ID:
L00959
Duration (hours):
54
CFU:
9
SSD:
LETTERATURA INGLESE
Located in:
PESCARA
Url:
FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES/CORSO GENERICO Year: 3
Year:
2025
Course Catalogue:
Overview
Date/time interval
Secondo Semestre (15/02/2026 - 25/05/2026)
Syllabus
Course Objectives
LEARNING OBJECTIVES A first aim of the course is that of offering students basic knowledge of socio-cultural and identity (race, gender) questions pertaining to three Anglophone countries that are understudied in Italy: namely, Nigeria, India and New Zealand. The L11 Curriculum aims to train language and literature experts through an interdisciplinary approach. In line with these professional objectives, the course intends to investigate cultural and identity issues that would enable students to develop an ability to pursue a critical analysis of historical and cultural phenomena that take place in foreign countries, and to draw ever-new comparisons with the Italian reality. Another specifici objective of the course is to widen students’ knowledge and competence on literature by introducing the works of three writers who are little known in Italy. From a media and communication perspective, moreover, the analysis of films/videos produced in, or devoted to, the three above-mentioned countries, is meant to enrich students’ knowledge of artistic productions remote from Europe and the US. Besides arousing students’ interest in foreign cultures, the course aims to trigger awareness and respect for other cultures which are necessary to living and developing professional skills in our globalised world. The primary sources in English are used to reinforce the students’ abilities to understand specialized texts in English. LEARNING OUTCOMES Acquisition of some knowledge of postcolonial Anglophone cultures and literatures, with special attention for the cultural realities of Nigeria, India and New Zealand, as well as for the works of the three examined writers; ability to understand written specialized texts in English (literary, cultural, critical) and to interpret them from an international and intercultural perspective: ability to analyse texts written in English and to connect these texts to their appropriate historical and literary context and to recognize their typology; ability to reflect on identity and cultural themes, also in relation to the students’ reality; ability to classify and synthetize data and information, to elaborate them and communicate them orally in a well-argued, critically autonomous speech in correct, formal Italian.
Course Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites connected with the Syllabus structure. Students are however recommended to have a good knowledge of English, which they will need to read and understand the primary sources written in original language.
Teaching Methods
The course, consisting of 54 teaching hours, is mainly taught in 2-hour classes according to the university’s teaching schedule. Lectures and seminars are held by the teachers responsible for the course. Seminars held by academic experts are foreseen, depending on the department’s ability to organize them during the academic year. Lectures and seminars will be arranged as follows: from context to text (cultural analysis); reading and comment of relevant passages from primary sources (semantic and structural analysis); discussion on films (basic intersemiotic analysis). At the end of each part of the syllabus., there will be a discussion on the main topics dealt with in class: students will be asked questions by the teachers and encouraged to answer individually. Attendance is not compulsory but advised. The exam will be the same for students who attend and students who are unable to.
Assessment Methods
Students will take an oral exam in Italian, conversing on the topics dealt with in class and listed in this syllabus. They will be asked 7-8 questions meant to assess their ability to express themselves correctly in Italian, and their knowledge of the historical context, the socio-cultural and identity issues, as well as the stylistic and thematic peculiarities of the authors’ works and contexts. The students’ ability to understand and conduct a critical analysis of the literary texts listed in this syllabus will be also assessed. The final score will be from 0 to 30. Students will pass the exam with a sufficient score (18-21) if they show a basic knowledge of the topics but they generally answer questions vaguely or superficially; they will get an excellent score (27-30) if they show a very good knowledge of the topics and an ability to develop an in-depth analysis and a critical discourse on them. The final score will be intermediate (22-26) if students show a generally good knowledge of the topics but they fail to provide an in-depth analysis and if their language is correct but not always appropriate. In particular, the exam will assess: the students’ knowledge and understanding of historical and cultural contexts, of the literary contexts, in which the primary texts were composed, of the thematic and stylistic characteristics of the primary sources and their authors; the students’ ability to read. understand, analyse and sum up specialized texts written in English, to interpret them from an intercultural perspective, and to develop a critical analysis of these texts which would focus on their linguistic, rhetorical, stylistic and intersemiotic aspects; the students’ ability to reflect on identity and cultural issues, also in relation to their own reality; the students’ ability to classify, sum up and elaborate data and information; the students’ ability to converse and discuss the various topics of the syllabus orally in a well-argued, critically autonomous speech in correct, formal Italian.
Texts
PRIMARY SOURCES - Ben Okri, 'In the Shadow of War' (1988) and 'Laughter Beneath the Bridge' (1986)(any edition of the two short stories); - Arundhati Roy, 'The God of Small Things'. Flamingo, 1997 (or any other edition); - Witi Ihimaera, 'The Whale Rider', Heinemann, 1987 (or any other edition). SECONDARY SOURCE - Silvia Albertazzi, 'La letteratura postcoloniale. Dall’Impero alla World Literature', Carocci, 2013.
Slides on postcolonial key concepts and other learning materials will be availabe on a specific Team titled "learning materials" on MS Teams. Students are invitated to contact the teacher via email and ask to be given access to the above-mentioned Team.
Contents
Introduction to the history and the socio-cultural reality of three Anglophone countries belonging to three different continents: Nigeria, India and New Zealand. Introduction to the literature of these countries and comments on the works of three different authors who, in their writings in English, cope with cultural, racial, generational and gender issues, as well as ecological issues linked to the special relations between Indigenous peoples and their environment. Brief introduction to British colonialism and postcolonialism. Filmic adaptations 'The Whale Rider' and view of other films and cultural vides on the three examined countries.
Course Language
Italian.
More information
Incoming Erasmus students will be allowed to be examined in English if they wish so. They will however need to inform the teacher during the teaching semester. The teacher will provide study material and mentoring in English.
For weekly office hours and any change might occur see: https://www.lingue.unich.it/node/8658
Degrees
Degrees
FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES
Bachelor’s Degree
3 years
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