italian - university of leicester · 3 welcome... to the study of italian at leicester! all of us...

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SCHOOL OF MODERN LANGUAGES

Italian

2012-13

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

WELCOME ........................................................................................................................ 3

ITALIAN STAFF ............................................................................................................... 4

ITALIAN MODULES 2012-13 ......................................................................................... 6

STRUCTURE OF DEGREES WITH ITALIAN ............................................................ 7

FIRST YEAR ......................................................................................................... 7

SECOND YEAR ..................................................................................................... 9

FINAL YEAR ....................................................................................................... 10

RESIDENCE ABROAD ....................................................................................... 12

ITALIAN MODULES AVAILABLE IN 2012-13

FIRST YEAR MODULES .............................................................................................. 14

FIRST YEAR LANGUAGE MODULES .......................................................... 14

FIRST YEAR CONTENT MODULES .............................................................. 16

SECOND YEAR MODULES ......................................................................................... 20

SECOND YEAR LANGUAGE MODULES ..................................................... 20

SECOND YEAR CONTENT MODULES ......................................................... 22

FINAL YEAR MODULES .............................................................................................. 25

FINAL YEAR LANGUAGE MODULES .......................................................... 25

FINAL YEAR CONTENT MODULES ............................................................. 26

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Welcome

... to the study of Italian at Leicester! All of us teaching you the language, literature, history and

culture of Italy are ourselves Italians or have spent much time in Italy. Each of us has a passion for

our research and teaching that we will be sharing with you. We set high professional standards for

ourselves and for our students, and aim to achieve these within a friendly and informal environment.

The information contained in this booklet is important. Please be sure to read this material carefully

as soon as possible (in conjunction with the School of Modern Languages Undergraduate Student

Handbook) and inform us if you have any queries.

Whether you are a first-year, a second-year, or a final-year student, we are looking forward to making

your Italian studies at Leicester rewarding and enjoyable.

A presto e buon lavoro!

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ITALIAN STAFF

Full-time staff

Marina Spunta, Dott.Ling.Lett.Stran. (Bologna), M.Phil. (Exeter), Ph.D. (Birmingham)

Senior Lecturer, Head of School until December 2012

Room 1111; tel. 252 2658; e-mail [email protected]

Dr Spunta's research interests include contemporary Italian fiction, postwar cinema and

photography, particularly the critical debates on orality, and on space, place and landscape.

She has published two monographs and several articles on a number of issues and various

contemporary Italian writers and photographers; she has also co-edited three volumes of

essays.

Simona Storchi, Dott.Ling.Lett.Stran. (Bologna), Ph.D. (London)

Lecturer, Director of Studies in Italian. On leave in Semester 1

Room 1109; tel. 252 2654; e-mail: [email protected]

Dr Storchi’s research interests include Italian Modernism; early 20th century art and literary

magazines; inter-war literature, visual arts, and architecture; aesthetics and politics during the fascist

regime. She has published a monograph on art theory in the 1920s, and written several articles on

inter-war Italian literature and culture. She has also written articles and edited a book on

contemporary Italian fiction.

Sharon Wood, B.A., Ph.D. (Bristol)

Professor of Modern Languages


Professor Wood’s research interests include modern narrative, theatre and women’s writing,

as well as translation. She is the author of Italian women’s writing 1860-1994 (London

1995), Woman as object: language and culture in the work of Alberto Moravia (1990), and

co-editor of the Cambridge History of Women’s Writing in Italy (Cambridge 2000). Under

Arturo's star: the cultural legacy of Elsa Morante was published, together with Stefania

Lucamante, in 2006. An edited collection of essays on the Nobel prize-winning Sardinian

writer Grazia Deledda, Challenging Modernity: Essays on Grazia Deledda was published in

2007, and will shortly appear in an Italian edition. Current research interests include

Nineteenth-century Italian women’s translations and adaptations from English and French, as

well as women writing on culture and politics prior to Italian unification. Translations from

Italian include Primo Levi's Black Hole of Auschwitz, Romana Petri's An Umbrian War and

The Flying Island, while from Spanish she has translated Marcelo Birmajer’s The Three

Musketeers and Stories of Married Men. Her translation of Dacia Maraini’s Passi affrettati,

Hurried Steps, continues to tour the UK.

Part-time staff

Maria Guarnieri Dott.Ling.Lett. Stran. (Verona), M.A. (Manchester)


Maria Guarnieri teaches a number of language modules in Italian. She is interested in applied

language studies, aspects of contemporary Italian cinema and in contemporary Italian noir.

Maria Morelli Dott.Ling.Lett. Stran. (Padua), M.A. (Milan/Kent) Room 1204; tel. 252 5806;

e-mail [email protected]

Maria is a PhD student supervised by Prof. Sharon Wood and she serves as language tutor for

the Masters in Translation Studies. Her research interests include women’s writing and

mailto:[email protected]





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representations of motherhood, fatherhood and gender relations in contemporary literature

and cinema. For her doctoral research she is focusing on the novels of Italian writers Elsa

Morante (1912-1985), Goliarda Sapienza (1924-1996) and Dacia Maraini (1936-), which she

is reading through the lens of psychoanalytical theories and current debates in feminist

scholarship on the post-gendered subject.

Giambattista Picciano Moss

Giamba Picciano Moss, B.A. (Torino) Giamba has taught the Italian language in this country

for more than twenty years using Communicative Language Teaching methods. He is

interested in modern Italian History and Politics, particularly of the 1970s.

Postgraduate students

Alessandro Baù, Dott. Storia Cont. (Verona)

Room 1215; tel. 2522695; e-mail: [email protected]

Alessandro is working towards a PhD on the author and publisher Gian Dauli and the publishing

industry under Fascism

Oliver Brett, BA French/Italian (Leicester)

e-mail [email protected]

For his PhD thesis, Oliver is looking at contemporary French and Italian documentary filmmaking,

with a particular emphasis on representations of minority voice.

