ITAL 305A: Italian Medieval and Renaissance Literature | Spring 2015 | SDSU
COURSE INFORMATION
Department Office: SH 224A
Telephone: 594-5111
LARC: SH 204-205
Hours: M-TH, 8-8 p.m.; F, 8-4:30 pm
Final Exam: Tue. May 12, 10:30-12:30
Instructor: Clarissa Clò
Class Location, Days and Times: PSFA 436, T-TH, 11-12:15
Office Hours Location and Days: SH 226C, T-TH, 12:30-2pm
Phone: 594-1131
Email: cclo@mail.sdsu.edu
COURSE OVERVIEW
Goals and Outcomes:
The primary goal of ITAL 305A is to develop your knowledge, critical appreciation of Italian literature
through an overview of some of the major literary and cultural movements, authors and texts of the
Medieval and Renaissance periods, in their historical context and in relation to other periods, debates,
and experiences in Italy and abroad.
1. You will acquire a working competence of the main characteristics associated with specific
literary movements and their most representative authors, through the analysis and close
readings of texts in poetry, prose, theatre.
2. You will increase your general knowledge of Italy’s complex history and rich regional diversity
through the discussion of the formation of an Italian literary and cultural heritage, and the
competing forces which contributed to its making.
3. Because course readings, discussions, activities and assignments are entirely in Italian, you will
advance your proficiency in reading, listening, writing and speaking, while gaining awareness of
its linguistic history
4. You will learn to interpret the use of rhetorical techniques and practices in different genres and
media and identify those traits that enabled the cultural sustainability of this literature, through
its transformation and/or persistence, to these days.
Course Description and Methods
This course is a survey of Italian literature of the Medieval and Renaissance periods (XIII-XVI centuries).
We will first address the Italian literature of the origins (religious literature, the Sicilian and Tuscan
schools, “il dolce stil novo”), before focusing primarily on some of the major Italian authors: Dante and
his masterpiece La Divina Commedia, Petrarca, Boccaccio and the Decameron, Ariosto, Tasso, and
Machiavelli. We will study different literary genres in poetry, prose, theatrejj. The course adopts an
interdisciplinary and multimedia approach so that when possible we will accompany the reading of
literature with songs and films. In an effort to challenge traditional notions of literature as separate from
other spheres, we will constantly consider the interrelation between popular culture and high art and
the way the authors and texts we study have been adopted and adapted in various ages, including ours.
1
ENROLLMENT INFORMATION
Prerequisites
ITAL 305B is an upper-division course open to all students of Italian who have fulfilled their lower
division requirements by completing ITAL 212 or equivalent and the GE Requirement in Foundation of
Learning II.
Add/Drop: February 3, 2015 is the last day to add, drop, or change grading basis (11:59 p.m. deadline).
General Education
This course satisfies part of General Education Foundations C requirement.
C. Humanities and Fine Arts: Foundations of Learning courses introduce students to the basic concepts,
theories, and approaches offered by disciplinary and interdisciplinary areas of study. They provide the
foundation to understand and approach problems in the academy, and in local and global real-world
environments. Consistent with class size and learning goals, they cultivate skills in reading, writing,
communication, computation, information-gathering, and use of technology.
COURSE MATERIAL
Required text
1. Paolo E. Balboni and Anna Biguzzi. Letteratura Italiana per Stranieri. Perugia: Guerra Edizioni, 2008.
2. Blackboard for your course
3. Moodle for your course, online through the LARC website at: https://moodlelarc.sdsu.edu/moodle2.5/
3. Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ciaosdsu/letteratura-italiana-del-medioevo-e-del-rinascimen/
COURSE STRUCTURE AND REQUIREMENTS
Class preparation and participation
Regular class preparedness and participation are a requirement for this course. You must have read the
assigned material and completed all assignments in advance of coming to class each time. Your
participation in class and group discussions is critical to ensure the success of the course.
Schede di lettura
Schede di lettura will help you assimilate the content of the course. In order to complete each scheda
successfully you are strongly encouraged to do the activities in the book accompanying each text
assigned. The written schede should be typed. For the audio/video schede you will make a short 5 min.
video with images and you will include in your recording all the elements usually addressed in the
written scheda in short essay format.
Presentazioni
Oral presentations will introduce an author, text or topic assigned that day (unless otherwise noted).
Standard presentations should be about 10-15 minutes long and delivered in Italian, without reading
(outlines only).
