OVERVIEW

The course deals with Italian literature and culture and is reserved for foreign students, i.e. those who have not obtained a high school diploma in Italy. The course is part of the basic training activities of the Modern Languages and Cultures course of study and gives 9 CFU, corresponding to 54 hours of classroom teaching activity. The course aims to provide students with a knowledge of modern and contemporary Italian culture by means of in-class reading and analysis of texts in prose and verse by Italy's most significant writers, on which linguistic and lexical analysis will be carried out. 

AIMS AND CONTENT

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 vocaboulary, grammatical and syntactical structures) through the knowledge of literary texts documenting the most significant aspects 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 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 (emanuela.chichiricco@edu.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 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 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 (emanuela.chichiricco@edu.unige.it) at the beginning of the course in order to agree on an alternative examination programme.

The syllabus, timetable of exercises and examination regulations will be presented during the first lessons. For this reason, the first lessons are particularly important and all students are invited to attend.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Tematic paths in Italian literature

The course will offer an overview of Italian literature through the proposal of short thematic paths in love, political, scientific and dramatic literature, corresponding to as many modules.

Within each thematic module will be presented particularly relevant texts from a historical, critical and linguistic point of view. The selected texts will be provided by the lecturer and will be contextualised and analysed in class with the support of handouts.

All materials will be uploaded onto Aulaweb.

During the lessons, students will be invited to actively participate in the analysis, drawing on their own literary heritage of reference and demonstrating their knowledge and use of the main tools of literary analysis. Some lessons will be dedicated to the teaching and consolidation of the Italian language, with intermediate exercises.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

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The bibliography will be provided by the lecturer during the lectures. The texts will be taken mainly from manuals and anthologies dedicated to the teaching of Italian literature to L2 students, such as

• P. Balboni, Letteratura italiana per stranieri. Storia, testi, analisi, attività, Roma, Edilingua, 2019
• A. Caravacci Reynolds, A. Brunetti, Teatro, prosa, poesia, Anma libri, 1982
• S. Buttaroni, Letteratura al naturale. Autori italiani contemporanei con attività di analisi linguistica, Roma, Bonacci, 1989
• L. Alessio, A. Sgaglione, Invito a teatro. Insegnare l’italiano a stranieri attraverso testi teatrali italiani, Roma, Edilingua, 2007

The texts and handouts will be available for all on Aulaweb.

Non-attending students are invited to contact the lecturer (emanuela.chichiricco@edu.unige.it) to agree on the syllabus and examination bibliography.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

EMANUELA CHICHIRICCO' (President)

GIORDANO RODDA

MATTEO NAVONE (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

classes start on 21 February 2024

Class schedule

ITALIAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination will take place in a single oral test. 

For those who have attended at least 50% of the lectures, the examination consists of an oral interview relating to the programme carried out in the classroom. The final grade will take into account the evaluations of the exercises carried out during the year. For non-attending students, the examination consists of an oral interview relating to the programme agreed with the lecturer.

In order to take part in the tests, you must register at least five days before the date of the exam on the website https://servizionline.unige.it/studenti/esami/prenotazione.

During the course, further indications regarding the conduct of the examinations will be provided.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The oral examination consists of an interview on the topics included in the examination programme, and aims to assess the ability to

• express themselves in Italian with skills comparable to level B2;
• paraphrase and summarise a literary passage;
• to contextualise the works studied from a historical and cultural point of view;
• make connections and comparisons between the topics covered in the course.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Enrolment for the examination is by electronic means: enrolments sent after the deadline or via e-mail sent to the lecturer will not be accepted.

All students, whether attending or not, are requested to register for the course on AulaWeb 2022 in order to receive communications and notices concerning the course.