Graduates in Languages and Literatures for Teaching and Translation obtain advanced knowledge and understanding in all the subject areas of their training in order to
1) consolidate and develop their competence in European and American Studies, with particular attention to their literature of specialisation;
2) deepen their knowledge of the two foreign languages chosen, achieving a heightened competence in the language of specialization and an advancement in the second language;
3) reach enhanced awareness of the linguistic features of their language of specialisation, both from a diachronic and a synchronic perspective;
4) reach an adequate knowledge of the most advanced methodologies for the analysis of literary texts;
5) handle confidently the theoretical-practical tools for teaching and for translation.
American fictions: plots and counterplots is one of the characterising modules of the programme. It allows students to consolidate their language skills as well as their knowledge of North American literary phenomena from a global and transcultural perspective. Classes focus on the analysis of plots, themes, and characters across narrative genres – such as the short story, the novel, the romance, the serial – conducive to an understanding of the Anglo-American literary imagination.
At the end of the module students will be able to: apply their methodological and educational competence to the analysis of literary phenomena from a transcultural perspective; communicate at an advanced level the disciplinary content; express an autonomous and accurate critical assessment.
Requirements: Students must have already taken North American literatures and visual cultures.
1) consolidate and develop their competence in European and American Studies, with particular attention to their literature of specialisation;
2) deepen their knowledge of the two foreign languages chosen, achieving a heightened competence in the language of specialization and an advancement in the second language;
3) reach enhanced awareness of the linguistic features of their language of specialisation, both from a diachronic and a synchronic perspective;
4) reach an adequate knowledge of the most advanced methodologies for the analysis of literary texts;
5) handle confidently the theoretical-practical tools for teaching and for translation.
American fictions: plots and counterplots is one of the characterising modules of the programme. It allows students to consolidate their language skills as well as their knowledge of North American literary phenomena from a global and transcultural perspective. Classes focus on the analysis of plots, themes, and characters across narrative genres – such as the short story, the novel, the romance, the serial – conducive to an understanding of the Anglo-American literary imagination.
At the end of the module students will be able to: apply their methodological and educational competence to the analysis of literary phenomena from a transcultural perspective; communicate at an advanced level the disciplinary content; express an autonomous and accurate critical assessment.
Requirements: Students must have already taken North American literatures and visual cultures.
teacher profile teaching materials
Lorraine Hansberry, "A Raisin in the Sun" [1959], S. French, 1988 (available at the Petrocchi library, or any edition) - Bill Duke (dir.), "A Raisin in the Sun" (1989; online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzfgwxENvLk)
David Henry Hwang, "M. Butterfly", Dramatists Play Service, 1988 (available at the Petrocchi library, or any edition) - David Cronenberg, "M. Butterfly" (1993; film available at the “Spettacolo” library)
Hillary Jordan, "Mudbound" (Windmill Books, 2008) - Dee Rees, "Mudbound" (2017; available on Netflix)
Programme
Through the analysis of theatrical and narrative texts published between 1950 and the present day, this course investigates issues such as racial discrimination and civil rights, gender identity and disguise/transvestism, processes of transculturation and new narratives of segregation. Also taking into account subsequent film adaptations, the reflection will focus on the formal features of different literary genres and languages, on relevant elements of narrative cinema and the contemporary novel.Core Documentation
Tennessee Williams, "The Rose Tattoo", New Directions, 2010 (available at the Petrocchi library, or any edition) - Daniel Mann (dir.), "The Rose Tattoo" (1955; film available at the “Spettacolo” library)Lorraine Hansberry, "A Raisin in the Sun" [1959], S. French, 1988 (available at the Petrocchi library, or any edition) - Bill Duke (dir.), "A Raisin in the Sun" (1989; online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzfgwxENvLk)
David Henry Hwang, "M. Butterfly", Dramatists Play Service, 1988 (available at the Petrocchi library, or any edition) - David Cronenberg, "M. Butterfly" (1993; film available at the “Spettacolo” library)
Hillary Jordan, "Mudbound" (Windmill Books, 2008) - Dee Rees, "Mudbound" (2017; available on Netflix)
Reference Bibliography
Criticism/Literary theory Selected chapters from: George Lipsitz, How Racism Takes Place (Temple UP, 2011); Brian Norman, Neo-Segregation Narratives: Jim Crow in Post-Civil Rights American Literature (Georgia UP, 2010). Further critical essays will be provided during classes and uploaded to Moodle.Type of delivery of the course
The course will mostly consist of lectures and seminars, but students will also participate in other didactic activities such as field trips, visits to the Center for American Studies in Rome, events related to American literature and culture. In case of an extension of the COVID-19 emergency all the provisions that regulate the didactic activities will be implemented. In particular, the following modalities will be applied: distance learning with live recorded lectures and sharing of materials (critical bibliography, Power Point presentations, etc.) through apps and platforms. Further information to this regard will be provided on the instructor's website.Attendance
Students who are not able to attend classes are invited to contact the instructor for additional critical/theoretical references, in case they should be needed.Type of evaluation
Students will be assigned a written paper before the end of the course and will take a final oral exam. In case of an extension of the COVID-19 emergency, all the provisions regulating the evaluation of students will be implemented. In particular, the following procedure will be applied: oral exams on Microsoft Teams.