Maria Morelli, Dott. Lingue e letterature straniere (Padua)

Maria is working on relations and bodies in the literature of Elsa Morante and Dacia Maraini.



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ITALIAN MODULES 2012-2013 (The credit rating for each module appears in brackets)

YEAR ONE

SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2 Language modules: either IT1020 Italian Language Beginners 1 (20) or IT1022 Italian Language Advanced 1 (10) or IT1024 Basic Italian 1 (20) Content options: IT1000 Core skills (10)* IT1028 Post-Unification Italy (10) IT1038 Post-Unification Italy (20)

Language modules: & IT1021 Italian Language Beginners 2 (20) & IT1023 Italian Language Advanced 2 (10) & IT1025 Basic Italian 2 (20) Content options: IT1000 Core skills (10)* IT1029 Italy since 1945 (10) IT1039 Italy since 1945 (20) IT1027 Authors & genres 2 (10)

YEAR TWO

SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2 Language modules: either IT2000 Italian Language 3 (10) or IT2022 Italian Language Advanced 3 (10) Content options: IT2007 History and Culture in Twentieth century

Italy (20) Other options for SML students: IT2040 European Texts in Translation 1 (10)

Language modules: & IT2004 Italian Language 4 (10) & IT2023 Italian Language Advanced 4 (10) Content options: IT2016 Italian Society and Culture under

Fascism (20)

Other options for SML students: IT2050 European Texts in Translation 2 (10)

FINAL YEAR

SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2 Language modules: IT3100 Italian Language 5 (10) Content options: IT3139 Postwar Directors (20)

Other options for SML students: IT3060 Modern and Postmodern in World Lit. 1

(10)

Language modules: & IT3106 Italian Language 6 (10) Content options: IT3144 Visions of Modernity Other options for SML students: IT3060 Modern and Postmodern in World Lit.

1 (10)

* Core skills must be taken once only. See details on the following page.

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STRUCTURE OF DEGREES WITH ITALIAN: FIRST YEAR

BA Joint Honours students (Italian & French, Italian & Spanish) take 60 credits worth of Italian modules (30 credits each semester), made up as follows:

Students with no or little knowledge of Italian take:

Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: IT1020 Italian Language Beginners 1 (20) Content options: IT1028 Post-Unification Italy (10)

Language modules: & IT1021 Italian Language Beginners 2 (20) Content options: either IT1029 Italy since 1945 (10) or IT1027 Authors & genres 2 (10)

Students with an advanced (AS/A2 or equivalent) knowledge of Italian take:

Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: IT1022 Italian Language Advanced 1 (10) Content options: IT1028 Post-Unification Italy (10) *IT1000 Core skills (10)

Language modules: & IT1023 Italian Language Advanced 2 (10) Content options: IT1029 Italy since 1945 (10) IT1027 Authors & genres 2 (10)

NB *IT1000 Core Skills for language learners (Italian) may be taken only by advanced Italian

students. If beginner in Italian, Core Skills should be taken in the other language studied, i.e. FR1000,

or SP1000. Joint honours students who are advanced in Italian should take IT1000 in semester one.

BA Joint Honours students (Italian & English) take 60 credits worth of Italian modules (20 in sem. 1 and 40 in sem. 2), made up as follows:


Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: IT1020 Italian Language Beginners 1 (20)

Language modules: & IT1021 Italian Language Beginners 2 (20) Content options: IT1029 Italy since 1945 (10) IT1027 Authors & genres 2 (10)


Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: IT1022 Italian Language Advanced 1 (10) Content options: IT1028 Post-Unification Italy (10)

Language modules: & IT1023 Italian Language Advanced 2 (10) Content options: IT1029 Italy since 1945 (10) or IT1039 Italy since 1945 (20) or IT1027 Authors & genres 2 (10)

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BA Modern Language Studies

Modern Languages with Management

European Studies*

Modern Languages with Film Studies OR with History of Art

Modern Languages with Management and English as a Foreign Language

Italian as a supplementary subject (where Italian forms one third of a degree) take 40 credits worth of Italian modules (20 credits each semester), made up as follows:


Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: either IT1020 Italian Language Beginners 1 (20) or IT1024 Basic Italian 1 (20)

Language modules: & IT1021 Italian Language Beginners 2 (20) & IT1025 Basic Italian 2 (20)

IT1020/1 Italian Language (Beginners) 1&2 should be taken by students with an A Level in a modern

language or a GCSE in Italian (or equivalent). IT1024/5 Basic Italian 1&2 should be taken by students with

no A Level (or equivalent) in Italian or another language.


Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: IT1022 Italian Language Advanced 1 (10) Content options: either IT1028 Post-Unification Italy (10) or *IT1000 Core skills (10)

Language modules: & IT1023 Italian Language Advanced 2 (10) Content options: either IT1029 Italy since 1945 (10) or IT1027 Authors & genres 2 (10) or *IT1000 Core skills (10)

IT1000 (Core Skills for language learners) may be taken once, only by advanced students, either in Italian

or in their other language(s). Modern Languages Studies and European Studies students take it as an Italian

option in semester 1; Modern Languages with Management students take it in semester 2.

