BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
At the end of the course the students will have acquired a sound knowledge of the main aspects of the culture and literature of the United States in a transnational perspective. Students will also reach a good of knowledge of the American critical movements of the 20th century.
Course Prerequisites
Very good knowledge of written English. Very good capacity to communicate in English. Good knowledge of American literature.
Teaching Methods
Lectures (in English). Use of power point slides. An active participation on the part of students is strongly encouraged. Students can replace part of the program with an oral presentation.
Assessment Methods
The final exam will be written and will consist of 1) an extended critical commentary on the topics of the course; 2) a short contextualization of a passage from one of the novels. The evaluation will take into account the clarity of the argument and the accuracy of the references both to the primary sources (plots, characters, themes, style) and to the critical texts (capacity to summarize their main argument). The quality of the writing (grammatical and lexical correctness, fluency, rhetorical effectiveness) will be a crucial element of the overall evaluation. Grading scale: Outstanding (30 e lode and 30): 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 (29 to 27): very good knowledge of all of the contents of the course. Very good ability to analyze the texts and to contextualize them in an appropriate way. The writing is correct and there are only slight imperfections. Good (26-24): Good knowledge of the contents of the course. Adequate ability to describe the texts. The language used is simple but mostly correct, although there may be some inaccuracies. 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 analyze the texts is not wholly satisfactory. The language used is very descriptive and at times faulty. Fail (below 18): The student demonstrates only a basic awareness of the contents of the course. The work is frequently confused and inconsistent. Both the text identification and the essay contain inaccuracies and major errors.
Contents
The course will offer an introduction to the American Bildungsroman as a critical problem, exploring its main articulations through a selection of novels. We will first examine some canonical and transnational definitions of the Bildungsroman, then consider some American examples of the genre from a chronological perspective. In-depth analysis of the novels will allow us to bring out historical contexts and test critical tools in light of concrete narrative worlds. Special attention will be given to how questions of national identity, gender, and ethnicity influence the content and form of coming-of-age narratives.
Online Resources
More information
IMPORTANT:
For a complete list of the required readings (primary and secondary sources), students must carefully read the course bibliography in LEGANTO.
Erasmus and Erasmus Mundus students should inform the instructor of their enrollment in the course by sending her an e-mail before classes begin (anna.de-biasio@unibg.it). The course will be held in the first and second sub-periods.