| Unit name | Dante's Inferno |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ITAL20047 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Kay |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Italian |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
There is arguably no more influential text from the European Middle Ages than Dante’s Commedia. The poem helped establish the Tuscan vernacular as the standardized Italian language and represented a landmark in the representation of the Christian afterlife. But Dante’s significance is not confined to the past. The poet remains a towering presence in Italian culture and society. The seventh centenary of his death in 2021 saw a vast array of commemorative activities, and influential voices continued to cast Dante as the ‘father’ of Italian language, culture, and even the nation itself. But Dante today is a truly global figure, who inspires forms of cultural production that transcend different languages, political and religious standpoints, and cultural traditions. This unit will give you the ideal environment in which to read and understand this extraordinary text, and to reflect on why it continues to speak to new audiences in a secularized world.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Students of Italian will have the opportunity to engage with a landmark of Italian culture; those not studying Italian will be able to engage with one of the great works of world literature through the medium of translation. Whichever programme you are taking, this unit will develop your wider critical, intercultural, and research skills, which can be applied in other parts of your degree programme and in life beyond university. The unit will also develop your communication skills, both oral and in writing, and will encourage you to think about how to make complex material accessible to a wider audience.
An overview of content
For this unit you will read the first part of Dante’s Commedia, the Inferno, which is made up of 34 cantos. The Inferno describes the character Dante’s descent into Hell. Guided by the classical poet Virgil, he gains an understanding of sin and evil through a series of encounters with complex and memorable characters, many drawn from Dante’s contemporary world, whose stories continue to resonate with readers, writers, and artists around the world. Central themes and concepts to be examined in the unit will include justice and free will; crime and punishment; desire; politics; authority; and exile.
While you are expected to read the Inferno in their entirety, our seminars will focus on key cantos and episodes which will be examined in depth. Mini lectures will place key aspects of the poem in their wider cultural and historical context, but sessions will generally be interactive: students will be expected to prepare key passages for their seminars, using target readings and focusing questions, and then come to class with an agenda for discussion. Students will also prepare key critical readings which will enrich their understanding of the material and stimulate discussion of the different critical and theoretical approaches that can be applied to medieval texts.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
This unit will help you to develop a broad range of skills. It will help you to develop your close-reading skills in Italian and to compare Italian from different historical periods. It will help you to reflect upon cultural history and different kinds of continuity and change. It will enable you to develop your critical skills, engaging with and evaluating a good range of Anglophone and Italian scholarship on Dante. You will also be able to appreciate and evaluate for yourself Dante’s cultural contribution and better understand his legacy in contemporary Italy. The unit will also invite you to look beyond the rather monolithic image of Dante the ‘national poet’, still often promoted in the public sphere in Italy, and to appreciate the transcultural complexities and multilingual realities of the later Middle Ages.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of interactive mini lectures and seminar discussions, in which we discuss together material prepared in advance. These discussions will help you to consolidate the knowledge and understanding gained in your preparatory reading, and to consider alternative perspectives on the material in question, while the mini lectures will help you to appreciate the wider historical and cultural context of the material. Seminars will also you encourage you to step back and reflect upon Dante’s wider importance, the modern resonances of his poem, and some of the ways it has been appropriated in the contemporary world.
Tasks students are expected to complete include:
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
In allocated weeks, each student will write two short discussion-board posts (max. 200 words each) over the course of the Teaching Block in response to some targeted reading questions. These will be used to develop reading skills and understanding and to stimulate in-class discussion.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Group podcast, 15 minutes (30%) [ILOs 1-2, 4-5], aimed at a non-specialist audience, introducing a key character or concept from the poem.
Timed assessment (60%) [ILOs 1-4].
Participation and attendance (10%) [ILOs 1-5].
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ITAL20047).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