*European Studies students, and students of Modern Languages with Film Studies OR with History

of Art, can choose to take additional 40 credits in Italian and follow the pattern below:


Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: IT1020 Italian Language Beginners 1 (20)

Content options – 2 from the following: IT1028 Post-Unification Italy (10) IT1000 Core skills (10)

Language modules: & IT1021 Italian Language Beginners 2 (20) Content options – 2 from the following: IT1029 Italy since 1945 (10) IT1027 Authors & genres 2 (10)


Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: IT1022 Italian Language Advanced 1 (10) Content options: IT1038 Post-Unification Italy (20) *IT100 Core skills (10)

Language modules: & IT1023 Italian Language Advanced 2(10) Content options: IT1039 Italy since 1945 (20) IT1027 Authors & genres 2 (10)

*IT1000 (Core Skills for language learners) must be taken both by Beginners and Advanced students

in Italian either in semester 1 or 2.

Students with an intermediate (GCSE or equivalent) knowledge of Italian will sit a preliminary test to

establish their level of Italian in order to be placed in an appropriate language group.

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STRUCTURE OF DEGREES WITH ITALIAN: SECOND YEAR

BA Joint Honours students (Italian & French, Italian & Spanish) take 60 credits worth of Italian modules (30 credits each semester), made up by the two language

modules and two content modules – one in semester 1 and one in semester 2:

Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: either IT2000 Italian Lang 3 (post-beg) (10) or IT2022 It Lang Advanced 3 (post-adv)(10) Content options: IT2007 History and Culture in Twentieth

century Italy (20)

Language modules: & IT2004 Italian Lang 4 (post-beg) (10) & IT2023 It Lang Advanced 4 (post-adv) (10) Content options: IT2016 Italian Society and Culture under Fascism

(20)

BA Joint Honours students (Italian & English) In semester 1, students take 20 credits of English modules and 40 credits of Italian modules. In

semester 2, students take 40 credits of English modules and 20 credits of Italian modules.

Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: either IT2000 Italian Lang 3 (post-beg) (10) or IT2022 It Lang Advanced 3 (post-adv)(10) Content options: IT2040 European Texts in Translation 1 (10) IT2007 History and Culture in Twentieth

century Italy (20)

Language modules: & IT2004 Italian Lang 4 (post-beg) (10) & IT2023 It Lang Advanced 4 (post-adv) (10) Content options: IT2016 Italian Society and Culture under Fascism

(20) IT2050 European Texts in Translation 2 (10)

BA Modern Language Studies; European Studies; Modern Languages with Management*; BA

Modern Languages with Film Studies OR with History of Art*; Italian as a supplementary

subject (where Italian forms one third of a degree) Normally take 40 credits worth of Italian modules (20 credits each semester), made up by the two

language modules and one content module either in semester 1 or in semester 2:

Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: either IT2000 It Lang 3 (post-beg) (10) or IT2022 It Lang Advanced 3 (post-adv)(10) Content options: IT2007 History and Culture in Twentieth

century Italy (20)

Language modules: & IT2004 It Lang 4 (post-beg) (10) & IT2023 It Lang Advanced 4 (post-adv) (10) Content options: IT2016 Italian Society and Culture under Fascism

(20)

*BA Modern Languages with Management

In addition to the language modules, Modern Languages with Management students doing 40 credits

in Italian take European texts in translation 1 & 2 (IT2040&IT2050). If doing 80 credits in Italian,

Modern Languages with Management students will then choose two content modules in Italian, one

in each semester.

BA Modern Languages with Film Studies OR with History of Art

These students can do either 40 or 80 credits in Italian in the second year. In addition to the language

modules, they will choose either one or three content modules from the above list.

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STRUCTURE OF DEGREES WITH ITALIAN: FINAL YEAR

BA Joint Honours students (Italian & French, Italian & Spanish)

& students of the following degrees, where Italian forms half of the degree:

Modern Language Studies

European Studies

Combined Studies*

Modern Languages with Management*

take 60 credits worth of Italian modules (30 credits each semester), made up by the two language

modules and two content modules – one in semester 1 and one in semester 2:

Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: IT3100 Italian Language 5 (10) Content options: IT3139 Postwar Directors (20)

Language modules: & IT3106 Italian Language 6 (10) Content options: IT3144 Visions of Modernity (20) IT3176 Dissertation in Italian (20)

BA Joint Honours students (Italian & English) In semester 1, students take 20 credits of English modules and 40 credits of Italian modules. In

semester 2, students take 40 credits of English modules and 20 credits of Italian modules.

Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: IT3100 Italian Lang 5 (10) Content options: IT3139 Postwar Directors (20) IT3060 Modern and Postmodern World

Literature 1 (10)

Language modules: & IT3106 Italian Lang 6 (10) Content options: IT3070 Modern and Postmodern World Literature

2 (10)

BA students of the following degrees, where Italian forms either one third or two thirds of the

degree:

European Studies

Combined Studies*

Modern Languages with Management*

Modern Languages with Film Studies OR with History of Art

take either 40 or 80 credits worth of Italian modules, made up by the two language modules and one

or three content module(s) either in semester 1 or in semester 2:

Semester 1 Semester 2 Language modules: IT3100 Italian Language 5 (10) Content options: IT3139 Postwar Directors (20)

Language modules: & IT3106 Italian Language 6 (10) Content options: IT3144 Visions of Modernity (20) IT3176 Dissertation in Italian (20)

*BA Combined Studies; Modern Languages with Management

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In addition to the language modules, Combined Studies and Modern Language with Management

students take the following content modules, depending on their credit weighting in Italian:

Semester 1 Semester 2

Content options: IT3040 European texts in translation 1 (10) IT3060 Modern and Postmodern World

Literature 1 (10)

Content options: IT3060 Modern and Postmodern World Literature

2 (10) IT3144 Visions of Modernity (20) IT3176 Dissertation in Italian (20)

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RESIDENCE ABROAD

First year Summer School

All beginners studying Italian for more than one year are required to spend a three week period at a

summer school in Italy during the long vacation before proceeding to the second year. Students

follow an intensive language course appropriate to their level of ability and stay with Italian families

as a paying guest. Normally students take a special course in Massa Marittima, in Tuscany, which is

arranged for them by the British Institute of Florence. The University’s Vacation Awards Board

contributes up to 75% of the overall costs involved for one Summer School.

