Learning objectives
The course aims to provide students with historical-literary knowledge and enable them to develop advanced critical-analytical skills in relation to the British cultural environment, through specific examinations of authors, works and phenomena from modern and contemporary literature. In terms of learning goals, during the course the student will be invited to develop and acquire: in-depth knowledge of theoretical questions, authors, works, movements and aesthetic ideas, with the support of an updated critical bibliography; the ability to contextualise and analyze complex texts in English from formal and thematic-ideological points of view; the ability autonomously to research and analyze texts using both traditional and digital resources; the ability to formulate critical judgments based on a careful decoding of the text; communication skills in English based on the acquisition of the linguistic register and vocabulary appropriate to literary studies and to the C1 level of linguistic competence; the ability independently to apply the skills developed during the course to other types of text besides the literary. In addition, in line with the learning-and-teaching project of the Laurea Magistrale, students will be encouraged to develop a 'savoir etre' approach to literature, as well as more broadly transversal communication skills, engagement and problem-solving skills, in individual and group contexts, allowing them to acquire a diversified and transferable skill-set aimed at different professional and non-professional contexts.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of written and spoken English at C1 level of CEFR, of the main lines of development of English and British literature, and of the language of literary criticism and theory.
Course unit content
The course contents concern historical-literary aspects related to the British cultural sphere, through specific examinations of authors, works and phenomena from modern and contemporary literature. In particular, activities will focus on the line of analysis concerning the interrelation between things and objects and the text and other literary phenomena – from the Romantic age (through the virtual museum project "Reve - Dreaming Romantic Europe") to twentieth-century and contemporary literature. Detailed information is provided during the first class.
Full programme
The exam syllabus will be available online, on the Moodle (Elly) page of the course, after its conclusion.
Bibliography
Bibliographic references are provided during the course and are specified in the exam syllabus.
Teaching methods
During the lectures, the teacher will introduce the main aspects of the historical-cultural context, authors and texts, with reference to the course bibliography and additional textual or visual materials available in the Library of Foreign Languages and Literatures (UNIPR), online archives, and the Moodle (ELLY) platform of UNIPR. Students who cannot attend in-class activities will be able to access recorded materials (on the Moodle platform). In class and online, students will be encouraged to develop autonomous in-depth explorations and original approaches to the themes and questions examined during the course. In accordance with the learning-and-teaching project of the Laurea, these explorations will be stimulated through a number of seminar-style classes, in which students are invited to develop their own insights and share their analyses. In these seminar moments, students will also be encouraged to develop and consolidate transversal and transferable skills through group work, debate and discussion activities, and oral presentations.
Assessment methods and criteria
Assessment of knowledge, skills and competences is through an oral exam in English. This exam aims to verify the following: oral competence in English corresponding to level C1, as well as the acquisition of an appropriate linguistic register and the specific terminology of literary studies; specific and in-depth knowledge of writers, texts and contexts of the periods and themes studied in the course; ability to interpret texts autonomously, re-elaborate the course contents individually, undertake further research on the topics examined in the course, and formulate judgments autonomously. The oral exam aims to evaluate knowledge and the ability to re-elaborate and expand it, as well as to propose original interpretations supplementing those suggested in the lectures.
On these premises, assessment will be carried out according to the following criteria. Fail: the student does not demonstrate that s/he has acquired the level of knowledge required; cannot express him/herself in English as suitable for the topics under examination and corresponding to a C1 level; is unable to re-elaborate contents autonomously, nor can formulate judgments based on personal insights; Pass (18-23 / 30): the student demonstrates that he/she has learned the minimum contents of the course; can express her/himself in English at a level suitable to the topics under examination and approaching the threshold of C1; demonstrates a level of autonomous preparation sufficient for the personal re-elaboration of the contents, as well as for the formulation of judgments based on autonomous in-depth analysis; Middle-range scores (24-27 / 30): the student demonstrates a level that is more than sufficient (24-25 / 30) or Good (26-27 / 30) in all the indicators listed above; Top scores (28-30 / 30): the student fully satisfies all the above evaluation criteria.
Other information
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