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ITAL20160

Academic Year 2024/2025

Reading Italian Literature (ITAL20160)

Subject:
Italian
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
Languages, Cultures & Linguis
Level:
2 (Intermediate)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Paolo Acquaviva
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

For a real encounter with the Italian culture, students need to be enabled to engage with the original texts. This module is designed to facilitate such a direct engagement, by means of a structured path of guided reading. A selection of literary texts is used, carefully chosen to develop linguistic skills and cultural awareness. Classes are conceived as interactive, with explanations and students working through texts individually and in group. Class explanations, supplemented by autonomous student research, provide the information needed for a proper understanding of the texts in their historical context. Language supervision in class is designed to resolve the most obvious language difficulties and in this way free up time for focussing on the core vocabulary and grammatical structures emerging in the texts. By regularly attending and working, in class and at home, students will find the comprehension gradually easier: when comprehension is easier, one can read more and better; this develops a higher language competence, which in turn makes comprehension easier, completing the cycle.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
- place selected literary works in their historical context;
- comprehend the content of Italian literary texts of low-medium difficulty;
- apply improved reading techniques, an effective use of the dictionary, and strategies for developing the passive vocabulary;
- evidence their understanding of read passages by answering questions of linguistic and cultural / literary nature.

Indicative Module Content:

The module introduces excerpts from 4 texts taken from 19th- and 20th-century Italian literature: Pirandello's play 'Il berretto a sonagli' and his short story 'la carriola', Manzoni's novel 'I promessi sposi', and De Roberto's story 'La paura'. Excerpts are of 5-10 pages for prose works, a longer excerpt for the play. Class work involves reading parts of the texts with a view to developing reading abilities: vocabulary is developed, but even without getting all the words, the structures are highlighted so that students can learn how to come to grips with complex structures, getting the gist without being bogged down by the need to translate everything.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Tutorial

10

Seminar (or Webinar)

10

Specified Learning Activities

30

Autonomous Student Learning

60

Total

110


Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The tuition consists of two weekly classes, and students are expected to take part actively in them. Class activity always involves work on the text, typically by students under the guidance of the teacher; occasional points (grammar, vocabulary) are explained separately. Teacher explanations and student activity are combined to pool together the knowledge of individuals for the benefit of everyone.
Note that students must not use generative AI in any assignment for any purpose.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

Students taking this module must have some knowledge of Italian, specifically for the reading ability.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Quizzes/Short Exercises: two class tests with the same stucture and type of questions as the final exam paper Week 7, Week 11 Other No
50
No
Exam (In-person): two-hour end-of-trimester exam paper End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
Other No
50
No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Each of the two class tests is discussed in-depth after being corrected; they are prepared by a mock test, which is also discussed.

Name Role
Dr Marco Bellardi Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Fri 11:00 - 11:50
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Wed 15:00 - 15:50