Teaching code

4S006119

Teacher

Anna Cappellotto

Coordinator

Anna Cappellotto

Credits

6

Language

English

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

L-FIL-LET/15 - GERMANIC PHILOLOGY

Period

I semestre (Area Lingue e letterature straniere) dal Sep 22, 2025 al Dec 24, 2025.

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 1

Learning objectives

The course includes topics on textual criticism, codicology, palaeography, historical linguistics and cultural history (also by means of a Digital Humanities approach to texts and contents) and it aims at studying the main multidisciplinary aspects characterizing Germanic Philology. Expected Outcomes At the end of the course the student will prove: - to be able to employ at an advanced stage knowledge and methodologies (also digital methodologies), and cultural contents which are necessary for the analysis and interpretation of Germanic linguistic and literary traditions; - to have examined in depth the main multidisciplinary aspects of the discipline and to have strengthened the mastery of a correct and accurate specialized terminology; - To be able to apply autonomously the acquired knowledge and contents (in the field of codicology, palaeography, historical linguistics, textual-criticism and digital philology), to the analysis and interpretation of texts with the purpose of creating scholarly editions, archives and databases. This will promote knowledge of methodologies and applications in the field of philology, textual criticism and linguistics (in compliance with the learning outcomes of the Master Degree in Languages, Literatures and Digital Culture).

Prerequisites and basic notions

It is advisable to have attended a course in Germanic Philology (or at least another philology) and to have a basic knowledge of Digital Humanities.

Program

The course is divided into 3 parts. The first module (8 hours - 4 lectures) revises some of the key concepts of the discipline and qualifies as an introduction or warm-up. In the second one (24 hours - 12 lectures) single Germanic traditions (Gothic, German, English, old Norse) will be considered on the grounds of the documentary evidence which is relevant to their linguistic and cultural history. This part will cover a cross-cultural and cross-literary topic which is functional to the understanding of the dynamics of development of Germanic vernacular literatures. The selected topic concerns the figure of Dietrich von Bern, that is the heroic-legendary version of the historical Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great (454-526). Among the most relevant instances of the legend, a Theoderic is mentioned in the complex runic inscription carved on the Rök stone (9th cent.) in Sweden, and in the Anglo-Saxon area the hero’s name can be found in the Widsith and in the Deor (8th cent.), as well as in the vernacular version of Boethius’ De consolatione Philosophiae. His fictitious exile at Attila’s court – an anachronism which was absorbed in the whole tradition – is the background of the events narrated in the Hildebrandslied (9th cent.) and reappears in the Middle High German Nibelungenlied (13th cent.) as well as in the many narrations building up the so-called historical and adventurous Dietrich-Zyklus. The Nordic tradition handed down the entire life of the hero in the Norwegian Þiðrekssaga af Bern (13th century), but Dietrich is also mentioned in the Poetic Edda (preserved in one only manuscript dated back to 1270). In the last module (12 hours - 6 lectures) the historical milestones of textual criticism and digital philology will be discussed. This preliminary methodological reflection will lead to a hands-on section. Students will be able to experiment the possibilities offered by the digital medium on the texts considered in the previous part: we will prepare encoding samples in XML/TEI, which will include a manuscript description, the annotation of a digital facsimile and the transcription of selected textual portions.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The course will take place in presence. Any changes will be communicated before the start of the course by means of a notice on the teacher's personal page and on the Moodle platform, to which everyone is required to register. The bibliography indicated in Leganto will be further specified during the course. The course materials for attending students consist of the bibliography indicated in Leganto, the lessons and other materials that will be made available on Moodle. The program for non-attending students must be agreed with the teacher. Non-attending students are kindly requested to contact the teacher by email (using an institutional address @studenti.univr.it).

Learning assessment procedures

The exam will be conducted orally, according to the official exam sessions published by the University. For non-attending students, the exam is also oral and follows the same procedures.

Evaluation criteria

The exam will assess the skills acquired during the course and the ability to address the topics covered in the syllabus and establish connections between them. Proper presentation and the appropriate use of the specialized terminology of Germanic Philology will also be evaluated.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final result is expressed on a scale of 30/30 (minimum 18/30 to pass) and should be understood as an overall evaluation of the student’s performance.

Exam language

English (per studenti Erasmus anche tedesco).