Skip to main content
CODE 114702
ACADEMIC YEAR 2025/2026
CREDITS
SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINARY SECTOR M-FIL/06
LANGUAGE Italian
TEACHING LOCATION
  • GENOVA
SEMESTER 2° Semester

OVERVIEW

The course focuses on the itinerary of Western culture, starting from its genesis in the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome. It aims to reconstruct the main expressions of the tragic vision of life and the world, emphasizing the thinkers closest to us and endowed with greater speculative originality.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The Course aims to present the main expressions of the tragic vision of life and the world, articulated over the course of Western thought, from ancient Greece to the contemporary era. This presentation will trace the path of a true “tragic line” within the history of philosophy

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The Course aims to show the great relevance of tragic visions of life and the world, especially in relation to the themes of existence and religion. Themes and problems will be addressed in constant dialogue with other fields of knowledge. The student must acquire the ability to assess the meaning of the tragic tradition in the context of Western thought.

PREREQUISITES

A basic knowledge of classical culture and the European philosophical tradition is required.

TEACHING METHODS

The Course will take place through Lectures; seminar Reports by students are foreseen.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The Dreadful Night. Tragic Journeys in the West

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Umberto Curi, Meglio non essere nati. La condizione umana tra Eschilo e Nietzsche, II ed., Bollati Boringhieri, Torino 2023.

August Strindberg, Inferno - Leggende - Giacobbe lotta, a cura e con un Saggio di Luciano Codignola, Adelphi, Milano 2023 (Reading and Commentary by Prof. Stefania Zanardi).

 

For students not attending, also

Sergio Givone, Storia del nulla, III ed., Laterza, Roma-Bari 2006.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Wednesday 11 February 2026.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The Exam, that will take place in oral form, will focus on the texts in the Program and on the topics covered in Class.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Evaluation of the knowledge component: up to 15/30; Evaluation of the processing capacities: up to 10/30; Evaluation of the communication skills: up to 5/30.

FURTHER INFORMATION

It is recommended that female and male students who have presented a certification of special educational needs at the Sector for Services for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and DSA contact the course's responsible professor and the School's Reference Professor (elisabetta.colagrossi@unige.it) to agree on the teaching and exam methods.