courses because they are fun.

His students come from a variety of backgrounds and they have lots to share. “These are the type of classes that extend their college experience,” he said. University College students come to class because they want to be there—they participate, they answer questions and, in spite of the fear, they write term papers.

“I tell my students to look at the term paper as telling a story,” he added. “That seems to make the process easier for those who are worried about writing long papers.

“You’re only as good as your class, and I’ve been fortunate to have had some great, enthusiastic students.”

Dr. Iacone has been with Adelphi since 1987. He began his film appreciation classes by combining film and literature. While teaching Shakespeare, he incorporated modern movies and found that Shakespeare became more relevant to his students. His classes have evolved over the years to include mystery novels in film, Sherlock Holmes, romantic comedies, the films of Cary Grant and more. He credits the University’s Swirbul Library staff for being supportive of his course offerings and reflects that he “works with great people, especially Maria Pagano in Non-Print.”

A teacher for a total of more than 40 years, Dr. Iacone is also a published author on the subject of business writing. His works include Write to the Point: How to Communicate in Business with Style and Purpose, Modern Business Report Writing and Business Writing: When English is a second language, and he travels internationally to teach writing skills to clients in Canada and Europe.

Besides collecting old books, enjoying classical music, spending time with his family and doting on his granddaughter, Dr. Iacone’s biggest pastime is reading. It is something he impresses upon his students “to this day—it is so important.”