Third year period of residence in Italy (all 4 year degrees)

All students reading the four-year degrees in French-Italian, Italian-Spanish, Italian and English

as well as European Studies and Modern Language Studies, Modern Languages with

Management, Modern Languages with Management and English as a Foreign Language, or

History of Art or Film Studies) are required to spend a period of residence abroad (either a semester

or the whole academic year) in Italy between the second and the final year of their degree course. The

following options are available:

Assistantships in Italian Schools

Students can spend a full year in Italy as an English Language assistant in a school under the scheme

operated by the British Council in London. Assistantships are particularly suited to students

specialising in only one language in their final year. Application forms will be distributed to you in

November of your second year and must be returned to the School Office by the stated date, so that

the departmental section can be completed and the forms sent to London by early December.

Study at an Italian University

Students are normally required to study at a university in the country or countries in whose

language(s) they will specialize in their final year. For this purpose, the School of Modern Languages

has built up a wide network of contacts with European universities through the various programmes

promoted by the Commission of the European Union and is currently a partner in several

SOCRATES/ERASMUS exchange schemes with universities in Italy, France, Germany, Spain,

Belgium, Switzerland, Mexico, and Colombia. Students spending a year abroad are normally placed

on one of these schemes. Our current partner universities in Italy are Bologna (www.unibo.it);

Chieti/Pescara (www.unich.it); Padova (www.unipd.it); Pavia (www.unipv.it); Pisa (www.unipi.it);

Salerno (www.unisa.it); Torino (www.unito.it); Verona (www.unive.it).

Students choose courses from within their range of interests and follow the appropriate assessment

procedures. Marks/certificates of study are returned to Leicester at the end of your period of study.

Students can make alternative arrangements, subject to approval, to study at an alternative university

of their choice.

Italian and English students may only attend universities from the above list whose course

programmes in English literature are approved by the Department of English. Detailed information of

which universities are open to students on degree programme will be given during Year Abroad

meetings.

http://www.unibo.it/

http://www.unich.it/

http://www.unipd.it/

http://www.unipv.it/

http://www.unipi.it/

http://www.unisa.it/

http://www.unito.it/

http://www.unive.it/

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Work/Study programmes Abroad Students may choose to make their own arrangements for study/employment abroad, subject to the

approval of the Italian Department and the Year Abroad Coordinator.

Assessment of the Year Abroad

The Year Abroad is a key element of the overall degree. For students registered within the School of

Modern Languages (except for students on the joint degree with English) it carries a 30% weighting

of your whole BA degree. This mark is obtained as follows:

10% mark for the Year Abroad derived from ECTS credits obtained via University placement or

a work placement report.

20% mark is calculated by double-weighting final year language modules (to reflect linguistic

skills acquired during the year abroad).

For students taking Italian & English, half of the Year Abroad mark derives from English modules

studied abroad (15%) and half from Italian modules studied abroad and the double-weighting of final

year language modules (15%).

Year Abroad modules (for students graduating in 2012), i.e returning from Year Abroad:

For students who spent a half year in each country:

FR/IT3022/SP3023 (Work Placement Report) - 20 credits

FR/IT/SP3033 (Study Abroad: ECTS transfer) – 20 credits

FR/IT/SP3085 (Language skills 1 – written) * - 20 credits

FR/IT/SP3095 (Language skills 2 - oral/aural) * - 20 credits

* Marks derived from performance in the final year.

For students who spent the whole year in one country:

FR/IT3044/SP3046 (Work Placement Report) - 40 credits

FR/IT/SP3066 (Study Abroad: ECTS transfer) – 40 credits

FR/IT/SP3088 (Language skills 1 - written) * - 40 credits

FR/IT/SP3099 (Language skills 2 - oral/aural) * - 40 credits

* Marks derived from performance in the final year.

Further information on the Residence Abroad Assessment can be found on the Year Abroad

Blackboard site.

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ITALIAN MODULES AVAILABLE IN 2011-12

FIRST-YEAR ITALIAN MODULES

FIRST-YEAR ITALIAN LANGUAGE MODULES

Module Title Italian Language (Beginners) 1 & 2

Module Code IT1020/1021

Module Definition Level: 1 Credits: 20+20 Semester: 1 & 2

Module Coordinators Prof Sharon Wood/Dott. Maria Guarnieri

Tutors Dott. Maria Guarnieri, Dott Maria Morelli

Module Aims

The paired modules IT1020 & IT1021 provide an accelerated introduction to oral and written aspects

of contemporary Italian language and offer students intensive practice, in small groups, of all

language skills. It is recommended that students possess an A Level in a modern language or a GCSE

in Italian (or equivalent).

Learning Outcomes

At the end of these modules, typical students should be able to demonstrate their acquisition of basic

communication skills in the TL and their application to routine contexts and activities.

Teaching and Learning Methods

Practical language classes in small groups.

Assessment Method

Coursework (50%) and summer oral and written examinations (50%).

Key Texts (recommended for purchase)

Italian Espresso 1 (Textbook and Workbook), Alma Edizioni (2007);

S. Nocchi, Italian Grammar in Practice, Alma Edizioni (2007).

Also recommended: a good Italian dictionary.

Module Title Basic Italian 1 & 2



Module Coordinator Prof Sharon Wood /Dott. Maria Guarnieri

Tutors Dott Maria Morelli/

Module Aims

Intended for students with no A Level (or equivalent) in Italian or other language, these paired

modules, IT1024 & IT1025, aim to develop students’ communicative skills in contemporary Italian

language. Weekly, three hours are devoted to written/spoken and oral/aural practice of Italian

language via a communicative method.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of these modules, typical students should be able to demonstrate their acquisition of basic

communication skills in the TL and their application to routine contexts and activities.

