31353 - Anglo-American Literature 3

Learning outcomes

Students will learn the literary history of the period at stake; they will acquire useful literary tools to analyze fictional productions and question them in relation to the complex and heterogeneous North American realities.

Course contents

NORTH AMERICA AND NEW CULTURAL GEOGRAPHIES: 1950-2025

The course is divided into two 30-hour modules, with two instructors working collaboratively and a single final exam.

Part 1 – Canada (Prof. Elena Lamberti, Course Instructor)

The first module focuses on Canada and explores the transition from colonial to postcolonial times, delving into the evolution of diverse literary canons and trends. It will examine the unique yet complex reality of a nation that, once defined as "the Canadian nobody," has become, over time, a veritable outpost from which to explore the new literary, cultural, transmedia, and ethical challenges of the contemporary world.

Main themes: The (Old and New) Canadian Mosaic; Postcolonial Canada; the Canadian Renaissance; Canadian Postmodernism; Indigenous Literature; Canadian Literature of the 21st Century.

The works examined will include, among others, texts by: Susanna Moodie, Margaret Atwood, Timothy Findley, Leonard Cohen, Michael Ondaatje, Nino Ricci, Douglas Coupland, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Waubgeshig Rice, Cherie Dimaline, Richards Wagamese, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.

Part 2 – USA (Prof. Mattia Arioli, Course Co-Coordinator):

The second module focuses on the USA and investigates how literature portrayed and contributed to the cultural changes and socio-political struggles of the Post-45 period—from the Civil Rights Era to Postmodernism. The course will put literature in dialogue with other arts/media to tackle issues and concerns that are paramount to understand the challenges that the United States is facing at the beginning of the 21^st century, through the lenses of literature, art and media.

Main themes: New Journalism; US Postmodernism; the raise of the Graphic Novel; Graphic Journalism; Asian American Literature; Civil Right Movement and Literature; Wars and Literature.

The works examined will include, among others, texts by: Truman Capote; Michael Herr; Tim O'Brien; Ralph Ellison; Tony Morrison; Suzan-Lori Parks; Octavia E. Butler, Thomas Pynchon; Kurt Vonnegut; John Okada; Maxine Hong Kingston; D.H. Hwang; Monique Truong; Don DeLillo; Jonathan Safran Foer; Michael Chabon; Art Spiegelman; Joe Sacco; Alison Bechdel.

Please Notice: This course is organized as part of the sustainability phase of the European Project “PERFORMIGRATIONS: People Are the Territory”, in the frame of the research project “WeTell: Storytelling and Civic Awareness” (https://site.unibo.it/wetell/en) and in collaboration with the literary portal https://site.unibo.it/canadausa . The main goal is to encourage a new global mentality, deeply rooted in the humanities, so to reorient today geopolitics and create a happier and more just world. No knowledge is useful if it leads to satisfy only a few people’s urgent needs, be that material or emotional; knowledge is useful if it induces us to question our communal existence, helping us to learn how to act upon our community in responsible ways, in turn leading to a truly shared happiness.

Important: EVERYBODY IS WELCOME AND DIVERSITY (IN ALL ITS FORMS) IS WELCOME TOO.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities: It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) and with the course directors in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination. Any specific requests must be made within 15 days of the exam date by sending an email to the instructor and cc'ing the email address disabili@unibo.it (for students with disabilities) or dsa@unibo.it (for students with DSA).

 

Readings/Bibliography

A detailed list of primary and secondary sources will be available in due course and will be posted on the "Virtuale" platform.

Teaching methods

The course consists of three weekly lectures. Attendance is not mandatory, but it is strongly encouraged. Lectures are opportunities for dialogue, discussion, and sharing critical thinking, because this is also what humanities are for: cultivating free will and creativity through dialogue between instructor and students.

Assessment methods

Regular students will be able to take the final exam at the end of the second module (the date will be announced at the beginning of the course) with a class presentation, choosing from the topics and authors covered in the two modules. AI can be a useful tool to support individual study with in-depth analysis, summaries, and self-assessment. It can be used to prepare the presentation, but students must clearly explain how it was used (prompts, verbo-graphic summaries, etc.). The class presentation requires the reading of at least two primary sources and two secondary sources (one of which may be multimedia).

For students who do not attend regularly (this option is also available to regular attendees), the final exam consists of a 15/20-minute interview, during which students must demonstrate a good understanding of the topics covered in the two modules and demonstrate their ability to critically read the selected literary works and contextualize them within the North American cultural context. AI can be a useful tool to support individual study with in-depth analysis, summaries, and self-assessment tools. Since the final exam is an oral exam, AI is not used during the exam. The oral exam requires the reading of at least three primary sources and three secondary sources (one of which may be multimedia).

 

Teaching tools

In-person lectures with multimedia support and presentations posted on the course's virtual platform.

Links to further information

https://site.unibo.it/wetell/en

Office hours

See the website of Elena Lamberti

See the website of Mattia Arioli