BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course is divided into two parts: a more general one in the first semester and a more advanced one in the second semester.
This course provides students with a view of Germanic languages and literatures in the Middle Ages, with particular attention to the origins of the English and German traditions. This knowledge allows students to understand the evolutionary process of the foreign languages and literatures they are studying (English and/or German), to identify their distinguishing characteristics, and to become aware of the complexity of factors that lead to the formation of modern languages and literatures. Students are also familiar with the main aspects of medieval Germanic languages and literatures (English, German and Icelandic) and are able to read, translate and comment from a linguistic, cultural-historical and philological point of view on short passages written in the original language analysed during the course. Students thus deepen their knowledge of Germanic languages and literatures, knowing how to place them in a diachronic and comparative perspective, and understand the methodological problems associated with the analysis and interpretation of sources.
Course Prerequisites
THERE ARE NO PREREQUISITES
Knowledge of modern German is not required for this module.
This module is taught entirely in Italian.
It is advisable to have already taken the linguistics exam.
Teaching Methods
Lectures with exercises and readings during the course. Most of the topics covered in the bibliography will be analyzed in class.
The instructor will propose activities and/or presentations and/or projects for individuals or small groups, which will then be evaluated as partial components of the final exam.
Assessment Methods
Learning assessment includes a written midterm exam at the end of the first semester and assignments in the second semester (which serve as additional partial assessments). The regular session exams are always oral.
During the course, guidance will be provided on exam procedures, with reflections on content and strategies. The instructor will also share a detailed evaluation rubric that clearly explains the examination criteria.
For a passing grade, students must demonstrate knowledge of the main course contents; for a more than satisfactory grade, they should be able to create connections between the linguistic and cultural phenomena studied and to place events, works, and figures in their chronological context; for an excellent grade, students must show in-depth knowledge of the topics and present them with expressive mastery.
Evaluation will be divided into 5 bands and will take into account both the knowledge of the course contents and presentation skills:
- (30 cum laude) – excellent; precise, correct, and appropriate.
- (30-27) – very good; correct.
- (26-24) – good; mostly correct.
- (23-18) – acceptable; with some occasional errors.
- (below 18) – partial and/or superficial; with numerous mistakes.
Contents
a) Origin and development of the Germanic languages (evolution from Indo-European to Germanic; typical features of Proto-Germanic and the early Germanic languages: Old English and Old High German).
b) Sources on the Germanic world (historical, literary, linguistic sources; mythological sources, especially from the Icelandic tradition). Institutions of the Germanic world. Religion and mythology. Runic writing and magic. The encounter of the various Germanic peoples with Christianity. The birth of lyric poetry and prose in the Anglo-Saxon, German, and Icelandic traditions.
c) Monographic topic 1 – The creation and end of the world in early Germanic literatures. Readings in Italian of selected passages from the Norse, Anglo-Saxon, and Old High German traditions.
d) Monographic topic 2 – Readings of the Norse poems Þrymskviða and Lokasenna. In a burlesque-parodic key, they respectively depict Thor disguised as a bride to recover his stolen hammer, and Loki engaged in a sharp exchange of insults with the gods during a banquet. Two interesting reflections on the pantheon of the ancient Germanic mythology.
e) Brief notes on rewritings or adaptations of aspects of medieval Germanic culture: the revival of myth in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien; reinterpretations of the historical-mythological sources of Germanic peoples in TV series (Vikings, Ragnarok), in manga (Vinland Saga, etc.); in video games (God of War, Assassin’s Creed / Valhalla).
For a detailed discussion of these aspects, please refer to the course “Intercultural Heritage, Media and Archives” offered in the second semester, as an elective exam.
Online Resources
More information
On the course’s Moodle platform, students can find the presentations used in class and all the material provided by the instructor.
The lecture notes and the material uploaded on Moodle by the instructor do not replace the study of the texts listed in Leganto.