B3118 - Italian Culture and Institutions.

Learning outcomes

The student - knows the basic elements (concepts, terms, contents and objectives) of Italian institutions and culture, essential for the understanding of the numerous components of our cultural tradition (also recent) - is capable of identifying and understanding the cultural elements and institutional testimonies in literary, nonfiction, dramaturgical, cinematographic, musical works and in the field of contemporary Italian visual arts - is able to independently develop further knowledge and higher level skills and apply them in the analysis of other cultural and institutional phenomena typical of Italian civilization

Course contents

BAES Students are reminded that:
- the course “Italian Culture and Institutions" is offered only at the Forlì campus and that the language of lectures will be Italian;
- the BAES study plan awards 6 ETCS for the “Italian Culture and Institutions" course.
In order to reach 6 ECTS, BAES students should:
- attend all lectures and carry out the assessments, plus the final written and oral exam, as every other student enrolled in the course.
Further information will be provided in class at the beginning of the course.

 

Italy in Movement from Unification to the Present

The course aims to provide a historical, political, institutional, social, and cultural overview of Italy from its unification (1861) to the present day, drawing on a variety of sources, especially literary and cinematic ones. In this way, we will attempt to offer a "moving image" of contemporary Italy.

Readings/Bibliography

1) One book of your choice from the following ones:

- Miguel Gotor, L'Italia nel Novecento. Dalla sconfitta di Adua alla vittoria di Amazon, Einaudi 2021 [IN ITALIAN]

- John Foot, Modern Italy, second edition, Pelgrave Macmillan 2014 [IN ENGLISH]

- Christopher Duggan, A Concise History of Italy, Cambridge University Press 2014, pp. 118-306 [IN ENGLISH]

In particular, students are recommended focusing on the following topics: Italian unification; rural Italy; the fascist dictatorship; the Second World War, the Nazi-Fascist occupation, the Resistance, and the Liberation; the Italian Republic, post-war problems and reconstruction; the economic boom; youth and student protests; political violence and terrorism (both black and red); and Berlusconism.

2) Two literary works of your choice from the following ones (in any unabridged edition, in Italian or in translation):

- Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Il Gattopardo [Italian unification]

- Beppe Fenoglio, La malora [Rural Italy]

- Vitaliano Brancati, Il bell'Antonio [Fascism]

- Carlo Levi, Cristo si è fermato a Eboli [Fascism]

- Renata Viganò, L'Agnese va a morire [the Resistance]

- Paolo Volponi, Memoriale [the economic boom]

- Enrico Palandri, Boccalone [youth and student protests]

- Leonardo Sciacia, Il contesto [political violence and terrorism]

The lessons will focus on the literary texts listed above, as well as on films presented in class. 

3) The viewing of all the following films is requested:

- Luchino Visconti, Il Gattopardo [Italian unification]

- Augusto Genina, Cielo sulla palude [Rural Italy]

- Mauro Bolognini, Il bell'Antonio [Fascism]

- Francesco Rosi, Cristo si è fermato a Eboli [Fascism]

- Giuliano Montaldo, L'Agnese va a morire [the Resistance]

- Lina Wertmuller, Mimì metallurgico ferito nell'onore [the economic boom]

- Guido Chiesa, Lavorare con lentezza [youth and student protests]

- Francesco Rosi, Cadaveri eccellenti [political violence and terrorism]

- Nanni Moretti, Il caimano [Berlusconism]

SUPPLEMENTS FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS

Non-attending students will arrange to view the films listed above privately and will also study the following text for the exam:

Riccardo Gasperina Geroni, Ricominciare. Classici della letteratura italiana 1939-1962, Einaudi 2025 (available September 21, 2025), pp. 11-81 and passim (non-attending students are advised to choose two literary works from those specifically analyzed in this book, so as to benefit from the relevant discussion).

 

Teaching methods

Lectures, reading and commenting on texts, use of multimedia products.

Assessment methods

The final exam will consist of a written test (proposal of an open-ended outline - discussion of a topic or "essay" - to be carried out in 90 minutes).

The objectives of the exam will be related to the measurement of the learning outcomes expected from the students; the contents of the exam will cover the topics explained in the course.

There are no intermediate or partial exams.

Assessment method: overall grade out of thirty.

Evaluation grid

30-28: in-depth knowledge of the topics; language that is always exact and precise and of excellent argumentative clarity (the attribution of honors presupposes, in addition to the previous requirements, a marked and original personal reworking);

27-26: in-depth knowledge of the topics; language mostly exact and congruous and of good argumentative clarity;

25-24: fair knowledge of the topics; overall correct language even if characterized by some inaccuracies;

23-21: sufficient knowledge of the topics; language not always correct; presence of excessive simplifications of concepts;

20-18: overall sufficient knowledge, even if sometimes incomplete, of the topics; incorrect language, characterized by generalizations, inconsistencies and/or trivializations of concepts;

exam not passed: serious gaps in the preparation that testify an overall insufficient knowledge of the topics and/or incorrect and inadequate critical language with misunderstandings of concepts.

Students with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) or with disabilities that can affect their ability to attend courses are invited to contact the University service for students with disabilities and SLD at the earliest opportunity, ideally before the start of the course: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students. The University service will suggest possible adjustments to the course work and/or exam, which must then be submitted to the course leader so they can assess their feasibility, in line with the learning objectives of the course. Please note that adjustments to the exam must be requested at least two weeks in advance.

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Carnero