Learning objectives

The course aims at providing students of the Bachelor's degree in Languages and Cultures for Tourism and International Commerce with an adequate knowledge of the Spanish culture of different periods, focusing on its literary, historical, geographical and anthropological aspects. At the end of the course, students will acquire a sound knowledge of the issues covered by the module (historical and cultural context, main writers/texts/movements/genres of the period examined). With regard to the applied and communication skills, students will be able to critically comment the primary texts listed in the syllabus, in relation both to their historical and cultural context and literary specificities, as well as to express the acquired knowlegde in a clear and consistent way.

Prerequisites and basic notions

None, but it is required a A2/B1 level in Spanish in order to attend the lessons profitably. Erasmus students should have a degree of competence in Italian corresponding to B1 level of CEFRL (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Program

MODULE 1 (A. Gallo, 30 hrs, 5 cfu)

The module introduces students to contemporary Spanish culture and literature between the 19th and 20th centuries, from the flourishing of the realistic trend in novel in the second half of the 19th century to the so called “Edad de Plata” (1902-1939) and its generations of writers (Generación del ’98, Generación del ’14 and Generación del ’27), passing through the aesthetic movements at the end of 19th century (Symbolism, Decadentism, Parnassianism). Special attention will be paid to the contribution of Spanish authoresses to the literary production of the period examined. In parallel we will deepen the knowledge of the historical and cultural background in which the most important literary trends of the time arise (the Revolution “la Gloriosa”, the First Spanish Republic, the Restoration, the crisis of 1898, Alfonso XIII’ s reign, the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, the Second Spanish Republic and the Spanish Civil War). By commenting the primary texts, belonging to different literary genres (novel, poetry and drama), we will study and analyze the themes, characters, and formal innovations of some of the most significant authors of the earlier 20th century (Miguel de Unamuno, Pedro Salinas, Federico García Lorca), in order to explore the complex inner life of contemporary individuals along with the drama of human emotions and feelings.

A detailed syllabus of the topics dealt with during the lectures will be given at the beginning of the course, together with the calendar of the scheduled lessons, and will be available in the Moodle e-learning repository.

MODULE 1’s programme consists in two parts, as detailed below:

Part I: A brief outline of Spanish literature in its historical and cultural context (spanning from Realism of the second half of 19th century to the literary production of Generación del ’27)

Part II: Primary texts.
M.de Unamuno, Niebla (integral reading)
P.Salinas, La voz a ti debida (an anthological choice by the teacher)
F. Garcia Lorca, Bodas de sangre (integral reading)

Bibliography:
Handbooks (one by student’s choice):
-F. B. Pedraza Jiménez-M. Rodríguez Cáceres, Las épocas de la literatura española, Barcelona, Ariel, 2002, chapters 7, 8 e 9.

M. di Pinto-R. Rossi, La Letteratura spagnola. Dal Settecento a oggi, vol. III, Milano, Rizzoli, 2006, (1993 (1rst edition), pp. 322-454.

J. Valdeón-J. Pérez-S. Juliá, Historia de España, Madrid, Austral, 2015, (2006, 1rst edition), pp. 428-524 (optional and for in-depth study).

Further readings (optional) on the topics covered by the module will be indicated during the lectures.

N.B. All the references listed in the syllabus (handbooks and primary texts) are available at departmental “Walter Busch” library or at “A. Frinzi” central library. For the primary texts, Cátedra and Castalia editions are strongly recommended with their critical introductions. To facilitate the study for beginner students, the following translations (in italian) of the primary texts are suggested: M. de Unamuno, Nebbia, Milano, BUR, 2019; F. Garcia Lorca, Nozze di sangue, a cura di E. Pittarello, con testo spagnolo a fronte, Venezia, Marsilio, 2013; P. Salinas, La voce a te dovuta, a cura di E. Scoles, con testo spagnolo a fronte, Torino, Einaudi, 1997. Please remember that the Italian version does not replace the original Spanish text and it must be understood as a useful tool for the full comprehension of the work in the original language.

MODULO 2 (A. Bognolo, 6 hrs, 1 cfu)

The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
The module aims to offer an historical overview of the Spanish Civil War and, at the same time, it will highlight its current relevance as a political and literary theme through the reading of a selection of canonical texts that will be presented and commented during classes


Pleased be advised: MODULE 1 AND MODULE 2. The program applies to all students, both attending and non- attending lectures. Students non- attending lectures should contact the teachers by e-mail for further explanations; they are strongly advised to read the critical introductions to the primary texts (see the suggested editions above MODULE 1) and to consult the compulsory and additional teaching materials available for download from the MOODLE e-learning repository.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

MODULE 1 AND MODULE 2
Lectures in Italian and Spanish. All teaching materials (slides, texts, images, etc.), that will be used in class, will be available for download from the MOODLE e-learning repository by the end of the lessons. This additional material integrates and supports the teaching activities carried out in class and does not replace the integral reading of the handbook for the history of literature and the primary texts listed in the “Syllabus”.

Learning assessment procedures

MODULE 1 and MODULE 2:
Oral examination, with a preliminary written exam at the end of the course for attending students. The written exam (in Italian) will focus on the topics dealt with during the lectures and relating to Part I of MODULE 1 (history of literature and historical and cultural context) and will consist in a test (with both open-ended questions and multiple-choice questions). For those who get a positive evaluation in the test, the oral exam will focus only on Part II of MODULE 1 (on the critical commentary of the primary texts) and on MODULE 2.

For non-attending students and for attending students, who did not take or did not pass the written test, the final exam will consist in a single oral discussion on the whole program (MODULE 1 and MODULE 2).

Evaluation criteria

MODULE 1 and MODULE 2:
The written preliminary test, reserved for attending students, will assess the acquired knowledge of the issues covered by Part I of the MODULE 1 (historical, cultural and literary context); the oral exam (integrative or single) will assess the ability to critically comment the primary texts, the depth and breadth of the acquired knowledge and the ability to link the different topics covered by the modules, the use of an appropriate vocabulary; the clarity of presentation and argumentation of the candidate. Holding a part of the oral exam in Spanish will constitute a note of merit in the final evaluation.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The assessment of the preliminary test (for attending students) will be expressed in a pass/fail judgment. A positive evaluation of the test permits to take the oral exam on Part II of MODULE 1 and on MODULE 2. The final grade, awarded on a 30-point scale, will result from the average of the grades obtained in the assessment of each module.

Exam language

MODULO 1: Per la prova preliminare di fine corso (solo studenti frequentanti): italiano; esame orale (integrativo o unico): italiano o spagnolo a discrezione dell’esaminando/a. MODULO 2: italiano.