ITAL1091: Languages and Literatures of Italy

• Grade A or above at A level in a foreign European language, or equivalent qualification.

• Modern Languages, Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' programmes: Italian Language 1B (ITAL1102) OR Italian Language 1A (ITAL1071). Others: See Chairman/woman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

• None.

• To offer students the opportunity to examine essential aspects and themes related to the languages and literatures of Italy.
• To illustrate the variety of Italian literary texts and a selection of theoretical approaches to read them critically.
• To make students aware of the wider geographical, social, political, and cultural implications underpinning the literary production in Italy.
• To introduce students to the historical development of Italian language and literature.
• To explore the literary, rhetorical and linguistic topics and conventions they will encounter in later years.
• To explore different critical modes of enquiry and identify ways in which they could be redeployed in a variety of contexts.

• The module offers an introduction to the historical development of the Italian languages and literatures.
• Italian literary culture will be presented from a global perspective, and students will be invited to think transnationally about the texts discussed in class.
• Students will be able to examine texts from a range of different genres and learn how to navigate the Italian linguistic and literary repertoire according to standard periodisation and geographical distribution.
• The module will explore different literary topics and the different linguistic and rhetorical registers employed by Italian and non-Italian literary authors expressing themselves in the languages used in Italy.
• Special attention will be given to issues of gender, intercultural encounters, and political and social power relations across history.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• To be introduced to the historical development of Italian languages and literatures
• To be introduced to the regional varieties of Italian languages and literatures

Subject-specific Skills:

• To analyse the linguistic, literary and cultural codes and conventions of Italian literary production.
• To perform critically informed close readings of literary texts.
• To acquire basic skills to access information about the literatures of Italy.
• To acquire awareness of such notions as originality, significance and rigour in the field of literary studies.
• To examine different linguistic registers and rhetorical strategies in the construction of literary texts.
• To get students acquainted with Italian literary and linguistic geography.
• To identify issues of gender inequality, cultural biases and socio-political stereotypes and analyse them critically in relation to their historical reality.

Key Skills:

• To be able to select and evaluate primary and secondary sources.
• To work independently in order to complete to a deadline a project providing an interpretation or a solution of questions and problems posed by the module topics and in-class discussions.

• The module is taught by means of a weekly lecture and fortnightly seminars.
• Students will be required to attend all lectures and seminars and are expected to prepare themselves for classes
• Students will be encouraged to participate in class discussion, to contribute with seminar presentations and to work in close relationship with their peers.
• The summative essay will enable students to demonstrate and develop their knowledge of the subject as well as that of particular set texts.

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