Cultural Activities
You are required to attend at least three cultural events and write a one paragraph review/response
following your instructor’s directions. The Italian Program collaborates with the Circolo Italiano, SDSU’s
Italian Students Club, and the San Diego Italian Film Festival to provide a variety of activities meant to
2
enhance your exposure to Italian language and culture. Please visit your Blackboard, the Italian Program
website at http://italian.sdsu.edu or SDIFF’s website http://www.sandiegoitalianfilmfestival.com/ for
further details. Participating in all or some of these activities will benefit your learning experience.
COURSE ASSESSMENT AND GRADING
Participation
Schede
Project
Presentations
Pinterest
Cultural Activities
Midterm
Final Exam
10%
30%
20%
10%
5%
5%
10%
10%
The Final Project Presentation is scheduled during the Final Exam slot on Tuesday, May 12, 10:30-12:30
Grades are defined at SDSU as:
A: Outstanding achievement; available for the highest accomplishment.
B: Praiseworthy performance; definitely above average.
C: Average; awarded for satisfactory performance; the most common undergraduate grade.
D: Minimally passing; less than the typical undergraduate achievement.
F: Failing.
C/NC: Some students may, subject to their major requirements and the conditions set out in the General
Catalog, choose to take the course credit/no credit. Work equivalent to C or above will result in a grade
of Credit; work equivalent to C- or below will result in No Credit.
WU: Indicates that an enrolled student did not withdraw from the course but did not fulfill the course
requirements. For purposes of grade point average computation, this grade is equivalent to an F.
Students who are failing when they stop attending class will receive an F, not a U.
A = 4.0 (93-100)
B = 3.0 (83-86)
C = 2.0 (73-76)
D = 1.0 (63-66)
CR = (73-100)
A- = 3.7 (90-92)
B- = 2.7 (80-82)
C- = 1.7 (70-72)
D- = 0.7 (60-62)
NC = (0-72)
B+ = 3.3 (87-89)
C+ = 2.3 (77-79)
D+ = 1.3 (67-69)
F = 0 (0-59)
WU = n/a
ACCOMODATIONS
The learning environment should be accessible to all. SDSU provides reasonable accommodations in the
following situations:
 Disability: If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for
this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To
avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability
Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that
accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you have presented your
instructor with an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is
appreciated.
 Religion: By the end of the second week of classes, students should notify the instructors of
affected courses of planned absences for religious observances.
3

Official university activities (e.g., Athletics): Within the first two weeks of classes, a student who
expects to be part of an official university event or activity shall notify the instructors of affected
courses. At that time, the student shall request accommodation for any missed examinations or
other assignments. If scheduling changes occur, the student shall immediately notify the
instructors.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Cheating and Plagiarism
The University adheres to a strict policy regarding cheating and plagiarism. These activities will not be
tolerated in this class. Become familiar with the policy (http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html).
Any cheating or plagiarism will result in failing this class and a disciplinary review by Student Affairs.
Examples of Plagiarism include but are not limited to:
 Using sources verbatim or paraphrasing without giving proper attribution (this can include
phrases, sentences, paragraphs and/or pages of work)
 Copying and pasting work from an online or offline source directly and calling it your own
 Using information you find from an online or offline source without giving the author credit
 Replacing words or phrases from another source and inserting your own words or phrases
 Submitting a piece of work you did for one class to another class
If you have questions on what is plagiarism, please consult the policy
(http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html) and this helpful guide from the Library:
(http://infodome.sdsu.edu/infolit/exploratorium/Standard_5/plagiarism.pdf)
Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses. You are plagiarizing or cheating if you:
 for written work, copy down or cut anything from a book, article or website and add or paste it
into your paper without using quotation marks and providing the full reference for the
quotation, including page number
 for written work, summarize / paraphrase in your own words ideas you got from a book, article,
or the web without providing the full reference for the source, including page number
 for an oral presentation, copy down or cut anything from a book, article, or website and present
it orally as if it were your own words. You must summarize and paraphrase in your own words,
and bring a list of references in case the professor asks to see it
 use visuals or graphs you got from a book, article, or website without providing the full
reference for the picture or table
 recycle a paper you wrote for another class
 turn in the same (or a very similar paper) for two classes
 purchase or otherwise obtain a paper and turn it in as your own work
 copy off of a classmate
 use technology or smuggle in documents to obtain or check information in an exam situation
In a research paper, it is always better to include too many references than not enough. When in doubt,
always err on the side of caution. If you have too many references it might make your professor smile; if
you don’t have enough you might be suspected of plagiarism.
In foreign language study, cheating also includes the following:
 Doing your written homework and then having a third party correct it, or having someone else
write your homework for you and turning that in for credit
4



Doing assignments with another student and turning in the same or almost the same work.
