To provide students with skills appropriate to a range of areas in Italian Studies and to assist them in developing generic study skills so that they are prepared for level two modules within the Italian curriculum;

To involve the students in the discussion of issues surrounding past and current debates on changing values, conflicts and dissension within Italian society.

(LO1) To acquire a good overview of issues surrounding past and current debates on changing values, conflicts and dissension within Italian society.

(LO2) To read critically both short and more extended passages in English and further their understanding of the language and conventions of journalistic and cinematic texts.

(LO3) To be familiar with the conventional forms of academic terminology and writing and be able to draw on a range of data to describe key concepts in these areas and construct in their own words an argument in the form of an extended essay.

(LO4) To be familiar with and be able to use the conventional forms of bibliographic citation.

(LO5) To gain further experience in teamwork and group discussion.

(S1) Communication (oral, written and visual) - academic writing (including referencing skills)

(S2) Communication (oral, written and visual) - presentation skills – oral

(S3) Critical thinking and problem solving - critical analysis

(S4) Global citizenship - cultural awareness

(S5) Personal attributes and qualities - independence

(S6) Research skills - independent analysis

(S7) Communication (oral, written and visual) - media analysis

The majority of teaching will be delivered face-to-face on campus. Online delivery will be used to complement the on-campus delivery and where technology affords a better learning experience.

Lecture:
The module is delivered through lectures, seminars and tutorials. Lectures provide basic information and orientation on key events and issues.

Seminar:
Seminars will involve a range of individual and group activities and will focus on essay-writing skills.

Tutorial:
Tutorials will focus on essay writing, feedback on assessed coursework and exam preparation.

The continuous assessment is based on the writing of an extended essay, which is supported both by seminar sessions and by consultation with a member of the staff, provides students with the opportunity to practice the construction of a coherent argument through the synthesis of primary and secondary materials on one of the topics studied.

The examination for this module will be at the end o f the semester during the exam session period and will consist of one two-hour written paper.

Topics covered during the module may include:

Fascism, World War II, Resistance: a Literary reading;

Introduction to Italian Poetry;

Italian Citizenship: ideas of Race and Whiteness.

Ideologies and the making of the Republic; The triumph of ‘Low Politics’;

The economy and society under the Republic - North/south;

Organised crime: The Mafia;

The cinematic representation of the Mafia;

Changing values and dissenting voices: The 1968 revolution;

1970s: Political Terrorism;

1980s: Tangentopoli and the 2nd Republic.