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Practical language classes in small groups.

Assessment Method



Chiaro! Corso di italiano, Alma Edizioni, 2010. Also recommended: a good Italian dictionary.

Module Title Italian Language (Advanced) 1 & 2



Module Coordinators Prof Sharon Wood

Tutors Dott. Giambattista Picciano

Module Aims

Intended for students with A Level (or equivalent) in Italian, these paired modules, IT1022 & IT1023,

aim to improve students’ communicative skills in contemporary Italian language. Weekly, two hours

are devoted mainly to written and grammatical aspects of Italian via a communicative method and

one hour is given to oral/aural practice.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of these modules, typical students should be able to demonstrate their acquisition of post-

AS/A2 communication skills in the TL and their application to complex contexts and registers;

enhance their reading and writing skills through weekly class work and home assignments; develop

their ability to speak fluently in Italian; develop their skills in translation and summary work, both

into and from Italian.


Practical language classes in small groups and independent learning tasks.

Assessment Method



The course will be based on the course book Italian Espresso 2, Alma Edizioni (2007) e S. Nocchi,

Italian Grammar in Practice, Alma Edizioni (2007) and material provided by the tutors. The teaching

material will consist of a variety of texts ranging from traditional grammar exercises (to revise and

reinforce grammatical points, lexis, idioms, syntax) to videos and written texts from various sources

and of different styles and registers (literary, journalistic, technical etc.).

All students registered for IT1022/1023 will have access to Blackboard. Material and relevant

information about the course will be regularly posted on Blackboard.

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FIRST-YEAR ITALIAN CONTENT MODULES

SEMESTER 1 OR 2

Module Title Core Skills for Language Learners (Italian)

Module Code IT1000

Module Definition Level: 1 Credits: 10 Semester: 1 or 2

Module Coordinator Ms Corinne Pelton

Module eligibility

This module is also known as FR1000, GN1000 and SP1000. It is compulsory for all students taking

degrees in the School of Modern Languages, unless you are a Beginner in Italian, in which case you

must take it as a module in your other (advanced level) language. However, students taking Italian

with German all take Core Skills as an Italian module, irrespective of their level of entry in the

language. The module is taken once only, either in semester 1 or semester 2 and according to your

degree programme as follows:

Semester 1

French & Italian; Italian & Spanish; European Studies; Modern Language Studies, Modern

Languages with Film Studies OR with History of Art (advanced level entry students, unless you have

opted for FR1000/GN1000/SP1000); Italian with German (all levels of entry in Italian).

Semester 2

Modern Languages & Management (advanced level entry students, unless you have opted for

FR1000/GNT1000/SP1000).

Module Aims

To allow students to improve many of the essential skills that they will need as Modern Language

students in Higher Education; to familiarise students with the grammatical terminology that they will

need in language work; to encourage students to develop transferable study skills that will be essential

in both language and content modules, such as developing an academic writing style, finding library

resources, referencing and producing bibliographies, as well as avoiding plagiarism in essays and

assessed work.

Course Format

This module is delivered mainly as an on-line resource, which you will access and complete at your

own convenience, but will include regular face-to-face workshops. You will need to work through

online diagnostic tests to find out you own strengths and weaknesses and will then be provided with

online micro-lectures and exercises to help you improve your essential skills.

Assessment

This module will be assessed by a series of on-line tests and an end-of-semester exam.

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SEMESTER 1

Module Title Introduction to Post-Unification Italy

Module Code IT1028 (10 credits)/IT1038 (20 credits)

Module Definition Level: 1 Credits: 10/20 Semester: 1

Module Coordinator/Tutor Prof Sharon Wood

Module Aims

Students will learn the development of Italian history and culture from its Unification to the Second

World War, and develop the necessary analytical skills to read different texts and to place them in

their historical and cultural context. They will work in groups and give presentations based on

personal research and the critical appraisal of sources.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, typical students should be able to: demonstrate an awareness of the

development of Italian history and culture from the Unification of Italy to the Second World War and

of the relationship between social and historical change and cultural representations; develop the

necessary analytical skills to read different texts and to place them in their historical and cultural

context; work individually and in groups and give presentations based on personal research and the

critical appraisal of sources.

20 credits option: will give students the opportunity to develop in-depth knowledge of specific

aspects of the relationship between history and culture in post-unification Italy.


Lectures, workshops, independent research.

Assessment Method

One essay of 1500-2000 words plus formative group work.

Students taking IT1038 for 20 credits will submit a further essay of 1500 words on a course-related

topic agreed with the tutor.

Key Texts A. and M. Caesar, Modern Italian Literature (Polity, 2007)

C. Duggan, A concise history of Italy (CUP, 1994)

Texts studied include texts by Giovanni Verga, a selection of Futurist manifestos, texts by Luigi

Pirandello, and texts and images related to the fascist period.

A detailed bibliography will be provided via Blackboard and handouts.

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SEMESTER 2

Module Title Italy since 1945

Module Code IT1029/IT1039

Module Definition Level: 1 Credits: 10/20 Semester: 2

Module Coordinator/Tutor Dr Marina Spunta

Module Aims

Students will learn the development of Italian history and culture from the Second World War to the

present and develop the necessary analytical skills to read different texts and to place them in their

historical and cultural context.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, typical students should be able to understand key aspects of Italian postwar

history, politics, society and culture and their development since 1945; show an awareness of the

cultural debates occurring in postwar Italy; develop the necessary analytical skills to read different

texts and to place them in their historical and cultural context; work in groups and give presentations

based on personal research and the critical appraisal of sources.

