LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course is aimed at giving non-mother tongue Italian students with at least a sufficient command of Italian an introduction to Italian Literature and Culture (art, music, theatre) and to their own historical/geographical backgrounds.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to enable foreign students to acquire a level of linguistic competence comparable to B2 (with particular attention to grammatical and syntactic structures, as well as to vocabulary and polysemy) through the knowledge of literary and other texts documenting the most important moments in the development of Italian society and customs. At the end of the course the student will be able to:

• Communicate in the Italian language with a competence comparable to B2, expounding and discussing the topics covered in written and oral form with clarity and propriety of language:
• Orient themselves within the developmental framework of Italian literature;
• Interpret and comment on an Italian literary text, placing it in its relevant historical context and using the appropriate formal tools.

PREREQUISITES

A knowledge of the initial language (i.e. at the time the course starts) of at least CEFR level A2 is required for access to the course.

The course has a monitored frequency. Those who have not attended at least 50% of the lessons must contact the teacher (giordano.rodda@unige.it) in due time to agree on a programme for non-attenders. Only foreign students who have not obtained a higher education qualification in Italy may enrol in this course.

TEACHING METHODS

The course includes lectures with the aid of multimedia tools and materials. During the lectures there will be commented readings of literary excerpts and in-depth cultural studies aimed at contextualising the works examined: both the readings and the in-depth studies are to be understood as examples of work on the literary text, aimed at stimulating the students' reflections, who will be invited to actively participate with interventions and questions. The teacher will also make available to students, in a special section of the AulaWeb 2022 e-learning portal, the slides used in the classroom and other supplementary or study support materials.

Attendance of the course is not compulsory, but is strongly recommended. Students who, for justified reasons, expect not to be able to attend at least 50% of the lectures (i.e. at least 27 of the 54 hours of classroom teaching) are required to contact the teacher by e-mail (giordano.rodda@unige.it) at the beginning of the course in order to agree on an alternative examination programme. It is also advisable to attend the first lecture, during which the syllabus and examination regulations will be presented.

Lessons will be held in person, unless otherwise specified by the University.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The lessons of the course will be devoted to the following topic:

Travel literature and literature in travel: contemporary gazes from and towards Italy.

After a brief introduction dedicated to the experiences of foreign travellers in Italy over the centuries, the course will focus on 20th century travel literature, seen from two sides; on the one hand the rediscovery of a changing Italy after the Second World War, and on the other the journey abroad and the confrontation with the exotic and the different. The three main authors covered will be Guido Piovene, author of the most famous literary guide to Italy in the 1950s, born from a very successful radio experience; Eugenio Montale, not only the greatest Italian poet of the 20th century but also a very fine prose writer, whether writing about his beloved Cinque Terre or the Middle East; and Goffredo Parise, who in his column Lontano in the Corriere della Sera between 1982 and 1983 condensed some of his travel experiences into short but intense and dense prose.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Handouts on AulaWeb.
• Guido Piovene, Viaggio in Italia, Milano, Bompiani, 2017 (only the parts indicated during the lessons)
• Eugenio Montale, Fuori di casa, Milano, Mondadori, 2017 (only the parts indicated during the lessons)
• Goffredo Parise, Lontano, a cura di Silvio Perella, Milano, Adelphi, 2009 (a careful reading of the whole work is required)

The list of texts may be subject to change and it is therefore advisable to wait for the start of the lessons and the presentation of the programme by the lecturer before proceeding with purchase or loan. The bibliography of module 2 will in any case be supplemented with additional readings presented in class and made available on AulaWeb during the course.

Non-attending students are invited to contact the teacher.