Module Information
Module Identifier
IT21020
Module Title
Rethinking late 20th Century Italy
Academic Year
2021/2022
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1
Pre-Requisite
Co-Requisite
Other Staff
Course Delivery
Assessment
Due to Covid-19 students should refer to the module Blackboard pages for assessment details
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Presentation (15 minutes) | 20% |
| Semester Assessment | Essay (1,500 words) | 40% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours | 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment | (Resit or resubmit failed or missed assessments) | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate good awareness of key trends in twentieth century Italian literature, artistic practice and culture.
2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of selected authors’ works.
3. Analyse literary, cultural, historical, political and artistic sources and make appropriate use of secondary material.
4. Identify connections between the cultural, historical and political components of the module.
5. Express key ideas clearly both in writing and speaking through the medium of English and/or Italian.
Brief description
The aim of this module is to offer students in Part Two an introduction to the dynamic forces that shaped Italy during the reconstruction years immediately following World War II and how these forces, sometimes fragmented and divisive, subsequently shaped contemporary Italy.
The module offers students opportunities to develop critical reading skills, and an overview of socio-political issues relevant to contemporary Italy. It also provides a framework for further study.
The module offers students opportunities to develop critical reading skills, and an overview of socio-political issues relevant to contemporary Italy. It also provides a framework for further study.
Content
The module will cover the following areas:
Rethinking post-war Italy: Cold war and political stagnation; the Italian economic miracle (1950- 1963); the student protests’ (1968); the Years of Lead (1960s – late 1980s), the period of social and political turmoil marked by a wave of both far-right and far-left incidents of political terrorism.
Italy and migration: To investigate migration discourses in Italy, to explore how the rhetoric of the State and the media have portrayed the newcomers and to examine the construction of migrant’s narrative identity through the writings of some Italophone authors who started to discuss issues of representation in their works and to throw into question the very notion of Italian national identity.
The Womens Question in Italy: Students will have the opportunity to explore the main developments that led to the formation, growth and decline of the ‘new’ feminist movement in Italy from the 1970s; the revival of ‘cultural feminism’ (1982-84), and the emergence of a new space for women in political parties and institutions; the close association between feminism and the Left, and the interrelation of difference and equality.
Rethinking post-war Italy: Cold war and political stagnation; the Italian economic miracle (1950- 1963); the student protests’ (1968); the Years of Lead (1960s – late 1980s), the period of social and political turmoil marked by a wave of both far-right and far-left incidents of political terrorism.
Italy and migration: To investigate migration discourses in Italy, to explore how the rhetoric of the State and the media have portrayed the newcomers and to examine the construction of migrant’s narrative identity through the writings of some Italophone authors who started to discuss issues of representation in their works and to throw into question the very notion of Italian national identity.
The Womens Question in Italy: Students will have the opportunity to explore the main developments that led to the formation, growth and decline of the ‘new’ feminist movement in Italy from the 1970s; the revival of ‘cultural feminism’ (1982-84), and the emergence of a new space for women in political parties and institutions; the close association between feminism and the Left, and the interrelation of difference and equality.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | N/A |
| Communication | Students will be expected to engage in class discussions and to communicate their ideas both orally and in written tasks. Various learning activities will help students developing these skills. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Students are expected to attend lectures and seminars and to submit work following the deadlines set by the department. |
| Information Technology | Use of Blackboard and other video/audio and web-based material. Students will be encouraged to use PowerPoint or similar software in preparation of poster/presentations. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Development of communication, problem-solving and analytical skills. Development of cultural awareness. Students will be expected to produce work, both written and oral, that is the result of independent and personal reflection on the material covered during lectures/seminars and independent research. |
| Problem solving | Students will be provided with guidance in developing the skills to analyse texts/works, to select primary and secondary texts, and to find adequate forms of presenting their work. |
| Research skills | Students will perform independent research in preparation of their essays and presentations. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students will expand their knowledge of Italian language and culture throughout the module and will be expected to demonstrate this knowledge acquisition and application in their assessed work. |
| Team work | Developed through seminar discussions and constructive feedback from peers on presentations. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5