20 credits option: will give students the opportunity to develop in-depth knowledge of specific

aspects of the relationship between history and culture in post-1945 Italy.


Lectures, workshops, independent research.

Students taking IT1039 for 20 credits will submit a further essay of 1500 words on a course-related

topic agreed with the tutor.

Assessment Method

One essay of 1500-2000 words plus formative group presentations.

Key Texts Aust, D. and Zollo, M., Teach yourself - World cultures: Italy (Abingdon: Teach Yourself Books,

2004)

McCarthy, P. (ed), Italy since 1945 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000)

Films: Ladri di biciclette (De Sica, 1948)


Module Title Authors & genres 2

Module Code IT1027

Module Definition Level: 1 Credits: 10 Semester: 2

Module Coordinator/Tutor Dr Marina Spunta

Module Aims

In this module students are introduced to Italian literature through the study of selected works,

authors and genres. Through the detailed analysis of a number of texts, students will explore the

developments of postwar Italian fiction and learn to set it in its context. All texts are read in Italian

and in English translation.

Learning Outcomes

Students will gain an understanding of the history of Italian literature and culture, as well as some of

its main genres.

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Classes will alternate lectures and seminars. Students are expected to prepare seminar work weekly,

in groups.

Assessment Method

One essay of 1500-2000 words plus formative group presentations.

Texts (recommended for purchase)

N. Roberts (ed), New Penguin parallel text short stories in Italian (1999)

I. Calvino, Marcovaldo, or The seasons in the city, translated from the Italian by William Weaver

(London: Vintage, 2001)

R. Gordon, An introduction to twentieth century Italian literature (London: Duckworth, 2005). A

detailed bibliography will be provided via Blackboard and handouts.

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SECOND YEAR ITALIAN MODULES

SECOND YEAR ITALIAN LANGUAGE MODULES

Module Title Italian Language 3 & 4




Tutors Dott. Maria Guarnieri/ Dott Giambattista Picciano

Module Aims

The aim of the course is to enable students, with a proficiency in Italian near or equivalent to A-level,

to enhance their reading and writing skills and develop their ability to speak and write fluently in

Italian.

Outline

The course will be conducted through class work and home assignments, with regular written work,

which will develop students’ skills in summary and translation work, both into and from Italian.

Work on oral proficiency through a communicative approach and multimedia material will encourage

effective acquisition of vocabulary and structures. Classes will be conducted in Italian as much as

possible, though some explanations may be given in English.


There will be three language classes per week in which students will practice speaking and listening

skills, as well as revising and improving their competence in written Italian, covering grammatical

points of the Italian language, and working on audio-visual and cultural materials. In addition,

students should expect to spend another five hours a week in private study and to submit written work

regularly. The course will run for the entire academic year.

Assessment Method


Course Material

The course will be based on the course book Italian Espresso 2, Alma Edizioni, 2007 (two volumes:

Textbook and Workbook), S. Nocchi Italian Grammar in Practice, Alma Edizioni (2007) and

material provided by the tutors. The teaching material will consist of a variety of texts ranging from

traditional grammar exercises (to revise and reinforce grammatical points, lexis, idioms, syntax) to

videos and written texts from various sources and of different styles and registers (literary,

journalistic, technical etc.).



21

Module Title Italian Language (advanced) 3 & 4




Tutor Dott. Giambattista Picciano

Module Aims

Through written, audiovisual and oral classes, this module is intended for second-year students who

arrived at the University with an A-Level (or equivalent) in Italian. Skills include enhancement of

those introduced in IT1022/1023 and developed in the Italian Summer Programme.

Outline

The course will be conducted through class work and home assignments, with regular written work,

which will develop students’ skills in summary and translation work, both into and from Italian.

Work on oral proficiency through a communicative approach and multimedia material will encourage

effective acquisition of vocabulary and structures. Classes will be conducted in Italian.


There will be three language classes per week in which students will practice speaking and listening

skills, as well as revising and improving their competence in written Italian, covering grammatical

points of the Italian language, and working on audio-visual and cultural materials. In addition,

students should expect to spend another five hours a week in private study and to submit written work

regularly. The course will run for the entire academic year.

Assessment Method


Course Material

Magari (Alma Edizioni, 2008), and material provided by the tutors.

S. Nocchi, Italian Grammmar in Practice, Alma Edizioni (2007)

Highly recommended

Collins English-Italian Italian-English Dictionary; Il Nuovo Zingarelli: Vocabolario della lingua

italiana; Aust & Zollo, Azione grammatica!



22

SECOND YEAR ITALIAN CONTENT MODULES

SEMESTER 1

Module Title Italian Society and Culture under Fascism

Module Code IT2016


Module Coordinator/Tutor: Dr Simona Storchi

Module Aims

The aim of the course is to examine the origins and development of Italian Fascism between 1919 and

1945. There will be a special focus on art and culture and on the way in which Mussolini’s

dictatorship used modern means of communication to draw the population into its authoritarian social

model. The course will also explore the tensions and contradictions in the Fascist project.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course students will have developed an understanding of the birth of Italian Fascism,

of Fascism’s impact on Italian society and culture, and of Fascism’s particular appeals and effects.

They will acquire familiarity with some of the major interpretations of the Fascist experience in Italy

and be able to evaluate them. They will also be able to explain Fascism’s successes and its failures.


Lectures, seminars and presentations.

Assessment Method

One essay of 2500 words and one two-hour end-of-semester examination.



SEMESTER 2

Module Title History and Culture in Twentieth century Italy

Module Code IT2007



Module Aims:

To give an account of some of the most significant moments of Italian cultural and political

change, through written and cinematic texts. Key moments to be studied will be Italy under

Fascism, Italy at war and the Holocaust, and the shifting social structure of emigration and

immigration.

