Topics in Italian Culture, Language, and Literature
ITAL 4120/6120
3 hours. Repeatable for maximum 45 hours credit.
Topics in Italian Culture, Language, and Literature
Course Description
Selected topics in Italian culture, civilization, language, literature, or literary theory. Given in Italian.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students: 15-20 page term paper written in Italian (or several shorter papers written in Italian). Several oral presentations given in Italian.
Athena Title
Topics in Italian
Prerequisite
ITAL 3010 or ITAL 3030
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
The course aims to develop a student’s four skills (aural, oral, reading, and writing) so that students can develop, support, and express ideas clearly and precisely in both spoken and written Italian. At the end of the course, successful students will be able to speak and write at the ACTFL Intermediate High to Advanced Low level, and clearly articulate their position on a thesis or an issue and support it with cogent arguments.
At the end of the course, the successful student will have developed an awareness, appreciation, and knowledge of whichever aspects of Italian culture are presented in this topics course. Consideration is also given to the impact of those cultural aspects on both contemporary Italian and Western culture.
The successful student will know how cultural factors influenced the social identity, social roles and mindsets of the Italians discussed in this topics course; and how these in turn shaped aspects of contemporary Italy culture, including interpersonal communication.
At the end of the course, successful students will be able to discover the subtle nuances of meaning in the assigned texts and other cultural artifacts. They will also be able to identify the literary genres, forms, and conventions that make up these texts, and discuss the intellectual, historical, and cultural background needed to understand both the texts and the other cultural artifacts.
Topical Outline
Topics will vary. The following are topics that have been taught in past:
1) Dante's Divine Comedy
2) Italian Lyric Poetry
3) Italian Culture and Civilization
4) Italian Theatre
5) The Nineteenth Century Italian Novel
6) Boccaccio's Decameron and the Novella
7) Petrarch and Petrarchism
8) Contemporary Italian Writers
9) Italian Renaissance Writers
10) Italian Women Writers