(Unless you are specifically directed to work in pairs on in groups, college-level work is always
expected to be solely your own.)
Using an automated translation engine to translate your homework
Using an available translation of a text on which to base your own translation and turning that in
for credit.
What IS acceptable includes the following:
 Asking your professor for help.
 Brainstorming answers and/or ideas with another student; then, each student writes up the
homework separately and turns in his or her own work.
 Doing your written homework and/or translation and then having a third party circle your
mistakes; you then do the corrections on your own and turn in your own work.
If you have any question or uncertainty about what is or is not cheating, it is your responsibility to ask
your instructor.
TAKE THE TUTORIAL:
Test your knowledge of what constitutes plagiarism through a tutorial offered by the SDSU Library. To
access the tutorial go to: http://library.sdsu.edu/guides/tutorial.php?id=28
Consequences of cheating and plagiarism
SDSU instructors are mandated to report all instances of cheating and plagiarism to the Center for
Student Rights and Responsibility. Consequences are at the instructor’s and the Center for Student
Rights and Responsibility’s discretion. They may include any of the following:
 failing the assignment
 failing the class
 warning
 probation
 suspension
 expulsion
For more detailed information, read the chapter on plagiarism in the MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers (6th edition, 2003), visit the following website:
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml and talk to your professors before turning in
your paper or doing your oral presentation.
The University of Indiana also has very helpful writing hints for students, including some on how to cite
sources. Please visit http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml for more information.
5
COURSE SCHEDULE | PROGRAMMA DEL CORSO | PRIMAVERA 2015
PRIMA SETTIMANA
giovedì 22 gennaio
Dalle origini al Trecento – Il Medioevo
Introduzione al corso e presentazioni;
Cos’è il Medioevo?
Dal latino all’italiano pp. 52-53
Il Medioevo in Italia pp. 54-55
Film: Il nome della rosa
SECONDA SETTIMANA
martedì 27 gennaio
“Il Cantico delle creature,” la scuola siciliana, “il dolce stil novo”
Gli inizi della letteratura italiana pp. 56-57
Francesco d’Assisi p. 57
San Francesco: „Cantico delle creature“ pp. 58
Canzone: „Questa è la mia casa“ di Jovanotti
giovedì 29 gennaio
Il XII secolo pp. 60-61 (2008);
Giacomo da Lentini: „Io m’aggio posto in core“ p. 62
Il „dolce stil novo“ pp. 64-65
Guido Guinizzelli: „Lo vostro bel saluto“ p. 66
TERZA SETTIMANA
martedì 3 febbraio
Last day to add classes
Dante Alighieri : il „dolce stil novo“ e la Divina Commedia
Guido Cavalcanti: „Voi che per gli occhi“ p. 67
Dante e il dolce stil novo pp. 70-71
Dante Alighieri: „Tanto gentile“ p. 74
Dante Alighieri (1) pp. 68-69
6
giovedì 5 febbraio
Compito: Scheda di lettura su un sonetto a scelta - SCRITTA
(scegliere tra Lentini, Guinizzelli, Cavalcanti e Dante)
Dante Alighieri (2), la Divina Commedia pp. 70-71
Dante Alighieri (3): Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso pp. 72-73
Dante Alighieri: „Nel mezzo del cammin…“ (Inferno I, 1-30), pp. 76-77
QUARTA SETTIMANA
martedì 10 febbraio
Dante Alighieri – Inferno
Compiti: Domande sui Canti II e III
Selections from Inferno Canti II-III
BB: http://www.mediasoft.it/dante/
http://www.italica.rai.it/principali/dante/index.htm
Canzone: „Compagno di scuola“ di Antonello Venditti
giovedì 12 febbraio
Compiti: Domande sul Canto V
Inferno: Canto V – Paolo e Francesca
BB: http://www.mediasoft.it/dante/
BB: Benigni recita il Canto V (da YouTube)
Canzone: „Serenata rap“ di Jovanotti
QUINTA SETTIMANA
Dante Alighieri – Inferno / Francesco Petrarca
martedì 17 febbraio
Dante Alighieri: „Fatti non foste..“ – Inferno XXVI – Ulisse pp. 78-79
giovedì 19 febbraio
Francesco Petrarca, pp. 82-83;
„Voi ch’ascoltate…“ p. 84;
„Solo et pensoso…“ p. 85.
