1. Knowledge and understanding.
Students will learn about the origins and development of American literature and culture from its beginnings to the mid-nineteenth century through the close reading of a selection of representative texts ranging from transcriptions of oral sources to poetry, fiction and non-fiction.
2. Applying knowledge and understanding.
By the end of the course, students will be able to comprehend and analyze American literary texts; appreciate the distinctive qualities of different literary genres; appreciate the distinctive traits of different American authors; comprehend issues in American literature, in relation to the historical context, and relevant critical theories.
3. Making judgments.
By the end of the course, students will become sophisticated readers who can articulate their own opinions on literary texts and cultural issues in an informed manner.
4. Communication skills.
By the end of the course, students will be able to articulate their own opinions and questions clearly, and to participate in a stimulating discussion about the texts they have read.
5. Learning skills.
By the end of the course, students will have developed critical thinking abilities which are essential to the understanding of more complex texts and issues.

Intermediate English language skills (B1 level of the European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Title

Discovering America: Literature and Culture in the New World

Description

1. This course will trace the origins and development of American literature and culture from its beginnings to the mid-nineteenth century through a close reading of a number of texts ranging from transcriptions of oral sources to poetry, fiction and non-fiction.
2. Special attention will be paid to the search for a distinctively American voice and for cultural independence from Europe.
3. The reading list will include such authors as Mary Rowlandson, Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Herman Melville.

Both primary and secondary sources will be made available on the MOODLE platform.

Reading List:

- A selection of Native American writings (Crow, Pawnee, Ojibwa, Navajo, Kiowa)
- A selection of Colonial American writings: J. Smith, W. Bradford, A. Bradstreet
- Mary Rowlandson, excerpts from A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson
- a selection of 18th-century writings: St. J. de Crèvecoeur, T. Jefferson, P. Wheatley, C. Brockden Brown
- Washington Irving, “Rip Van Winkle”
- Edgar Allan Poe, “The Masque of the Red Death”; “The Black Cat”; “The Tell-Tale Heart”
- Nathaniel Hawthorne, “My Kinsman, Major Molineaux”

Background material:

R. Gray, A History of American Literature. Blackwell, 2004.
Recommended reading: La letteratura degli Stati Uniti dal Rinascimento americano ai nostri giorni. A cura di Cristina Iuli e Paola Loreto. Roma: Carocci (this text will be on reserve in the Library, in Androna Campo Marzio n. 10).
Additional secondary sources will be made available on MOODLE.

Lectures and close reading of literary texts in class. Students are advised to attend classes regularly and bring the texts with them. PowerPoint presentations will be used to introduce major topics and authors, and to highlight particularly significant literary passages. Students will be strongly encouraged to ask questions and offer comments about the texts and other issues pertaining to the course.

Students with specific requirements (for example, those with disabilities, working students, athletes, mature students, students with children, prison inmates, and so on) who are temporarily or permanently unable to attend lectures in person, will be able to follow them on-line upon request to the instructor. The request should be sent via email to the person in charge well before the beginning of the course. The student will take full responsibility for the truthfulness of the reasons provided. Please note that classes are held in-person.

Student learning will be assessed through a written exam consisting of three sections. Each section includes two passages from literary works covered in class and indications on what they share in terms of subject matter and/or narrative style. Students are expected to identify and discuss the passages, focusing on the topic highlighted in the instructions. The duration of the exam is 60 minutes. The grading system ranges from 18/30 to 30/30 cum laude:
30 - 30 cum laude = Excellent
27-29 = Very Good
24-26 = Good
21-23 = Satisfactory
18-20 = Weak
0-17 = Fail

In order to pass the exam, students must complete at least two sections. To earn the highest score (30/30 cum laude), students must complete all sections of the written exam and demonstrate, in addition to good writing skills, a thorough knowledge of the texts in the reading list, a capacity for textual analysis and for placing the excerpted passages in their proper context.

Questo insegnamento approfondisce argomenti strettamente connessi a uno o più obiettivi dell’Agenda 2030 per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile delle Nazioni Unite.