ITL 321 INTRODUCTION TO ITALIAN LITERATURE FALL 2017 Unique 37035 Instructor: Prof. Daniela Bini Class: TTH 2:00-3:15 in HRH 2.112 Department of French and Italian Office Hours: TU: 11:00-12:00;TH: 12:00-1:00 and by appointment E-mail: [email protected]
The course will introduce students to different literary genres and periods of Italian literature. Selections of poetry, prose and drama from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Romanticism, modern and contemporary periods will be examined in class from the language as well as the literary perspectives. We will try to point out basic characteristics and changes in language, themes, and style throughout the centuries. Given the fact that most of the literature we know from the past was written by male writers, we will focus on the representations of woman, beginning with the idealized woman-angel of the Middle Ages, and, whenever possible, confront it with those made by women writers. Authors represented in this course include: Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca, Giovanni Boccaccio, Vittoria Colonna, Giacomo Leopardi, Luigi Pirandello, Elsa Morante, Anna Maria Ortese, Natalia Ginzburg, Dacia Maraini, Italo Calvino, Eugenio Montale. By the end of this course, you will learn of some of the most important cultural issues, literary trends, and social discourses in Italy, from the Middle Ages to the present. You will also lay the foundations for literary analysis and criticism in Italian.
You are expected to have read the assignment for every given day and be prepared to discuss it in class. Written assignments and a weekly journal will help you preparing for this task. Please notify me as quickly as possible if the material being presented in class is not accessible.
NOTE: Remember to check Canvas and your email every day as I will send you questions and points of discussion on the assignments on a regular basis. Please feel free to email me, call me, or see me during my office hours if you have any questions and issues, or want to talk more about the assignments.
Required texts (at Co--op on Guadalupe): Paolo E. Balboni -- Anna Biguzzi. Letteratura italiana per stranieri. Nuova edizione. Guerra Edizioni (2005). [LI] Natalia Ginzburg, La città e la casa (1984) Other texts will be posted on Canvas
This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present.
Requirements Attendance Daily attendance is mandatory. No distinction is made between "excused" and "unexcused" absences; therefore there is no need to explain your absences. In order to allow for legitimate emergencies, there is no penalty or reduction in grade points for the first four absences. 2 points will be deducted for every absence in excess of four. Note that these are points deducted from the possible 100 points that make up your grade in the course. Religious obligations are excluded from the above description. By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.
Participation and preparation Your participation in class activities is a crucial component of this course and will give you the opportunity to improve your understanding of the readings, to share your opinions with others, as well as to develop your language skills. Participation in class discussion will reflect greatly on the final grade. Activities from Letteratura Italiana per stranieri will be assigned daily and included in your preparation grade.
Written Assignments [5] You will have the opportunity to practice and improve your writing skills by working on five assignments (each of 500 words). The due dates are noted in the Course Schedule.
First Exam will take place during class time on October 19, 2017, as noted in the Course Schedule. This exam will consist of both questions and identifications, and will test: 1) your ability to critically read a literary text 2) your knowledge of cultural and historical contexts.
Second Exam will take place during class time on December 7. It will have the same format as the first one.
Grading: Participation (in--class discussion and assignments from LI): 15% Compositions 30% First Exam: 25% Second Exam: 30%
University of Texas Honor Code The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community. The new Student Honor Code states: "As a student of The University of Texas at Austin, I shall abide by the core values of the University and uphold academic integrity."
2 Documented Disability Statement Any student with a documented disability who requires academic accommodations should contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at (512) 471--6259 (voice) or 1--866--329--3986 (video phone). Faculty are not required to provide accommodations without an official accommodation letter from SSD.
Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) If you are worried about someone who is acting differently, you may use the Behavior Concerns Advice Line to discuss by phone your concerns about another individual’s behavior. This service is provided through a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call 512--232--5050 or visit http://www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal.
