ITALIAN LITERATURE - IN ITALIAN

N.B. This class is part of the Foundation Year Program organised by the Ca' Foscari School for International Education (SIE). Students cannot attend classes or take exams if they are not officially enrolled in the course. For further information, please visit this webpage: https://www.unive.it/pag/34804/

This course is part of the Humanities and Arts Track of the Foundation Year and will be held in Italian.

The course focuses on Italian Literature from its origins till today, by looking at the different cultural trends, which have marked its history and evolution, and by taking into consideration many literary and cultural personalities and the most significant works. During class time we will analyze the general context of the authors from a historical, linguistic and cultural point of view, as well as examine the texts in detail, illustrating their differences and similarities, according to the different genres and cultural and philosophical trends they belong to.

By the end of the course, students will have learned about the main trends of Italian literary tradition and their evolution. They will be able to frame the most significant authors and texts of the canon, according to their different literary genres (belonging to the three main categories of poetry, prose and theater), as well as some minor authors, if possible. By the end of the course, students will be able to read, understand, analyze, elaborate and contextualize a literary text written in Medieval, Modern or Contemporary Italian, belonging to either poetry, prose or dramatic genres.

Since the course will be held in Italian, is it necessary to possess at least a B2 in Italian Language. No previous knowledge of Italian Literature is required.

The course focuses on the various eras of Italian Literature from its origins to the contemporary times. A tentative program may be divided as follows:
- Origins, 1300s and first Humanism (Medieval period, up to Boccaccio included): weeks 1-3.
- 1400s, Renaissance and Baroque (early Modern period): weeks 4-6
- 1700s and 1800s (Modern period): weeks 7-9
- 1900s and new Millennium (Contemporary period): weeks 10-12
A more detailed division of the program's contents will be given in class and uploaded to Moodle: please, remember that the program may change and be adjusted during the semester. The definite version of the program will be given before the final exam and uploaded to Moodle.

Main textbook (to be purchased): Paolo E. Balboni, Letteratura italiana per stranieri. Storia, testi, analisi, attività. Collana cultura italiana. Edilingua: 2024. ISBN: 978-88-99358-46-4.
The textbook may be acuired at the bookshop or online, on the Edilingua website (https://www.edilingua.it/en/eshop/415-letteratura-italiana-per-stranieri-cd-audio.html ) or other general websites.

All extra material, including readings, slides, lecture notes, will be made available via the Moodle platform.
Books and further readings can be found online or through the University library.

Suggested textbook: P. Brand, L. Pertile, The Cambridge History of Italian Literature, Cambridge University Press, 1997: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-history-of-italian-literature/1BC749FAFCDF55A47FC2A96FDDD92B27

The course includes the following evaluating criteria:
- 20%: in-class participation, assigned extra activities and readings, discussions, group work and reviews.
- 30%: Midterm exam (written essay).
- 50%: Final oral exam (on the full program of the course).
Students are encouraged to deepen their knowledge and further research any author or topic they like. Extra personal research may be considered for extra grade or credit.

written and oral

Final grade will be out of 30; minimum passing grade is 18/30.

Classes will be in the form of lectures or seminars.
Each week’s topic will be introduced by the Professor with a synthetic overview of the main features, connecting the authors and works with the history, geography, political, economic and social background of that period.
For each period there will be a selected list of works or sample readings from the authors taken into consideration. We will analyze some texts in class; further research, analysis or readings may be assigned for homework in preparation or completion of class work.
Every one-two week (according to the type of work) there will be a discussion session or a written review where students will present their findings regarding the assigned readings.

Italian

Please, register to the Moodle page of this course as soon as possible, as all information and announcements will be given through that platform, including the uploading of additional material for your consideration.
Class attendance is mandatory.