Module ITAL3131: DANTE'S PURGATORIO AND PARADISO

Department: Modern Language and Cultures (Italian)

ITAL3131: DANTE'S PURGATORIO AND PARADISO

Prerequisites

• Italian Language 2B (ITAL2031) or Italian Language 2B [for students taking a year abroad] (ITAL2051) or an equivalent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/woman of the Board of Studies of MLAC or his/her representative.

Corequisites

• Modern European Languages, Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' Progammes: Italian Language 4B (ITAL3021). Others: see Chairman/woman of the Board of Studies of MLAC or his/her representative

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To introduce students to the second and third canticle of the Divine Comedy (the first canticle being taught in Dante's Inferno - ITAL2041)
• To examine Dante's literary, intellectual and cultural context, and to understand its relation to medieval Italian literature and history.
• To highlight the continued relevance of the texts in Italian literature and intellectual history
• The course offers an alternative to the other options on offer to final year students. Students who had previously taken Dante's Inferno will complete their knowledge of the work, while students who did not take Dante's Inferno will cover a significant area of Italian literature and culture.
• The module is entirely independent from other content modules in the same, or previous years.
• The course is designed for students with advance knowledge of Italian language and advanced reading skills in Italian. Set-texts and sources will be in Italian

Content

• Lectures will deal with selected cantos from the two canticles.
• Term one will focus on Purgatorio and term two on Paradiso, with parallel readings in each term and references to Dante's other works.
• Topics (2-4 lectures each) will include:
• Dante's (auto)biography in the Divine Comedy, including Dante's exile and political positions
• Dante and contemporary Italian poetry (Dolce Stil Novo)
• Dante and the classical world (Virgil, Ovid, Statius)
• Dante's theory of love and the theological dimension of love
• Dante's language and the 'questione della lingua', including passages from Dante's De vulgari eloquentia
• The intellectual and physical cosmography of the Divine Comedy, with references to medieval philosophy and theology (texts by Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Albert the Great)
• Literature and science in the Divine Comedy (the representation of the natural world, astronomy)

Learning Outcomes

• Students should gain knowledge of Dante's poetry and of its significance in the Italian literature and culture since 1300
• Students should gain knowledge of the main topics of Purgatorio and Paradiso and of their literary and intellectual value in the context of the Italian literature and culture since 1300
• Students should become familiar with the main topics of the Italian medieval literature and culture

• Students should develop reading skills to enable them to read Italian medieval texts and critical skills to help them understand and interpret Italian medieval and early-Renaissance literature

• Students should be able to identify and understand complex linguistic and cultural nuances both orally and in writing
• Students should be able to work independently and collaboratively to complete to a deadline a written commentary on medieval texts and contexts to specific requirements

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module is taught by means of a weekly lecture and forthnightly seminars in smaller groups.
• Lectures will focus on the main topics of Dante's Purgatorio and Paradiso, and on reading significant passages of the texts.
• Seminars will involve students' presentations and discussion. These will be text-based.
• Students will be encouraged to participate in class discussion, to contribute with seminar presentations and to work in close relationship with their peers.
• Students will be required to attend all lectures and seminars and are expected to prepare themselves for classes and participate actively in discussions.
• The summative essays will enable students to demonstrate and develop their knowledge of the subject and also their knowledge of particular set texts.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

None

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University