BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
Provide knowledge and skills essential for studying British literature and culture, as well as related critical approaches, consistent with the guidelines of the scientific sector L-LIN/10 and with the aims of the bachelor’s degree in Modern foreign languages and literatures.
At the end of the course, students:
Will demonstrate knowledge of the theoretical and ideological framework
Will have acquired familiarity with the formal, thematic and rhetorical features of each text
Will have developed an enhanced awareness of various reading approaches to each text
Will have refined their sensitivity to the expressive potential of the English language.
Students are expected to show a firm knowledge of the HISTORICAL, POLITICAL, SOCIAL and LITERARY context.
Course Prerequisites
A good knowledge of English. Successful completion of the exams of English Language II and either English, or Anglo-American or Postcolonial literature II (only for students who don’t choose the course as elective, i.e. a scelta libera).
Teaching Methods
Lectures, videos analysis, use of PowerPoint slides. Students will be asked to actively participate.
Assessment Methods
In order to take the exam students must have successfully completed the exams listed in the prerequisites.
The program is valid for three years. Students will be assessed ONLY VIA A WRITTEN EXAM, IN ENGLISH.
Required skills for exam:
1. students must show adequate knowledge of the literary and cultural contexts for the issues discussed in the course;
2. students are expected to read all the texts in English and should be able to contextualize passages from one the assigned texts;
3. students must be able to discuss texts critically with reference to the issues addressed in the course.
For the 6 cfu programme, the written exam of English literature III 2 lasts 80 minutes and comprises two parts. The first part is a multiple-choice test on primary and secondary sources. Successful completion of this test gives access to the second part, consisting of a brief explanation and contextualization of a passage from one of the primary texts and of an open question aimed at discussing that work in relation to specific aspects and/or other authors of English Romanticism.
For the 9 cfu programme, the written examination of English literature III 2 lasts 120 minutes and includes, in addition to what constitutes the 6 cfu examination (see above), another short essay on the rest of the programme (1 or 2 pages long).
Students will be notified via email once exam results have been posted on their web page.
Evaluation criteria for the attribution of grades:
- Outstanding (30 e lode): excellent knowledge of all of the contents of the course. Excellent ability to analyze the texts and to contextualize them in an appropriate way. The student uses the academic writing register/style with appropriate linguistic terminologies.
- Very good (30 to 27): very good knowledge of all of the contents of the course. Very good ability to analyse the texts and to contextualize them in an appropriate way.
- Good (26-24): Good knowledge of the contents of the course. Adequate ability to describe the texts. The language used is simple but correct.
- Fair/sufficient (23-18): The work has sufficient knowledge, coherence, use of appropriate resources and quality of presentation to warrant a basic pass. The ability to analyse the texts is not wholly satisfactory. The work is very descriptive and does not fully address the issues raised by the question.
- Fail (below 18): The student demonstrates only a basic awareness of the contents of the course. The work is frequently confused and incoherent. The essays contain inaccuracies and major errors.
Contents
The course, taught in English, focuses on Romantic poetry, seen as a myth-making self-representation later granted an iconic status.
The stylistic and rhetorical analysis of poetry will also be covered with reference to prosody.
The relationship between cultural representations and national identity will be explored, focusing on both the original and contemporary contexts
In the final part of the course (9 cfu programme), the work of female and male poets will be analyzed in order to consider the construction of gender identity.
Online Resources
More information
Lessons will take place in the first semester.
Students who choose the 6 cfu course should attend the first 36 class hours and must prepare the related reading list; the 9 cfu course also includes the topics covered in the next 18 hours.
Students are required to prepare all mandatory readings listed in Leganto. For the 6 cfu programme, they need only study the following authors: Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats. The 9 cfu programme also includes Shelley, Byron, Barbauld, Robinson and Hemans. The critical bibliography of the two programmes is the same.
Class handouts and slides will be made available in Moodle at the end of the course. Students are reminded that they are provided only as general guidelines. They are by no means sufficient for preparing the exam.
Erasmus students may contact Prof. Guidotti either during office hours or via email for further information, if necessary.