Università degli Studi di Napoli "Parthenope"

  1. Teaching
  2. ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS
  3. ENGLISH CIVILIZATION AND LITERATURE

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ENGLISH CIVILIZATION AND LITERATURE

Teaching schedule

Academic year: 
2016/2017
Belonging course: 
Course of Bachelor's Degree Programme on ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS
Location: 
Napoli
Disciplinary sector: 
ENGLISH LITERATURE (L-LIN/10)
Credits: 
6
Year of study: 
2
Teachers: 
Dott.ssa ANTINUCCI Raffaella
Cycle: 
Second semester
Hours of front activity: 
48

Language

English

Course description

The course aims to enhance students’ knowledge of the cultural, artistic and touristic context of the United Kingdom through the analysis of literary and non-literary texts, which deal with the complex notion of national identity.
Besides conveying specific notions, the module is also designed to develop students’ interest in the study of distant cultures present in British multicultural society (especially east-Asian ones), together with the artistic languages and media through which these cultural aspects are disseminated.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Knowledge and understanding:
Students are expected to demonstrate the knowledge of the main distinguishing features of contemporary British culture, with particolar reference to its multiethnic nature and hybrid identity, as well as the perception of how these aspects affect the artistic and literary production.

Applying knowledge and understanding:
Students are expected to be able to report on the distinguishing features of British culture and to interpret some literary texts also by identifying the connection between reality and fiction.

Making judgments:
Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to approach and judge a foreign culture with an open attitude, critical and deconstructive towards stereotypes and preconceptions.

Communication skills:
Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate in English in a clear and appropriate way.

Learning skills:
Students are expected to demonstrate a good capacity of learning independently as well as and of studying in depth and using appropriately the acquired cultural knowledge and communicative functions, also practicing with the supplementary materials uploaded on the e-learning platform.

All materials can be downloaded on the dedicated section on the Moodle e-learning platform (http://192.167.9.20/moodle/course/view.php?id=410), selecting from the modules of Economia e Commercio.

Prerequisites

In order to follow the lectures and study the course materials students are expected to have a good command of English (at least B2).

Syllabus

Module 1 – Culture, territory and identity: the United Kingdom (24h)

Module 1 intends to study in depth several aspects of British culture and society, in particular:
- Identity
- Attitudes
- Tourism
- The Media
- The Arts

Module 2 – Literature: Contemporary British Fiction (24h)

Module 2 focuses on contemporary British fiction and the literary representation of the themes of identity, self-representation and English multi-cultural society. Essays, short stories, newspaper articles, films, tourism promotional texts, and other materials provided during the course will be read and discussed. Particular attention is paid to the following topics:
- Introduction to Contemporary British Fiction
- Writing Contemporary Ethnicities: Monica Ali, Brick Lane (2003)
- Narratives of Cultural/Tourism Space: Julian Barnes’s England, England (1998)

Module 1 – Culture, territory and identity: the United Kingdom (24h)

Module 2 – Literature: Contemporary British Fiction (24h)

Teaching Methods

Besides the lectures and class activities, students can practice and consolidate their knowledge on the dedicated section on the Moodle e-learning platform (http://192.167.9.20/moodle/course/view.php?id=410).

Textbooks

Extracts from the following texts:

Module 1:

James O’Driscoll, Britain for Learners of English, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2009 (chapters 4, 5, 16, 22).
Mike Storry, Peter Childs, British Cultural Identities, Fourth Edition, Routledge, 2013 (extracts)

Module 2:

Monica Ali, Brick Lane (any edition, first chapter and extracts)
Julian Barnes, England, England (any edition, first chapter and extracts)
Nick Bentley, Contemporary British Fiction, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 2008 (Introduction, excerpts of chapters 2 and 5);
Vera Nünning, “The Invention of Cultural Traditions: the Construction and Deconstruction of Englishness in Julian Barnes’s England, England”, Anglia, 119, 2001, pp. 58-76

All materials can be downloaded on the dedicated section on the Moodle e-learning platform.

Additional materials for students attending the course will be provided in class.

Learning assessment

Oral examination in English on the topics listed in the syllabus.

More information

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