This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.

Undergraduate Handbook 2010-2011 (archived)

Module ITAL1061: UNDERSTANDING ITALY FROM THE 1960s TO TODAY

Department: Modern Languages and Cultures (Italian)

ITAL1061: UNDERSTANDING ITALY FROM THE 1960s TO TODAY

Type	Level	Credits	Availability	Module Cap	Location
Open	1	20	Available in 2010/2011	None.	Durham

Pre-requisites

B at A level in another foreign European language.

Corequisites

Modern Languages, Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' programmes: Italian Language 1B (ITAL1021) AND Italian Listening & Reading Comprehension (ITAL1051) OR Italian Language 1A (ITAL1071). Others: see Chairman/woman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Excluded Combinations

None.

Aims

To introduce first-year students to a corpus of literature, film and other media representing Italian culture from the 1960s to today.
To study some of the cultural monuments of Italy's recent past as well as achieve a sense of some of the historical events that contribute most to contemporary Italian society.
The module should improve the existing programme by providing a cultural/artistic backdrop against which to teach Italian language in first year.
It also intends to provide a foundation for literature/culture courses offered in Year 2 and an introduction to the critical skills needed throughout the degree programme.

Content

An in-house booklet will be prepared in the department.
The first half of the booklet (Term 1) will be divided into thematic units.
It will have excerpts from and about contemporary literature, cinema, music and society (phenomena such as linguistic and cultural diversity and immigration/emigration).
The second half (Term 2) will contain items relating to the main historical, artistic and cultural events occurring in Italy from 1960 onwards.
It will include literature and journalistic documentation as well as notes on films from that period.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge

Students should gain an outline knowledge of the historical, artistic and cultural events which have dominated Italian society since the 1960s.

Subject-specific Skills

Students should gain an ability to formulate critical observations on Italian texts and other media.

Key Skills

Students will develop skills in critical reading and the expression of ideas both orally and in written form.

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

In the first term, lectures will focus on current Italian literature, cinema, music and society.
Lectures in the second term will focus on recent Italian history (although the approach will not be purely historical).
Seminars will be used to read, examine and analyse texts chosen for their relevance to the historical/cultural/artistic topic of the week.
Seminars will also prepare students for presentations in general and for their end of year presentation in particular.
Short tutorials will be organised throughout the year to discuss essays.
Independent learning will be encouraged by preparation for seminars and by research for the summative essay.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total Hours	Attendance Monitored
Lectures	21	Weekly	1 hour	21	Yes
Seminars	10	Fortnightly	1 hour	10	Yes
Preparation and Reading				169
Total				200

Summative Assessment

Component	Component Weighting	Element	Length/Duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Project	25%	Project in English	1000 word	100%	Yes
Essay	35%	Essay in English on chosen topic of term 2	1500 word	100%	Yes
Written Examination	40%	Examination in English on topics of term 2	1.5 hours	100%	Yes

Formative Assessment

None

Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.