Course Description
A study of selected works of Italian literature within the
literary and cultural context of the period in which each work
was written. Given in English.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students are required to read more secondary material
(usually criticism and scholarship dealing with the primary
texts), and are tested on it when they take the final exam (which
is different from the final exam taken by the undergraduates).
Furthermore, they are required to write a longer and more
thorough research paper (usually 15 to 20 pages typewritten
pages). Depending on the topic and instructor, other specific
requirements may be required of the graduate students (such as
oral presentations).
Athena Title
Italian Literature and Culture
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in ITAL 4030I or ITAL 6030I
Non-Traditional Format
Course will be offered approximately every other year.
Prerequisite
ITAL 2002 or ITAL 2002E or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
- Students who successfully complete the course will have demonstrated their knowledge of the literary works both analytically and synthetically.
- Students who successfully complete the course will have demonstrated the ability to write a coherent and persuasive literary critical essay, and the ability to actively participate in class discussions.
- Students who successfully complete the course will have the intellectual, cultural, and historical background needed to understand the literary and cultural works they will study in Topics in the Literature and Culture of Italy.
- Students who successfully complete the course will be able to analyze critically these works so that they can interpret the subtle nuances of meaning encoded by the authors.
Topical Outline
- The intellectual history of Italy; Dante's "Divine Comedy"; Italian Lyric Poetry; Italian theater; the Nineteenth Century Italian Novel; Boccaccio's "Decameron" and its influence on European narrative prose fiction; Petrarch and Petarchism; Contemporary Italian Writers; and Italian Women Writers.
- The following questions (or situations) will be addressed for each work: linguistic and geographical context; historical importance; the author's bio-bibliography; thematic and stylistic analysis of the work.
- The following outcomes are expected: students will demonstrate an ability to articulate, in prose and in discussion, the complex interrelationships that exist between issues of language, literature and the arts, and the social sciences, as manifest in the works in question.
- Students' writing skills will be measurable in terms of organization, content and style. Tests and exams will quantify the acquisition of the knowledge mentioned above.
- Class participation will be measured in terms of accuracy of recall, cogency, and general responsiveness and collaboration in discussions and other activities.
