20750046 - Anglo-American Literatures and Visual Cultures

For both curricula, the international one and the one focused on the teaching of Italian as a second language, graduates in Languages and Literatures for Teaching and Cultural Professions 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, with the achievement of a high level of proficiency in the first language and an improved level in the second language for the MULTIPLE curriculum or in the single foreign language chosen for the DIL 2 curriculum; 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. Anglo-American Literatures and Visual Cultures is one of the characterizing modules of the MA program. It allows students to acquire linguistic and communicative skills as well as the competence to analyze poetic, narrative, theatrical, cinematic, and non-fiction texts, taking into account North America’s linguistic and cultural complexity and paying special attention to the relationships between literature and the visual and performing arts. At the end of the module, students will be able to enhance their critical awareness, make independent use of the most advanced theoretical methods for analyzing literary texts and phenomena from a transcultural and transmedia perspective, and communicate at an advanced level the discipline’s contents. Prerequisites: students enrolled in other degree programs can select this module if they have gained at least 12 CFU in Anglo-American literatures for their bachelor’s degree and can certify the attainment of the B2 level in the English language. Note: for LM37 students enrolled in the international curriculum “English and Anglo-American Studies” (English-English Literature), this module can be chosen as an associated subject (“materia affine”) to the literature of specialization.

Curriculum

teacher profile | teaching materials

Programme

Through the rewritings of visual, narrative, and poetic texts (adaptations for the stage and the screen, parodies), published over a period ranging from the beginning of the 20th century to the first decade of the 21st, the course investigates the specificities of different genres, languages, and media, as well as the processes of adaptation and transcodification that are at the heart of such texts. Class discussions will also focus on issues related to democracy and citizenship in the United States; racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination; civil rights; and transculturalism.

Core Documentation

L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz;
The Wizard of Oz (film), dir. Victor Fleming; The Wiz (film), dir. Sidney Lumet.
William Carlos Williams, Paterson;
Paterson (film), dir. Jim Jarmusch.
Tennessee Williams, The Rose Tattoo;
The Rose Tattoo (film), dir. Daniel Mann.
Tennessee Williams, Baby Doll;
Baby Doll (film), dir. Elia Kazan.
Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun;
A Raisin in the Sun, dir. Daniel Petrie; A Raisin in the Sun, dir. Bill Duke.
David Henry Hwang, M. Butterfly;
M. Butterfly (film), dir. David Cronenberg.
Hayden Herrera, Frida;
Frida (film), dir. Julie Taymor.
Kym Ragusa, The Skin Between Us; Passing (video); fuori/outside (video).
Hillary Jordan, Mudbound (Windmill Books)
Mudbound (film), dir. Dee Rees.




Reference Bibliography

Criticism/Literary theory Linda Hutcheon with Siobhan O'Flynn, A Theory of Adaptation (2nd ed.). London-New York: Routledge, 2013 (selected chapters); Thomas Leitch, “Twelve Fallacies in Contemporary Adaptation Theory.” Criticism, Vol. 45, No. 2 (Spring 2003), pp. 149-171. Salman Rushdie, The Wizard of Oz. London: British Film Institute, 1992. Ryan Bunch, “‘Ease on Down the Road.’ Black Routes and the Soul of The Wiz.” Adapting The Wizard of Oz: Musical Versions from Baum to MGM and Beyond, eds. Danielle Birkett and Dominic McHugh. Oxford Scholarship Online (December 2018) DOI:10.1093/oso/9780190663179.003.0010; Adam R. McKee, “William Carlos Williams’s Image of the City.” William Carlos Williams Review, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Fall 2014), pp. 141-158. Sabrina Vellucci, “Il Sud di Tennessee Williams e Anna Magnani a Hollywood.” Transatlantic Visions. Culture cinematografiche italiane negli Stati Uniti del secondo dopoguerra, eds. Enrico Carocci, Ilaria A. De Pascalis, Veronica Pravadelli. Milano: Mimesis, 2023, pp. 149-161. Ed Piacentino, “Hillary Jordan’s Mudbound and the Neo-Segregation Narrative.” Mississippi Quarterly, Vol. 67, No. 2 (2014), pp. 267-290. Virgil Williams and Dee Rees, Mudbound. The Screenplay. Literary History Greil Marcus and Werner Sollors, eds., A New Literary History of America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2009 (selected chapters: "Literature and Imperialism", "The Wizard of Oz, " "The problem of the color line", "A Modernist Moment", "T.S. Eliot and D.H. Lawrence", "The word 'multicultural'", "Integrating the military", "Tennessee Williams", "Elia Kazan and the blacklist in Hollywood"). The volume can be borrowed at the Petrocchi Library. Richard Gray, A Brief History of American Literature. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011 (chapters 4 and 5).