Learning outcomes

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Students will develop the skills to compare written and visual texts with their specific

discourses, and consider how these relate to what we think of as official ‘history’.


Lectures, seminars and presentations.

Assessment Method

One essay of 2500 words and one two-hour end-of-semester examination.


Books: Ignazio Silone, Fontamara Films: Una giornata particolare (Ettore Scola)

Primo Levi, Se questo è un uomo Roma città aperta (Roberto Rossellini)

Salah Methnani, Immigrato Rocco e i suoi fratelli (Luchino Visconti)

Module Title European Texts In Translation 1&2 (10&10)

Module Code FR/IT/SP2040/3040 & FR/IT/SP2050/3050

Module Definition Level: 2&3 Credits: 10 per Semester Semester: 1&2

Module Coordinator Dr Steven Wilson

Module Aims

This course will introduce students to some of the key texts of European literature (semester 1) and

European cinema (semester 2) and will promote discussion of their thematic and stylistic features, and

of what we can learn from them in their historical and social context. Consideration will also be given

to questions posed by the different versions of the texts that have appeared in English translation.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, students should be able, typically, to demonstrate recognition of the

thematic, narrative and stylistic features of texts associated with different European cultural

movements; apply this awareness to the analysis of a range of texts; demonstrate critical

understanding of the cultural, social and historical contexts relevant to these texts; show evidence of

increased intercultural awareness through the ability to draw comparisons and contrasts between texts

arising out of different national contexts; give presentations based on personal research and the

critical appraisal of sources.


Lectures, seminars and students presentations. One contact hour per week.

Assessment Method for European Texts 1

Sem. 1: One assessed essay of 2000-2500 words and formative group work.

Sem. 2 : Two assessed essays of 1200 words and formative group work.

Set Texts for European Texts in Translation 1 (FR/IT/SP2040/3040)

French Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary

Italian Eduardo de Filippo, Filumena Marturano (1946) (Methuen Drama, 1998), translated

by Timberlake Werterbaker

Spanish Laura Esquivel, Como agua para chocolate

Set texts for European Texts in Translation 2 (FR/IT/SP2050/3050)

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French to be confirmed

Italian The name of the Rose (Jean-Jacques Annaud, 1986)

Spanish La Madre Muerta (Juanma Bajo Ulloa, 1993)

25

FINAL YEAR ITALIAN MODULES

FINAL YEAR ITALIAN LANGUAGE MODULES

Module Title Italian Language 5 & 6




Tutors Dott. Maria Guarnieri, Prof Sharon Wood

Module Aims

The aim of the course is to build on the knowledge and skills developed in previous courses and in the

year abroad, enabling students to deal with many different registers of Italian and to refine their use of

complex syntax and lexis. The course will be conducted through class work and home assignments,

with regular oral and written work on a range of texts both in class and as prepared assignments. The

written tasks will develop students’ skills in translation into English, essay writing in Italian,

summarising texts, mostly in Italian. Work on oral proficiency will aim at attaining a graduate-level

competence and fluency on topics related to contemporary Italy and current affairs. Students will

practice a range of communicative situations, including presenting an argument, debating and

defending a case, negotiating, interviewing. In order to enhance students’ listening comprehension

skills, regular work on Italian sources (TV clips, radio programmes etc.) will be carried out both in

class and as home assignments. Classes will be conducted in Italian and English and students will be

expected to contribute regularly.

Outline

The outline of the course will be provided in form of handout at the beginning of the course.


There will be three language classes per week: one hour for oral/listening practice, one for writing in

Italian and consolidating lexis, grammar and structures, and one for translation/summary work. In

addition, students should expect to spend at least another five hours a week of private study to work

on the dossiers (or to draft a translation or write an essay/summary) in order to present or argue a case

(or compare and discuss translations). The course will run for the entire academic year.

Assessment Method

40% continuous assessment and 60% examination. Details are given on Blackboard.

Course Material

The course will be based on material provided by the tutor and on web resources. It will consist of

dossiers on current affairs from various sources and of texts of different styles and registers.

Core Texts: D. Aust, M. Zollo, Azione Grammatica, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000; N. Ammaniti, Io

non ho paura, Einaudi, 2001.

Highly Recommended Il Nuovo Zingarelli: Vocabolario della Lingua Italiana; Collins English-Italian Italian-English

Dictionary.



26

FINAL YEAR ITALIAN CONTENT MODULES

SEMESTER 1

Module Title Postwar Italian Cinema 2011_12

Module Code IT 3139


Module Tutor & Coordinator Dr Marina Spunta

Module Aims This module explores the developments of postwar Italian cinema through the work of some of its

main directors, such as Rossellini, Antonioni, Pietrangeli, Fellini, Leone, Amelio and Moretti.

Students will gain an insight into the work of each of these directors, into the study of different

cinematic genres and into a number of key issues that shape postwar Italian cinema and society,

focusing on the question of (neo)realism, history/politics and identity, gender, language and space and

landscape.

Learning Outcomes

Students will gain an understanding of different cinematic styles and of the fast socio-political

developments of postwar Italy. On successful completion of the course, students should be able to

apply critical skills in their analysis of film texts and to place Italian postwar cinema within its

cultural context.


Classes will alternate lectures and seminars with all students working individually and in group and

giving presentations.

Assessment Method

One 3000-word essay and one three-hour January exam. In the exam you CANNOT repeat any

text/material that you covered in your essay.

One non-assessed presentation for each student/seminar group on a chosen film. (Films studied for

the presentation can be used in the essay or exam.)

