48
Anglo-American Languages and Literature
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI "L'ORIENTALE"
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
Knowledge and Understanding:
Students are expected to acquire detailed knowledge of the literary and critical texts included in the syllabus. They should be capable of articulating a rigorous and original critical analysis of these texts. Additionally, they should demonstrate an understanding of the literary history and cultural context in which these texts were produced and received.
Ability to Apply Knowledge and Understanding
Students must demonstrate the ability to understand and critically engage with the issues related to the production of U.S. literature during the historical periods studied. They should be able to identify analogies and divergences among literary and cultural texts, taking into account the specific historical and social context of each work/author, while also drawing out thematic links, critical issues, and transversal "keywords."
FURTHER EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Independent Judgment:
Students will develop the capacity to construct an autonomous critical interpretation of texts, supported by appropriate analytical tools and contextual knowledge.
Communication Skills:
Students will be able to effectively articulate their ideas and present their knowledge using appropriate critical language. Tolerance for ambiguity and paradox, and resistance to oversimplification, are qualities that will be cultivated and encouraged throughout the course.
Learning Skills:
Students will gain knowledge of the historical and cultural foundations of U.S. literature and acquire the ability to study and understand its subsequent developments independently.
Course Prerequisites
PREREQUISITES
Essential: A good knowledge of the English language, sufficient for understanding texts in the original language and for active participation in class; a solid understanding of U.S. literary history up to the Civil War.
Important: General cultural competencies appropriate to post-secondary education, including world history, geography, and a good level of literacy in literary text analysis.
Requirements:
CP Students: In order to take the exam for Anglo-American Literature II, students must have passed the exam for Anglo-American Literature I.
EA Students: In order to take the exam for Anglo-American Literature II, students must have passed the first-year exam in Anglo-American Literature and the English Language II exam.
Teaching Methods
The lessons for the second Anglo-American Literature course will be conducted in English and will primarily take the form of group discussions on the assigned topics or texts (literary or cultural) for each session. The instructor will pose open-ended questions, manage the timing and direction of the debate, maintain the rhythm of the lesson by preventing a few voices from dominating the discussion, and directly involve less participative students. The discussion will be both informative and argumentative.
While the initial part of some lessons—especially early in the course—may focus on introducing the text, author, and historical context and outlining the main thematic and stylistic features, the core of each class will be dedicated to close readings, that is, detailed interpretation and analysis of specific passages chosen either by the students or the instructor.
Over the semester, students will complete at least a couple of short argumentative or analytical exercises at home (a few paragraphs), usually focusing on keywords discussed in class. Small groups of students will also be asked to briefly present selected literary or critical texts from the course bibliography.
An optional midterm written test will be offered halfway through the semester, open only to attending students. This will give participants an opportunity to become more familiar with the format and expectations of the final exam.
Assessment Methods
ASSESSMENT METHODS
For attending students, the final grade will be based on the following components:
- 20% Class participation
- 30% Midterm written exam (120 minutes): two open-ended questions, each requiring a comparative approach involving the discussion of two texts. The first question is based on a keyword; the second is based on a quotation.
- 30% Final written exam (same format as the midterm)
- 20% Oral exam (usually about 15–20 minutes)
For non-attending students, or for those who did not take the midterm exam, the final assessment includes:
- Final written exam (3 hours, 180 minutes): three open-ended questions, each requiring a comparative approach (each response must discuss two works). The first question is based on the identification and definition of two keywords; the remaining two are based on quotations.
- Oral exam, which includes a discussion of the written test and further questions on the course bibliography. The individual oral exam usually lasts about 40 minutes.
Exam language: Italian or English, at the student’s choice, with no difference in grading.
Assessment criteria: internal coherence, analytical and synthesis skills, completeness of information, correct use of terminology, and the ability to apply the methodologies specific to the discipline.
Texts
Francis Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)
Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman (1949)
Allen Ginsberg, Howl (1956)
Toni Morrison, Beloved (1987)
Richard Gray, A Brief History of American Literature, (Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011).
Contents
Survey Course on U.S. Literature: From the Reconstruction Era to Postmodernism
1...The End of the XIX Century.........;
2...Modernisms and Beyond.......;
3....Postmodernism.....................;
4…XXI Century
Course Language
English