83693 - Introduction to Italian Culture (2)

Learning outcomes

The course is primarily addressed to UNIBO international students from all Schools and Departments, with the goal of introducing them to the culture and history of their hosting country and city, but also for operating as a space of integration between international and local students. At the end of the course students will acquire a basic knowledge of crucial aspects of the Italian cultural heritage across different disciplines and an awareness of the complexities of Italian history and society.

Course contents

Conceived as an interdisciplinary program, the course is taught in English, and consists of two seminar cycles, one for each semester (30 hours each for a total amount of 60 hours per year). Every week some of our best faculty and guest lecturers will offer new insights on crucial aspects of Italian culture. Students can attend single classes of their interest, but they can also obtain academic credits through regular attendance and coursework. The programme will also include special events in which students will have the opportunity to visit some of Bologna’s cultural institutions that will be defined in the course of the seminar.The lectures will take place on Thursdays from 8 to 10 pm in the Aula Magna, Piazza Scaravilli.

Participants will get 6 credits (CFU) for each seminar cycle (12 CFU in total). Attendance is mandatory (only 2 absences per semester are allowed) and students are required to submit a 10-page paper (approx. 4,000 words) at the end of each semester on one of the topics discussed during the course. In order to get credits, students must include INTRODUCTION TO ITALIAN CULTURE in their STUDY PLAN before the beginning of the relevant semester.

All students are welcome to attend the first introductory session (12 February).

Info in summary

• All students welcome (recommended for international students)
• 2 seminar cycles (Thursdays 8-10 pm) + special events/field trips; 30 hours/6 CFUs each semester
• To get the credits: you can attend either a single semester (6 CFU) or both (12 CFU); attendance is mandatory (only two absences per semester allowed), you must submit the final essay(s); you must include the course in your study plan before the beginning of the semester (course code: 83692).
• Assessment: 10-page paper (approx. 4,000 words) per semester (pass/fail)
• Teaching Language: English

 

LECTURE PLAN SPRING 2025-26

Thursday, 12 February 2026

ANGELO MANGINI, Welcome Day: Introduction to the Course

Thursday, 19 February 2026

GIUSEPPE LEDDA, Images of Dante

Thursday, 26 February 2026

PAOLO COVA, Bologna through the Centuries between Art and University

Thursday, 5 March 2026

LUCA BARRA, The Evolution of Italian Television Fiction. Between National Identity and Global Distribution

Thursday, 12 March 2026

ANTONIO DEL VECCHIO, Franco Basaglia and the Reform of Mental Healthcare in Italy (1978). Its Context and Political Thought

Thursday, 19 March 2026

NICOLO’ MALDINA, Love and Reason. An Introduction to Dante's Vita Nova

Thursday, 9 April 2026

LAURA PASQUINI, The Byzantine Mosaics of Ravenna in Dante’s Divine Comedy

Thursday, 16 April 2026

ANGELO MANGINI, Text and Image: The Episode of Paolo and Francesca (Inferno 5)

Thursday, 23 April 2026

SERENA BAIESI, On the Grand Tour: British Cultural Encounters with Italy, 1750–1820

Thursday, 7 May 2026

STEFANO CAVAZZA, Fascism and Neofascism in Italy

Thursday, 14 May 2026

CHIARA GIANOLLO, Multilingualism in Italy

Thursday, 21 May 2026

FILIPPO MILANI, Walking Landscapes in Italian Literature

Teaching methods

Lectures and special events/field trips.

Assessment methods

To get the credits, students are required to submit a 10-page paper (approx. 4,000 words) at the end of each semester on one of the topics discussed during the course. The essay is assessed on a pass/fail basis.

Teaching tools

• PowerPoint presentations
• 'Virtuale' e-learning platform

Office hours

See the website of Angelo Maria Mangini