85115 - Introduction to Italian Culture (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the seminar students will have acquired awareness of peculiar dimensions of Italian culture. Students will be able to understand the relevance of research problems in a wide series of topic concerning italian culture such as italian Renaissance and the modern world, the birth of italian Nation, landscapes studies,. Students will demonstrate a sound theoretical framework within which specific research interests could be developed in a interdisciplinary perspective.

Course contents

The seminar will analyze in depth the italian culture through the voices and works of three international visiting professors:

Steve McCormick, Washington and Lee University

His research mainly focuses on old French epic and its reception and diffusion in Italy, Italian medieval and early modern epic, Ariosto and the Orlando Furioso.

Enrica Capussotti, Università di Sienna

She is a cultural historian working with cinema, photography, and other written material. Her main research areas are gender history, history of race and racism, migration studies.

Helena Sanson, Claire College

She has successfully created and developed a new and fruitful field of studies, which combines, with an interdisciplinary approach, the history of linguistic thought and women’s history in Italy, uncovering the contribution of women to the history of language, and linguistics more broadly, between 1500-1900

Lessons will follow this specific calendar:

Steve McCormick

October 7^th 10AM – 1PM

October 10^th 3 – 6 PM

October 14^th 10AM – 1PM

October 17^th 3 – 6 PM

October 21^st 10AM – 1PM

Enrica Capussotti

November 11^th 11AM – 2PM

November 15^th 11AM – 2PM

Helena Sanson

December 12^th 3 – 6 PM

December 16^th 10AM – 1PM

December 19^th 3 – 6 PM

Teaching methods

Lectures and seminars involving text analysis and class discussion.

Assessment methods

Written or oral exam

Teaching tools

• Lectures and seminars
• PowerPoint presentations

Office hours

See the website of Giuliana Benvenuti