Attendance

Students are expected to attend at least 75% of classes and actively participate in class discussions, regularly reading the assigned texts and doing individual or group presentations on topics agreed upon with the teacher. In this case, they can take an ongoing evaluation (written, in-class) test that allows them to take an abbreviated oral exam. Students who cannot attend classes are invited to contact me at least two months before the date they intend to take the exam to verify whether further readings are required.

Type of evaluation

Students who attend the course are required to read the assigned texts regularly. Participation in class discussions and individual or group presentations on topics agreed upon with the lecturer constitutes an integral part (30%) of the final grade. Attending students may take an in-class written test that will constitute 50% of the final grade. For those who have attended regularly and taken the in-class tests, the oral examination will constitute 20% of the final assessment. Students who cannot attend classes are invited to contact me at least two months before the date on which they intend to take the exam.

teacher profile | teaching materials

Programme

Through the rewritings of visual, narrative, and poetic texts (adaptations for the stage and the screen, parodies), published over a period ranging from the beginning of the 20th century to the first decade of the 21st, the course investigates the specificities of different genres, languages, and media, as well as the processes of adaptation and transcodification that are at the heart of such texts. Class discussions will also focus on issues related to democracy and citizenship in the United States; racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination; civil rights; and transculturalism.

Core Documentation

L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz;
The Wizard of Oz (film), dir. Victor Fleming; The Wiz (film), dir. Sidney Lumet.
William Carlos Williams, Paterson;
Paterson (film), dir. Jim Jarmusch.
Tennessee Williams, The Rose Tattoo;
The Rose Tattoo (film), dir. Daniel Mann.
Tennessee Williams, Baby Doll;
Baby Doll (film), dir. Elia Kazan.
Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun;
A Raisin in the Sun, dir. Daniel Petrie; A Raisin in the Sun, dir. Bill Duke.
David Henry Hwang, M. Butterfly;
M. Butterfly (film), dir. David Cronenberg.
Hayden Herrera, Frida;
Frida (film), dir. Julie Taymor.
Kym Ragusa, The Skin Between Us; Passing (video); fuori/outside (video).
Hillary Jordan, Mudbound (Windmill Books)
Mudbound (film), dir. Dee Rees.




Reference Bibliography

Criticism/Literary theory Linda Hutcheon with Siobhan O'Flynn, A Theory of Adaptation (2nd ed.). London-New York: Routledge, 2013 (selected chapters); Thomas Leitch, “Twelve Fallacies in Contemporary Adaptation Theory.” Criticism, Vol. 45, No. 2 (Spring 2003), pp. 149-171. Salman Rushdie, The Wizard of Oz. London: British Film Institute, 1992. Ryan Bunch, “‘Ease on Down the Road.’ Black Routes and the Soul of The Wiz.” Adapting The Wizard of Oz: Musical Versions from Baum to MGM and Beyond, eds. Danielle Birkett and Dominic McHugh. Oxford Scholarship Online (December 2018) DOI:10.1093/oso/9780190663179.003.0010; Adam R. McKee, “William Carlos Williams’s Image of the City.” William Carlos Williams Review, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Fall 2014), pp. 141-158. Sabrina Vellucci, “Il Sud di Tennessee Williams e Anna Magnani a Hollywood.” Transatlantic Visions. Culture cinematografiche italiane negli Stati Uniti del secondo dopoguerra, eds. Enrico Carocci, Ilaria A. De Pascalis, Veronica Pravadelli. Milano: Mimesis, 2023, pp. 149-161. Ed Piacentino, “Hillary Jordan’s Mudbound and the Neo-Segregation Narrative.” Mississippi Quarterly, Vol. 67, No. 2 (2014), pp. 267-290. Virgil Williams and Dee Rees, Mudbound. The Screenplay. Literary History Greil Marcus and Werner Sollors, eds., A New Literary History of America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2009 (selected chapters: "Literature and Imperialism", "The Wizard of Oz, " "The problem of the color line", "A Modernist Moment", "T.S. Eliot and D.H. Lawrence", "The word 'multicultural'", "Integrating the military", "Tennessee Williams", "Elia Kazan and the blacklist in Hollywood"). The volume can be borrowed at the Petrocchi Library. Richard Gray, A Brief History of American Literature. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011 (chapters 4 and 5).

Attendance

Students are expected to attend at least 75% of classes and actively participate in class discussions, regularly reading the assigned texts and doing individual or group presentations on topics agreed upon with the teacher. In this case, they can take an ongoing evaluation (written, in-class) test that allows them to take an abbreviated oral exam. Students who cannot attend classes are invited to contact me at least two months before the date they intend to take the exam to verify whether further readings are required.

