BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of the course, students will have:
- Acquired competent familiarity with the formal, thematic, and rhetorical aspects of the texts examined
- Developed awareness of different approaches to interpreting and reading texts critically
- Refined their sensitivity to the expressive potential of the English language
- Demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of the historical, political, social, and literary contexts of the period under study
Assessment Requirements:
Students are required to demonstrate thorough knowledge of the historical, political, social, and literary contexts of the period examined.
Course Prerequisites
A competent knowledge of English (C1 level) Bergamo University students must have completed English Language 2 and Literature 2 requirements.
Erasmus students are expected to have at least a B2/C1 English language competence level.
Teaching Methods
Lectures. Lessons may include PowerPoint slides and multimedia tools. Students will be asked to take active part in classroom discussion.
Assessment Methods
This course runs during the third and fourth sub-terms with one syllabus applying to all students. Non-attending students must complete the exact same coursework and meet identical exam requirements as attending students.
No exceptions or adjustments will be made for non-attendance.
Credits: 9 (54 hours) or 6 (36 hours)
Syllabus Validity: This syllabus remains in effect for a total of three (3) years, including the academic year of its first offering
CREDITS
6 credits: students enrolled in the 6-credit course are required to attend the first 36 hours of lectures (the first six weeks) and prepare the corresponding syllabus. They are expected to read all the texts of PART A (Thomas More’s Utopia; Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis; Henry Neville’s The Isle of Pines and Shakespeare’s Tempest) and only the first text from PART B (Huxley’s Brave New World).
9 credits: students enrolled in the 9-credit course are required to also attend the additional 18 hours of lectures (for a total of 54 hours, or 9 weeks) and prepare all the required texts (PART A and PART B).
FINAL EXAM
Assessment consists of a written exam only; no oral exams will be offered.
All responses must be in ENGLISH, unless otherwise required (e.g.: translation).
Students must demonstrate:
- Comprehensive knowledge of literary and cultural contexts presented in Poplawski's English Literature in Context and all required secondary readings
- Critical reading skills that connect course texts to their central themes and issues
EXAM FORMAT for 9-credits
Students who enrolled for 9 credits will complete a 2-hour-and-45-minute written exam divided into three sections:
- Multiple-Choice Section (40-45 minutes)
- The multiple-choice section tests your ability to recognize primary texts and your knowledge of the chapters from Poplawski’s English Literature in Context
- 42 questions in English
- Tests recognition of texts, historical contexts, and cultural significance
- Covers all primary and secondary course readings
2. Text Analysis (15-20 minutes)
- Brief analysis (approximately 10 lines) of one primary course text
3. Essay Questions (60 minutes)
- Two short essays selected from four options
- Each response should be at least two handwritten pages
EXAM FORMAT for 6-credits
Students who enrolled for 6 credits will complete a 2-hour-and-15-minute written exam divided into three sections:
- Multiple-Choice Section (40-45 minutes)
- The multiple-choice section tests your ability to recognize primary texts and your knowledge of the chapters from Poplawski’s English Literature in Context
- 30 questions in English
- Tests recognition of texts, historical contexts, and cultural significance
- Covers all primary and secondary course readings
2. Text Analysis (15-20 minutes)
- Brief analysis (approximately 10 lines) of one primary course text
3. Essay Questions (60 minutes)
- Two short essays selected from four options
- Each response should be at least two handwritten pages
Contents
The course consists of two sections which address select motifs of utopia and dystopia in British literary texts from the early modern period to the present day. Module A focuses on early-modern or pre-modern literary instances of utopia, including Thomas More’s Utopia and Shakespeare’s Tempest. Module B explores modern and contemporary incarnations of dystopia, including T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, George Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. The texts will be read by applying multiple interpretive approaches, the resources and the limits of which will be discussed in class. A few notes on the what students should know for the purposes of the final exam (both modules). Students are expected : 1) to possess at least a general knowledge of the broad periods of English literature (Old English, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Enlightenment, Romanticism, Victorianism, Modernism). At least approximately, each candidate should be able to place the main authors of the period chronologically (first half or second half of the century). 2)to possess a reasonably detailed knowledge of the period of English literature covered by the two modules. This applies to both modules (A and B). Students should be familiar with key features in the history, culture and literature of the time. A full reading list will be posted on the Moodle (e-learning) course page and will appear on the Leganto platform. For each module, students are expected to: 1) Have a detailed knowledge of each PRIMARY TEXT e.g. full novels, select chapters, essays or short stories) discussed in class. Knowledge should not be limited to plots, characters, and main themes but also address issues of style, imagery, symbolism or any other theoretical issue discussed in class. 2) Possess at least a general biographical knowledge for each of the authors discusses (life/works) and a familiarity with theoretical terms used or discussed in class.
Online Resources
More information
The course will be taught in the 3rd and 4th sub-terms. Erasmus students and students unable to attend may contact the lecturer during office hours, via email or GOOGLE MEET (davide.del-bello@unibg.it) for explanations or supplementary readings, if necessary. Class handouts will be made available online at the end of the course on the e-learning (MOODLE) platform.
Please NOTE: Non-attending students must complete the exact same coursework and meet identical exam requirements as attending students.
No exceptions or adjustments will be made for non-attendance.