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 2017/2018

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

Sommario insegnamento

• Obiettivi formativi
• Risultati dell'apprendimento attesi
• Modalità di insegnamento
• Modalità di verifica dell'apprendimento
• Attività di supporto
• Programma
• Testi consigliati e bibliografia
• Note
• Strumenti didattici

Obiettivi formativi

This course contributes to the development of intellectual 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.

Risultati dell'apprendimento attesi

This course aims at developing abilities of critical thinking, independent study and initiative. Seminar discussions and individual study of the syllabushelp students acquire critical and analytical instruments for udestanding 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.

Modalità di insegnamento

Individual  study of primary and secondary texts and shor papers as PREPARATORY to the sessions in class. During class: seminar discussion of primary and secondary texts; presentation of written papers and feedback.

Modalità di verifica dell'apprendimento

Three take-home papers, one final written exam. Attending students may take the final exam in the final week of the course. All other students may take the written exam - after submitting all take-home papers, during the official written examination sessions, NO LATER THAN THE FALL 2018 SESSION (September). After that session, a NEW SYLLABUS will apply. Students must pass all written requirements in order to proceed to the final oral interview.

Attività di supporto

Lectures and presentations by guests speakers, when possible

Programma

Understanding America: Key Concepts.

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 fund of shared values that unites Americans of widely different backgrounds. Will do so by 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 topics in that 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.

COURSE BLOG: https://www.serviziweb.unito.it/blog/?id=59259. This is the official bulletting board for this class. Students are required to refer to the course blog regularly during the semester, beginning in September 2017.

Non attending students (an oxymoron) MUST meet with professsor during office hourse PRIOR to the beginning of the course and ATTEND AT LEAST the first session of the course.

NON ATTENDING STUDENTS will also study:
Heike Paul, The Myths that Made America (Transcript, 2014)

Reference texts (highly recommended):
Maffi et al. Americana (Il saggiatore 2012)

Note

COURSE BLOG: https://www.serviziweb.unito.it/blog/?id=59259

• Materiale didattico
• Bacheca appelli
• Vai a Moodle
• Visita i forum