OVERVIEW

A course in Arabic literature and culture.

Taught hours: 36.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aimes at offering the student the basic notions of Arabic culture and literature through diachronic readings that pay particular attention to the socio-cultural dimentions of beduine society, as well as to its literary production forms. Within this topic, attention will be paid to the birth and progress of Islam with its religious, social and artistic influences.

Main examples of pre-Islamic poetry, early islamic literary production and prose production will be analyzed.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At course completion, students will have a basic knowledge of:

distribution of Arab population in the Arabian peninsula;

the pre-Islamic period, the so-called ğāhiliyya;

pre-Islamic poetry, qaṣīda and muʿallaqāt, themes and prosody;

Islam and how it affected poetry production; 

the Koran and its influence on literary production; 

new literary genres;

the first caliphate and its contribution to Arabic literature;  

the Umayyad dynasty.

TEACHING METHODS

The course includes 36 hours of lectures and / or seminars and analysis of a selection of literary texts.

Attendance is strongly recommended.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The pre-Islamic period; 

Historical and geographical presentation of the Arabian peninsula; 

Social structure of the tribe and importance of the figure of the poet;

Pre-Islamic poetic production, main poets, themes and poetic style; 

The main themes of the muʿallaqāt;

The Umayyad caliphate and its contribution to Arabic literature. 

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

AMALDI, Daniela, Storia della letteratura araba classica, Zanichelli, Bologna 2004.

ALLEN, Roger, La letteratura araba, Il Mulino, Bologna 2006.

Selection of literary texts provided by the tutor.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

NASSER AHMED ISMAIL AHMED (President)

MANUELA ELISA GIOLFO (President)

ABDELHALEEM HUSSEIN ABDELMOTTALEB SOLAIMAN

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Term One.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Final oral exam.
Online registration for the final exam from the University website is mandatory.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The final oral exam consists of an interview aimed at verifying acquired knowledge and skills.

Exam schedule