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for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.
| Unit name |
Delle Cose di Sicilia |
| Unit code |
ITAL30041 |
| Credit points |
20 |
| Level of study |
H/6
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
|
| Unit director |
Professor. O'Rawe |
| Open unit status |
Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None
|
| School/department |
Department of Italian |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Arts |
Description including Unit Aims
The course will study aspects of Sicilian culture from the late nineteenth century to the present, looking particularly at folklore, popular theatre and literature, and the relation between these. It will examine intersections between popular culture and traditions and the literature which records them, paying particular attention to the ideas of memory, nostalgia, loss and commemoration which often dominate this literature.
Students will be introduced to theoretical and methodological approaches regarding cultural memory, oral history and microhistory, and will assess the validity of applying these approaches to the texts studied.
Topics to be studied may include: Sicilian puppet theatre, religious festivals, popular art and photography.
Aims:
- To introduce students to a significant body of knowledge of a complexity appropriate to final year level. The content matter will normally include one or more of the following: literature; social, cultural or political history; linguistics; cultural studies; film, television or other media.
- To facilitate students engagement with a body of literature, including secondary literature, texts, including in non-print media, primary sources and ideas as a basis for their own analysis and development. Normally many or most of these sources will be in a language other than English and will enhance the development of their linguistic skills.
- To develop further skills of synthesis, analysis and independent research, building on the skills acquired in units at level I.
- To equip students with the skills to undertake postgraduate study in a relevant field.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Successful students will:
- be knowledgable about a significant cultural, historical or linguistic subject related to the language they are studying;
- will have advanced skills in the selection and synthesis of relevant material;
- be able to evaluate and analyse relevant material from a significant body of source materials, usually in a foreign language, at an advanced level;
- be able to respond to questions or problems by presenting their independent judgements in an appropriate style and at an advanced level of complexity;
- be able to transfer these skills to other working environments, including postgraduate study.
Teaching Information
1 x 2 hr slot weekly.
Assessment Information
One assessed essay (3,000 words) (50%); one assessed commentary (1,500 words) (25%); and one assessed class presentation (15 mins) (25%).
Reading and References
Set text:
- Gesualdo Bufalino, Museo dombre (1978) ((Milan: Bompiani, 2000)
Students will also study excerpts from writings by the folklorists Giuseppe Pitr�, Serafino Amabile Guastella, and Antonino Uccello, and by writers such as Leonardo Sciascia, Vincenzo Consolo, Antonino Buttitta, and Matteo Collura. These will be provided by the course tutor.
