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School of Modern Languages & Cultures: Department of Italian

Anatomy of Italian Cultural History

This module will not be running in 2012-13

About this Module

Conceived of as a road map of Italian culture, this module addresses the major historical, anthropological, and ideological forces that have shaped the culture of Italy during the course of its history. Its thematic spectrum is organised around six major cultural categories: 1. place, 2. action and contemplation, 3. sleep and watch, 4. food and drink, 5. beauty and disgust, and 6. the passions of the mind (love, anger, melancholy, and happiness). Moving from the most external category of "place" to the most internal category of "human emotions," students will learn how to analyze the ways in which Italians understand and feel about their country, their work and leisure practices, their sleeping and waking behaviours, their eating and drinking habits, their passionate and emotional responses to life. The ultimate goal of the course is to provide a set of heuristic tools that will enable students to develop a dynamic understanding of what is commonly known as "italianness" (italianità). Materials studied will include stories, anecdotes, customs, habits and a variety of documents of textual, visual, and performative nature. 

Teaching and Learning

This module will be taught by means of weekly lectures and fortnightly seminars.  This module is capped at 30.

  1. Lecture (1 hour): module material will be presented, contextualised and examined critically, focusing on the historical and cultural developments of the major themes embodied in the different texts. Lectures are accompanied by handouts, PowerPoint presentations, and preparatory material included in the in-house booklet.
  2. Seminar (1 hour): emphasis is on student participation and group discussion. Seminars will involve a range of teaching and learning practices including close textual reading/analysis, individual and/or group presentations, but will mostly devoted to class discussion.

Set Texts

Departmental booklet and material posted on duo. The selection of texts includes records from medieval to contemporary Italian literature, Italian art, Italian cinema, but it includes also non-literary or artistic material. Most of the material will be available in English.

Summative Assessment

  • 2000-word summative essay (50%)
  • 2-hour written examination (50%)

Co-ordinator:

Dr Stefano Cracolici (stefano.cracolici@durham.ac.uk), room A6, Elvet Riverside I.