Type of evaluation

Students who attend the course are required to read the assigned texts regularly. Participation in class discussions and individual or group presentations on topics agreed upon with the lecturer constitutes an integral part (30%) of the final grade. Attending students may take an in-class written test that will constitute 50% of the final grade. For those who have attended regularly and taken the in-class tests, the oral examination will constitute 20% of the final assessment. Students who cannot attend classes are invited to contact me at least two months before the date on which they intend to take the exam.

teacher profile | teaching materials

Programme

Through the rewritings of visual, narrative, and poetic texts (adaptations for the stage and the screen, parodies), published over a period ranging from the beginning of the 20th century to the first decade of the 21st, the course investigates the specificities of different genres, languages, and media, as well as the processes of adaptation and transcodification that are at the heart of such texts. Class discussions will also focus on issues related to democracy and citizenship in the United States; racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination; civil rights; and transculturalism.

Core Documentation

L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz;
The Wizard of Oz (film), dir. Victor Fleming; The Wiz (film), dir. Sidney Lumet.
William Carlos Williams, Paterson;
Paterson (film), dir. Jim Jarmusch.
Tennessee Williams, The Rose Tattoo;
The Rose Tattoo (film), dir. Daniel Mann.
Tennessee Williams, Baby Doll;
Baby Doll (film), dir. Elia Kazan.
Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun;
A Raisin in the Sun, dir. Daniel Petrie; A Raisin in the Sun, dir. Bill Duke.
David Henry Hwang, M. Butterfly;
M. Butterfly (film), dir. David Cronenberg.
Hayden Herrera, Frida;
Frida (film), dir. Julie Taymor.
Kym Ragusa, The Skin Between Us; Passing (video); fuori/outside (video).
Hillary Jordan, Mudbound (Windmill Books)
Mudbound (film), dir. Dee Rees.




Reference Bibliography

Criticism/Literary theory Linda Hutcheon with Siobhan O'Flynn, A Theory of Adaptation (2nd ed.). London-New York: Routledge, 2013 (selected chapters); Thomas Leitch, “Twelve Fallacies in Contemporary Adaptation Theory.” Criticism, Vol. 45, No. 2 (Spring 2003), pp. 149-171. Salman Rushdie, The Wizard of Oz. London: British Film Institute, 1992. Ryan Bunch, “‘Ease on Down the Road.’ Black Routes and the Soul of The Wiz.” Adapting The Wizard of Oz: Musical Versions from Baum to MGM and Beyond, eds. Danielle Birkett and Dominic McHugh. Oxford Scholarship Online (December 2018) DOI:10.1093/oso/9780190663179.003.0010; Adam R. McKee, “William Carlos Williams’s Image of the City.” William Carlos Williams Review, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Fall 2014), pp. 141-158. Sabrina Vellucci, “Il Sud di Tennessee Williams e Anna Magnani a Hollywood.” Transatlantic Visions. Culture cinematografiche italiane negli Stati Uniti del secondo dopoguerra, eds. Enrico Carocci, Ilaria A. De Pascalis, Veronica Pravadelli. Milano: Mimesis, 2023, pp. 149-161. Ed Piacentino, “Hillary Jordan’s Mudbound and the Neo-Segregation Narrative.” Mississippi Quarterly, Vol. 67, No. 2 (2014), pp. 267-290. Virgil Williams and Dee Rees, Mudbound. The Screenplay. Literary History Greil Marcus and Werner Sollors, eds., A New Literary History of America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2009 (selected chapters: "Literature and Imperialism", "The Wizard of Oz, " "The problem of the color line", "A Modernist Moment", "T.S. Eliot and D.H. Lawrence", "The word 'multicultural'", "Integrating the military", "Tennessee Williams", "Elia Kazan and the blacklist in Hollywood"). The volume can be borrowed at the Petrocchi Library. Richard Gray, A Brief History of American Literature. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011 (chapters 4 and 5).

Attendance

Students are expected to attend at least 75% of classes and actively participate in class discussions, regularly reading the assigned texts and doing individual or group presentations on topics agreed upon with the teacher. In this case, they can take an ongoing evaluation (written, in-class) test that allows them to take an abbreviated oral exam. Students who cannot attend classes are invited to contact me at least two months before the date they intend to take the exam to verify whether further readings are required.

Type of evaluation

Students who attend the course are required to read the assigned texts regularly. Participation in class discussions and individual or group presentations on topics agreed upon with the lecturer constitutes an integral part (30%) of the final grade. Attending students may take an in-class written test that will constitute 50% of the final grade. For those who have attended regularly and taken the in-class tests, the oral examination will constitute 20% of the final assessment. Students who cannot attend classes are invited to contact me at least two months before the date on which they intend to take the exam.