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

No preliminary skills are required, other than those that are necessary to enroll.

Program

The course offers an overview of contemporary Spanish literature of 19th and 20th centuries, with special regard to the second half of the 19th century, until the end of the Civil War in the 20th century.
The general perspective will be both historical and literary: the course will provide an overview of the main events characterizing this age (the September Revolution of 1868, the rise of the bourgeoisie at the end of the 19th century, the First Republic, the crisis of '98, the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, the Second Republic, the Spanish Civil War); history will be related to the literature of the period, with the development of the most significant literary trends and genres (the realist novel, the "edad de la plata" (1902-1939) and its literary generations).

The required readings focus on the representation of femininity and the cultural and social struggles of women, through the analysis of several female characters that portray the condition of women at the time.
The required readings are:
- Tristana, by Benito Pérez Galdós;
- La tía Tula, by Miguel de Unamuno;
- La casa de Bernarda Alba, by Federico García Lorca.

A selection of other readings and supplementary teaching materials that will be used during classes will be available for download from the MOODLE e-repository.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The class will be taught in Italian and Spanish through frontal teaching, case studies and e-learning. The course will have an e-learning MOODLE platform, where additional readings and teaching materials will be available.

Non-attending students will have to contact the professor for information on additional material.

Learning assessment procedures

The oral exam will be held in Italian or Spanish (according to the student’s preference). Attending students will have the opportunity to take an informal and optional written exam which will focus on topics of history and history of literature (open questions and multiple-choice questions). For those who pass the test, the oral exam will only focus on text commentary of the required readings and of the additional material covered during the course.

Evaluation criteria

The exam will verify the depth and breadth of the acquired knowledge, the analytical and argumentative skills, the ability to form connections, the property of language.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The (optional) written exam will be assessed as approved/not approved. The "approved" result will gain accesso to the oral exam.
The final grade is awarded on a 30-point scale, minimum pass: 18/30, maximum: 30/30 (cum laude).

Exam language

Prova scritta: italiano Prova orale: italiano o spagnolo (a discrezione dello/a studente/essa)