Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Lingue e Letterature straniere e Culture moderne

NORTH-AMERICAN LITERATURE (FIRST YEAR)

NORTH-AMERICAN LITERATURE (FIRST YEAR)

Anno accademico 2023/2024

Sommario insegnamento

• Avvisi
• Obiettivi formativi
• Risultati dell'apprendimento attesi
• Programma
• Modalità di insegnamento
• Modalità di verifica dell'apprendimento
• Attività di supporto
• Testi consigliati e bibliografia
• Note
• Altre informazioni
• Strumenti didattici
• Scheda del corso

Avvisi

Obiettivi formativi

This course contributes to the development of reading, writing and critical tools for literary study and interpretation for MA students. It aims at presenting problems, texts and key-authors of mostly 19th, 20th and 21st century North-American literature. This course also aims at developing critical and analytical skills in the poetry, fiction and literary and cultural criticism and at helping students develop academic writing skills.

This course addresses the following learning objectives (obiettivi formativi):

- Gaining specialized knowledge of cultural traditions and literary aspects related to North American literature.
- Improve students' competence of the English language
- Acquire the necessary knowledge of the history and civilization of the United States
- Learning how to transmit the notions acquired
- Acquire problem solving skills

Risultati dell'apprendimento attesi

After this course, students will
1. possess an in-depth understanding of some of the leading concepts and ideas that have shaped American culture from the 17th through the 20th century and beyond
2. understand some of the key junctures of the US history and culture 
3. possess a better ability to read scholarly and cultural texts, and be able to identify a texts' topic and key argument
4. be able to write appropriately regarding a cultural topic, by highlighting one's own specific argument or angle of approach

This course aims at developing abilities of critical thinking, independent study and initiative. Seminar discussions and individual study of the syllabus help students acquire critical and analytical tools for undestanding and conducting research in the field of North-American literature and culture. They also learn to place those texts within theoretical, critical, and historical contexts and to produce written analyses of those texts.

Programma

COURSE TITLE: Understanding America: Key Concepts.

COURSE BLOG: https://understandingamerica2023.edublogs.org/ This is the official blog and bullettin board for this class. Students are required to refer to the course blog regularly during the semester. Any changes and updates to thus syllabus will be posted to the course blog. 

This course is taught IN PERSON as a weekly SEMINAR and is not suitable for nonatending students.

The course examines what "America" means and what it means to be "American", addessing questions such as whether the term "American" has a singular or plural definition or if there is any common culture or repository of shared values that unites Americans of widely different backgrounds. We will be discussing key concepts of American Studies, including exceptionalism, manifest destiny, nature, violence, democracy, race, migration, mobility, urban modernity, American Century, multiculturalism, post-nationalism. Spanning over 3 centuries of American culture, the readings in this course will help students become familiar with major tropes of American culture, as expressed in the literature from the 17th through the 21st century.

This class, fully taught in English, will be conducted as a weekly seminar: students will be expected to show weekly progress through the course materials by way of classroom presentations and written assignments.

Students unable to attend regularly must 1. meet with the professor during office hours AT LEAST 30 DAYS BEFORE taking the written exam (and preferably before the start of classes) AND 2. attend at least two Thursday sessions (unless unable for pressing reasons, to be cleared with professor - e.g. participation in the Erasmus program). Students will not be admitted to take the exam otherwise.

Modalità di insegnamento

THIS COURSE IS FULLY TAUGHT IN ENGLISH

During class: seminar discussion of primary and secondary texts; film screenings; three written short papers. Individual study of primary and secondary texts are intended as PREPARATION to the class sessions. 

Modalità di verifica dell'apprendimento

Students will study all MANDATORY texts listed in the section "Altri testi e consigli bibliografici" below. Three take-home papers (to be submitted at least 7 days prior to the written exam), one written exam, one oral interview - all mandatory. Students must pass the written exam in order to be admitted to the oral. Students failing the written exam should meet with the professor promptly. After the Fall 2024 examination session, a NEW SYLLABUS will apply. 

Assessment is IN PERSON, and written exams are normally conducted in a computer lab and administered via Moodle. Full instructions are published on Moodle ate least 3 days BEFORE the written exam. Students are required to study those instructions very carefully.

Written exam consists in two open ended questions relating to the course materials. An optional oral presentation during the last week of classes will replace the oral exam (but not the written exam).

Assessment will test students' in depth understanding of ALL course materials (sas listed in the "programma del corso" section) and their ability to establish connections and comparisons among the various texts and the various course topics. It will test students' overall understanding, and chronological placement, of key events in US history from the 17th through the 20th century as a necessary backdrop to the cultural/literary analysis of the course materials. Students will need to show that they have acquired the relevant lexicon to allow them to be conversant in the course topics.

All assessments will be in English.

Attività di supporto

A writing clinic (in 3 sessions, during the semester - see course syllabus on the course blog for details), to help students improve their academic writing skills.

Lectures and presentations with guests speakers, whenever possible.

For students with physical disabilities, dyslexia, and other specific learning difficulties, please visit the University's support page (https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-con-disabilita) and admission information (https://www.unito.it/accoglienza-studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsaopen_in_newopen_in_new).

The procedures for requesting support during exams can be found here: https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-e-studentesse-con-disabilita/supporto-studenti-e-studentesse-con

NON ATTENDING STUDENTS (i.e. students attending less than 70% of this course) will also study:
Heike Paul, The Myths that Made America (Transcript, 2014)

Note

Full course details, week-to-week updates and examination info is available at 
https://understandingamerica2023.edublogs.org/

ALL students MUST REGISTER to this course through the course blog . Unregistered students will NOT be admitted to examinations.

Insegnamenti che mutuano questo insegnamento

• LINGUA E LETTERATURA ANGLO-AMERICANA (Prima annualità) (LIN0608)
  Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Lingue e Letterature straniere e Culture moderne
• LINGUA E LETTERATURA ANGLO-AMERICANA (Prima annualità) (LIN0464)
  Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Lingue e Letterature straniere e Culture moderne

Altre informazioni

• Materiale didattico
• Bacheca appelli
• Orario lezioni
• Vai a Moodle
• Registrati a questo insegnamento
• Studenti registrati
• Invia email agli studenti registrati
• Esporta tabella