Programme of study

Week 1 Induction week – no classes

Week 2 Introduction to postwar Italian cinema

Week 3/4 Paisà (Rossellini, 1946)

Week 4/5 L’avventura (Antonioni, 1960)

Week 5/6 8 ½ (Fellini, 1963)

Week 6/7 La visita (Pietrangeli, 1963)

Week 7/8 C’era una volta il West (Leone, 1968)

Week 8/9 Il ladro di bambini (Amelio, 1992)

Week 9/10 Aprile (Moretti, 1998)

Week 10/11 revision

Week 11 revision

You are encouraged to purchase all of the above films, and at least one of the following texts:

Key Texts Marcus, M., After Fellini. National cinema in the postmodern age (Baltimore and London: the Johns

Hopkins University Press, 2002)

Wood, M., Italian cinema (London: Berg, 2005) Also recommended

Bondanella, P., Italian cinema. From neorealism to the present (Northam: Round House, 1999)

Landy, M., Italian film (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000)

A more detailed bibliography will be provided via Blackboard.

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FR/IT/SP3060/ FR/IT/SP3070 Modern & Postmodern in World Literature I & 2

Module Coordinator: Dr Simona Storchi (sem. 1);

Semesters 1 & 2

10 credits (sem. 1) + 10 credits (sem. 2)

Module Tutors

Sem. 1 Helen Rawlings; Ariane Richards; Simona Storchi

Sem. 2 Jenny Chamarette, Marc Ripley, Sharon Wood

Module Aims

This course will introduce key concepts and texts related to the presentation of Modernity and

Postmodernity in World literature. It will promote discussion of the texts’ thematic and stylistic

features, and will take into account the specificity of their national cultural context, while engaging

with the wider theoretical debate framing the notions of Modernism and Postmodernism

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, students should be able, typically, to

-demonstrate recognition of stylistic, thematic and narrative features of literature

-apply this awareness to selected texts from world literature of the modern and contemporary period

-make connections between different cultural, literary trends and movements in world literature

-demonstrate some critical understanding of cultural, historical and socio-political issues affecting

literary texts

-show evidence of increased intercultural awareness through the ability to draw comparisons between

the texts produced by different cultures

-write about world literature in an appropriate academic register

-discuss seminar topics based upon independent research and guided reading


Lectures, seminars and group work. One contact hour per week.

Assessment Method

One 3000 words essay per semester.

Set texts (in order of study)

Sem. 1:

French Charles Baudelaire, Paris Spleen, 1869, trans. by Martin Sorrel,

Oneworld Classics, 2010

Italian Luigi Pirandello, The Late Mattia Pascal, 1904, trans. by Nicoletta

Simborowski, Dedalus, 2011

Spanish Camilo Jose Cela, The Family of Pascual Duarte, 1942, trans. by Anthony Kerrigan,

Dalkey Archive Press, 2004

Sem. 2 - To be confirmed

A detailed bibliography for each text will be available on Blackboard

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SEMESTER 2

Module Title Italian Women’s writing

Module Code IT3137

Module Definition Level: 3 Credits: 20 Not available this year


Module Aims

Students will be introduced to the theoretical and practical implications of a study of

women’s writing in Italy. Texts will be viewed within a shifting social, cultural and political

context over the twentieth century. Close readings of individual texts will be complemented

by aspects of literary and feminist theory.

Learning outcomes

Students will have an understanding of the shifting political, legal and cultural status of women over

the Twentieth century in Italy. They will gain an understanding of aspects of feminist criticism, and

will be encouraged to consider how narrative can explore the complex historical dynamic of women

and writing.


Lectures, seminars and students presentations

Assessment Method

One 3000 word essay and one three-hour examination.


Sibilla Aleramo, Una donna (1906)

Anna Banti, Artemisia (1947)

Elsa Morante, L’isola di Arturo (1957)

Dacia Maraini, La lunga vita di Marianna Ucrìa (1991)

A detailed bibliography will be available on Blackboard.

Module Title Visions of Modernity

Module Code IT3144


Module Coordinator/Tutor Dr Simona Storchi

Module Aims

The course will deal with the experience of modernity in Italy, with particular reference to the first

half of the 20th century. Students will examine some key works of Italian literary Modernism, with

the addition of examples taken from art and visual culture. The course aims to acquaint students with

the main theoretical issues at the core of Modernism and, more generally, cultural representations of

modernity and provide them with tools to interpret and evaluate a selection of key Italian early 20th

century texts. Particular attention will be paid to such themes as the relationship between artists and

the experience of modernity, the impact of technology on perceptions of reality, the rejection of

29

realism and the emergence of new modes of representation, the exploration of subjectivity and new

perceptions of the self and reality.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate a knowledge of the

works studied and understand their content within the theoretical framework of Modernism; describe

the specific historical, cultural and political context of Italian Modernism; conduct formal and

thematic analysis of individual works presented in the course.


Classes will alternate lectures, seminars and students presentations

Assessment Method

One 3000 word essay and one three-hour examination.


Italo Svevo, La coscienza di Zeno (1923)

Luigi Pirandello, Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore (1921)

Luigi Pirandello, Enrico IV (1928)

Massimo Bontempelli, Minnie la candida (1928)

Module Title Dissertation in Italian

Module Code IT3176


Module Coordinator/ Tutors various

Module Aims and Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module a student is expected to be able to: define a viable field of research within

Italian studies; compile a bibliography on a chosen topic with minimal guidance from supervisor;

apply critical approaches to the material under analysis; organise and present the research topic in

detail, formulating an argument of some complexity, supported with evidence from primary sources;

demonstrate an ability to combine a variety of IT skills in researching and reporting on a topic.


Individual research supported by 5 supervision sessions in which the student can ask for advice on

bibliography and methodology, rehearse their argument and ask questions.

Assessment Method

One presentation (10%) and a dissertation of 7-9000 words (90%).

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