This is a postgraduate course taught in the first and second semesters. It offers an introduction to literary and cultural theory and consists of an introductory class and 9 2-hour seminars.
The course consists of seminars run by members of the teaching staff and coordinated by Prof. Laura Colombino.
The course aims to provide postgraduate students with a basic knowledge of theoretical and methodological approaches to literary texts and cultural objects.
Students who attend this course regularly, and study the prescribed materials, will acquire
- a knowledge of key aspects of literary and cultural theory and an understanding of different critical traditions;
- an advanced knowledge of some (meta)critical and methodological instruments of the literary and cultural analysis;
- an advanced ability to analyse some aspects of literary texts and specific cultural phenomena by applying the theoretical and methodological instruments they have acquired;
- a good ability to work in team.
An advanced knowledge of Italian (Level C1) and of two literatures and cultures.
Seminars in Italian held by various teachers. Students' presentation and discussion of theoretical texts facilitated by the teacher. Attendance is mandatory from the first semester.
This is an introductory course on essential theoretical aspects of literary and cultural theory. Students will have the opportunity to investigate a range of theoretical issues with a special emphasis on the following topics:
- ecopoetics; neomaterialism;
- postcolonial theory; "black geographies" in the US context; ethics and aesthetics of vulnerability;
- examples of creative writing: screenwriting for film and TV (workshop).
Students are required to read an essay or watch a video for each seminar. The reading list and a pdf version of all the texts will be made available on aulaweb. This is a provisional, partial list of sources:
Said, Edward, Orientalismo. L'immagine europea dell'Oriente, traduzione di Stefano Galli, collana Universale economica. Saggi, 2ª ed., Feltrinelli, 2002. Estratto.
Walter Benjamin, L'opera d'arte nell'epoca della sua riproducibilità tecnica, Einaudi, 2000.
Ricevimento: By appointment only. My office is in Santa Sabina, 2, Floor 5.
1 October 2025
Schedule: Wednesday, 13:00-15:00, POLO: Room F
LITERARY THEORY AND CULTURAL STUDIES
Students will be assessed on the basis of their engagement in the discussion of the texts and their ability to deliver presentations on their contents. Attendance: a minimum of 7 seminars is mandatory. An additional oral test will be required if the quality of the engagement in class discussion is not fully satisfactory.
This is a Pass/Fail course. It is assessed by monitoring the attendance, the knowledge and personal analysis of the texts in the reading list, and the participation in seminar discussion. If the above requirements were not met, the student will take a final oral examination on a selection of texts analysed during the course.
Students will pass the exam if they have attended continuously, engaged actively in seminar discussion and shown the ability to apply the theoretical instruments acquired during the course to literary texts and cultural phenomena.
Course enrolment via aulaweb is mandatory. Examination enrolment is through the Ateneo website.
Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.
