Course syllabus

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  • ITALIAN 209
  • Major Themes in Italian Renaissance Culture
  • Semester 1, 2017
  • Course Coordinator - Teacher

          Franco Manai

Office:                   Arts 2 Rm 510

Telephone:           373-7599 x 87139

E-mail:                  f.manai@auckland.ac.nz                                                  

Office hours:        Wed 1-2pm

 

  • Course delivery format

2 hours of lectures + 1 hour tutorial

Mo 2:00PM - 4:00PM

810-326 (1-11 Short Street, Room 326)

We 3:00PM - 4:00PM

260-323 (Owen G Glenn, Room 323)

 Summary of Course Description

 

Themes and issues in Italian Renaissance culture will be discussed in English but texts are read in Italian. This course offers an outline of the historical background to the major events of European and Italian history during the 15th and 16th centuries. We will attempt to cover the period’s major achievements in literature. The literary production in Italy was so large, vast, and dispersed throughout the peninsula that we can’t possibly cover it all; so we will focus on key texts of the period and, in particular, on key themes from those texts. We will study works by authors such as Poliziano, Lorenzo il Magnifico, Niccolò Machiavelli, Baldassarre  Castiglione, Gaspara Stampa, Vittoria Colonna and Ludovico Ariosto.

 

Assessment:

Tutorial task 10%

Three essays of 1200-1600 words, worth respectively 25%, 30% and 35%

 

Course outcomes

A student who successfully completes this course will have the opportunity to:

Understand the Renaissance conception of the world and the main ideas of the time, or at least the ideas of the ruling classes in the main urban centres.

Learn how to write an academic paper with correct referencing.

 

 

Outline

 

Week 1

Introduction to the course

Week 2

Angelo Poliziano  (Orpheus)

Week 3

Lorenzo il Magnifico (Carnival Song)

Week 4

Niccolò Machiavelli (The Prince)

Week 5

Niccolò Machiavelli (The Prince)

Week 6

Niccolò Machiavelli (Belfagor)

 

MID-SEMESTER BREAK

Week 7

Baldassarre Castiglione (The Courtier)

Week 8

Baldassarre Castiglione (The Courtier)

Week 9

Vittoria Colonna (selected poems)

Week 10

 Gaspara Stampa (selected poems)

Week 11

Ludovico Ariosto (Orlando Furioso)

Week 12

Ludovico Ariosto (Orlando Furioso)

 

Workload:

The University of Auckland's expectation on 15-point courses, is that students spend 10 hours per week on the course. Students manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Students attend two hours of lectures each week and participate in a one-hour tutorial from week 2 of semester. This leaves seven hours per week outside the classroom to prepare for tutorials, assignments and the exam.

Deadlines and submission of coursework:

Deadlines for coursework are non-negotiable. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you will be required to provide a doctor's certificate before the assignment is due. All late assignments without a pre-approved extension will be penalised.

 

Course summary:

Date Details Due