OVERVIEW

This is a 36-hour course taught in the second semester of the first year. It offers an introduction to defining aspects of the literature and culture of the United States, from the Colonial Period to the second half of the 19th century.

Language: English.

Credits: 6.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students will acquire a general knowledge of the language, culture, institutions, and selected literary trends and texts of the U.S., with a particular focus on the origins of the nation and the 19th century.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at familiarizing students with major trends of American culture and with important works in different genres (fiction, poetry, essay). Students will learn how to analyze such works from both historical and literary perspectives.

By attending the course regularly and engaging with the prescribed materials, students will be able to:

1. Identify and describe major literary forms and influential figures in 19th-century American literature and culture

2. Recognize and interpret theoretical, poetic and narrative texts within their historical and cultural contexts

3. Analyze complex texts with attention to their cultural and linguistic specificities

PREREQUISITES

The course is taught entirely in English. Students are expected to have at least a B2 level of English, which corresponds to the level they are supposed to achieve upon completing an Italian high school diploma.

TEACHING METHODS

The course consists of lectures in English, seminars and close-reading activities.

For students who decide to attend, participation is mandatory. Attendance is checked through signatures at the beginning and end of lessons. 

Attendance is strongly recommended.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The first-year course will address some fundamental texts from the period between the colonial age and the Civil War. Students will deepen their knowledge of Anglo-American culture through the study of themes such as exceptionalism, the Puritan legacy, the wilderness, the myth of the frontier, racial tensions, cultural diversity and the American dream.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Authors and works that might be included in the course for both attending and non-attending students (reading list to be integrated/modified):

Edgar Allan Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839), "The Masque of the Red Death" (1842), "The Tell-Tale Heart” (1843), “The Purloined Letter” (1844)

Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter (1850)

Walt Whitman, "Song of the Open Road” (1856), “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” (1856)

Emily Dickinson, selected poems

Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861)

Slides, as well as further teaching material used during lessons, will be available on Aulaweb.

Students who are unable to attend will be given specific critical readings.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

GABRIELE FERRACCI (President)

PAOLA ANNA NARDI

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Lessons will start in the second semester.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

• Attending students: the final grade will be based on written pre-exams and the final written exam.

• Non-attending students: the final grade will be based entirely on the final written exam.

The written exam lasts 2 hours and consists of 5 questions. Each answer must be at least 15 lines long.

Students are expected to demonstrate knowledge of the authors studied, the texts analyzed and their cultural contexts.

For attending students who have taken the pre-exams, the written exam will include fewer questions.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam consists of open-ended questions and commentaries on literary texts (poems, extracts from short stories, novels, essays, etc.). The open-ended questions assess knowledge and comprehension, while the commentaries evaluate the student’s ability to identify and describe the main formal features of specific texts, relate them to their historical and cultural contexts, and understand and respond to critical essays included in the reading list.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Attendance is highly recommended. Students who are unable to attend will have to study some supplementary or different material. Course enrolment via Aulaweb is mandatory. Examination enrolment is through the Unige website.

This syllabus is valid till February 2028.

Erasmus students are welcome!

If you are a student with a learning difficulty, health condition or disability, please contact the University’s support service (disabili@unige.it) and Professor Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it).

You should also inform your lecturers by email (gabriele.ferracci@edu.unige.it and paola.nardi@unige.it) well in advance of the exam.