Q drop Policy The State of Texas has enacted a law that limits the number of course drops for academic reasons to six (6). As stated in Senate Bill 1231: “Beginning with the fall 2007 academic term, an institution of higher education may not permit an undergraduate student a total of more than six dropped courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher education, unless the student shows good cause for dropping more than that number.”
Emergency Evacuation Policy Occupants of buildings on the UT Austin campus are required to evacuate and assemble outside when a fire alarm is activated or an announcement is made. Please be aware of the following policies regarding evacuation: • §§ Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of the classroom and the building. Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when you entered the building. • §§ If you require assistance to evacuate, inform me in writing during the first week of class. • §§ In the event of an evacuation, follow my instructions or those of class instructors. Do not re--enter a building unless you’re given instructions by the Austin Fire Department, the UT Austin Police Department, or the Fire Prevention Services office.
Tentative Course Schedule Agosto: giovedì 31 Introduzione: “Scrivere in versi, scrivere in prosa”(LI, pp.18-27) Settembre: martedì 5 Dante Alighieri: sonetti, LI, pp. 74-75 Esercizi: 1,2 giovedì 7 Dante in esilio: Divina Commedia, Inferno, Canto V(Canvas), XXVI, LI pp.78-79 martedì 12 Francesco Petrarca, Sonetti, LI pp. 82-85, Esercizi 1,2 giovedì 14 Giovanni Boccaccio, Il Decamerone, “Le tre anella” LI, pp. 90-93, Esercizi 1,2. Componimento 1 dalla Riflessione a p. 93.
3 martedì 19 Le poetesse del Rinascimento: Gaspara Stampa, Vittoria Colonna e Isabella Morra (Canvas). giovedì 21 Il Seicento e la scienza: Intellettuali e Inquisizione (Galileo Galilei, Dei due massimi sistemi) Letture: LI, pp.130--133; Esercizi: LI, 1--2 p.133 martedì 26 Il criminale (Cesare Beccaria, Dei delitti e delle pene) Letture: LI, pp. 138--143; Esercizi: LI, 1--2, pp.142--143. giovedì 28 Le nozze di Figaro, Lorenzo da Ponte e Wolfang Amedeus Mozart http://opera.stanford.edu/iu/libretti/figaro.htm Ottobre martedì 3 Giacomo Leopardi “Alla luna” e “L’infinito” (Canvas) giovedì 5 Giacomo Leopardi, “LI 164-65; “A Silvia” & Esercizi 168-69 martedì 10 Alessandro Manzoni, LI pp. 172-175; Componimento 2: scegliere tra Riflessione p. 174 e Riflessione p. 175. giovedì 12 Giovanni Verga e il Verismo: “Cavalleria rusticana” (Canvas) martedì 17 Verga, “La lupa” (Canvas) giovedì 19 ESAME martedì 24 Anna Maria Ortese, “Un paio di occhiali” (metà) (Canvas) giovedì 26 Anna Maria Ortese, “Un paio di occhiali” (finire) (Canvas) martedì 31 Componimento 3: Commento del racconto Novembre giovedì 2 Elsa Morante “Il soldato siciliano” (Canvas) martedì 7 Luigi Pirandello, LI 220-221; 224-25 con Esercizi 1,2 giovedì 9 Giuseppe Ungaretti, “La madre,” “Soldati;” Eugenio Montale “Forse un mattino”, “Non chiederci la parola” (Canvas) martedì 14 Italo Calvino, “Marcovaldo al Supermarket” (Canvas) giovedì 16 Calvino, “Furto in una pasticceria”(Canvas). Commento 4 su uno dei racconti di Calvino martedì 21 Natalia Ginzburg, La città e la casa giovedì 23 HAPPY THANKSGIVING! martedì 28 La città e la casa giovedì 30 La citta e la casa Dicembre martedì 5 Finire La città e la casa giovedì 7 ESAME lunedì 11 Componimento 5: Descrizione e commento di uno dei personaggi del romanzo La città e la casa.
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