AMERICAN LITERATURE 1 MOD. 1

The course is part of the MA in American, European and Postcolonial Languages and Cultures and the MA in Linguistics and aims to provide students with advanced knowledge and skills in the literary and cultural field, particularly in the history of American literature and culture from the nineteenth century to the present day. Students will have the opportunity to improve their skills in textual analysis as applied to works of prose and poetry, and to place these works in their respective historical and cultural contexts. The analytical tools acquired over the three years of the undergraduate course will be tested and developed, starting with the knowledge of literary history and critical theory and methodology; the ability to work independently and to discuss the results of their work orally will be encouraged.

The specific pedagogical objectives of the course are:
1) to develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of key works of Californian American literature between the 1800s and the 2000s;
2) the ability to apply this knowledge and understanding to other texts;
3) the development of advanced skills in communicating the content studied in English;
4) the ability to discuss and evaluate primary and secondary materials with relative autonomy;
5) the ability to work synergistically with other students.

Advanced knowledge of written and spoken English (≥ C1). Good knowledge of the history of American literature and the basic theoretical concepts of literary theory, acquired through the teaching of the three-year programme in Languages, Civilizations and Linguistic Sciences and/or the reading of the reference works in the bibliography.

This course will examine some examples of Californian literature, with specific reference to environmental, social, and racial issues. Starting with the discovery of gold in 1849, California has been attracting a growing number of immigrants from the rest to the States and from abroad, leading to the boom of the beginning of the 20th century because of the oil industry and Hollywood. Since then, California has represented the “land of sunshine”, internationally perceived as a land of golden dreams despite its xenophobic history. This course will chronologically cover some of the most representative texts of Californian literature from the 19th to the 21st centuries, which share a common focus on the region's migratory history and the tension between myth and reality, dream and disaster.

Exam Modalities:
Class presentation and class participation (25%)
Written exam (50%)
Oral exam (25%)

The written exam is 2 hours long and requires the writing of 3 mini-essays on selected topics. Students must be able to discuss a topic thoroughly but within the assigned count limit. The student is asked 3 questions (specific or general) on 3 different topics, which the students must use to organize their critical discourse on the themes of the course. The questions may be the comment of a text, a precise date/title/etc., or a broad investigation of a topic. The exam is not thought of as a test, but as a critical discussion whose aim is the assessment of the learning goals (knowledge of the historical and critical frame and of the texts; comparative and analytical skills; independent thought; communicative skills).
Primary and secondary sources are mandatory.

Lectures and seminars, class discussion, flipped classroom, participation in literary events with authors and/or conferences

English

written and oral