BB: „Voi ch’ascoltate,“ lettura e spiegazione su youtube
SESTA SETTIMANA
martedì 24 febbraio
Francesco Petrarca / Giovanni Boccaccio
Compiti: Scheda su Dante e la Divina Commedia – AUDIO/VIDEO
Francesco Petrarca, „Erano i capei d’oro.. „ p. 86 (2008);
BB: Petrarca, „Lettera ai posteri“
giovedì 26 febbraio
Giovanni Boccaccio pp. 88-89 (2008);
BB: Proemio e Introduzione alla Prima Giornata (selections):
http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/decameron/itDecIndex.php
7
SETTIMA SETTIMANA
martedì 3 marzo
Giovanni Boccaccio - Il Decamerone
Compiti: Scheda su una poesia di Petrarca - SCRITTA – o scrivete la
vostra „lettera ai posteri“
VISITA a SPECIAL COLLECTION in Library Addition room 4410.
giovedì 5 marzo
BB: Giovanni Boccaccio: Federigo degli Alberighi (V, 9),
Boccaccio: Cisti Fornaio (VI 2); Giotto (VI 5) – Sesta giornata
PRESENTAZIONI sulle novelle
OTTAVA SETTIMANA
martedì 10 marzo
Giovanni Boccaccio - Il Decamerone
Compito: Scheda su Boccaccio e il Decamerone – AUDIO/VIDEO
BB: Boccaccio: La storia di Filippo Balducci (Introduzione, IV)
Monna Filippa (VI 7)
PRESENTAZIONI sulle novella
giovedì 12 marzo
BB: Lodovico e Beatrice (VII 7); Griselda (X, 10)
PRESENTAZIONI sulle novella
Ripasso per il Midterm
NONA SETTIMANA
L’Umanesimo e il Rinascimento
martedì 17 marzo
MIDTERM EXAM
giovedì 19 marzo
L’Umanesimo e il Rinascimento pp. 96-97;
Lorenzo de‘ Medici: „Il trionfo di Bacco e Arianna“ pp. 98-99;
Canzone: „Domenica e lunedì“ (Angelo Branduardi)
DECIMA SETTIMANA
martedì 24 marzo
Boiardo e Ariosto: L’Orlando
Il poema cavalleresco, pp. 100-101;
Matteo Maria Boiardo, Orlando Innamorato, Canto Primo p. 102
Film: Non ci resta che piangere (Roberto Benigni e Massimo Troisi)
8
giovedì 26 marzo
NO CLASS – Prof. is out of town to a conference
30 marzo-3 aprile PAUSA PRIMAVERILE – BUONE VACANZE
UNDICESIMA SETTIMANA
martedì 7 aprile
Ariosto: L’Orlando Furioso | L’Umanesimo e il Rinascimento
Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, Il proemio, p. 103, p. 59
Film: Ariosto e il suo tempo e Il maggio emiliano
giovedì 9 aprile
Compito: Scheda su Orlando Innamorato o Orlando Furioso - SCRITTA
Handout: la situazione politica in Italia
Niccolò Machiavelli, La riflessione politica, pp. 106;
DODICESIMA SETTIMANA
martedì 14 aprile
L’Umanesimo e il Rinascimento: Machiavelli
„I modi e I governi di un principe“ p. 108 (2008);
Canzone: “Tradin’ War Stories,” Tupak Shakur
giovedì 16 aprile
Il teatro p. 111 (2008);
BB: Il teatro del Rinascimento
BB: Introduzione a La mandragola di Machiavelli:
http://www.classicitaliani.it/index008.htm
ATTO PRIMO: Canzone; prologo
TREDICEDICESIMA SETTIMANA Machiavelli: La mandragola
martedì 21 aprile
BB: Machiavelli, La mandragola (selections):
http://www.classicitaliani.it/index008.htm
ATTO PRIMO: scena prima; scena seconda; scena terza.
ATTO SECONDO: scena prima; scena seconda; scena sesta;
PRESENTAZIONI
Film: La mandragola
giovedì 23 aprile
ATTO TERZO: scena prima, scena seconda, scena sesta; scena ottava,
scena nona, scena decima, scena undicesima, scena dodicesima
ATTO QUARTO: scena prima, scena seconda, scena nona
PRESENTAZIONI
9
QUATTORDICESIMA SETTIMANA Machiavelli: La mandragola | Tasso: La Gerusalemme Liberata
martedì 28 aprile
ATTO QUINTO: scena prima, scena seconda, scena quarta, scena sesta
PRESENTAZIONI
giovedì 30 aprile
Il tardo Rinascimento e la crisi religiosa p. 116 ;
Torquato Tasso e la fine del secolo pp. 118-119;
BB: Torquato Tasso, La Gerusalemme Liberata, Canto I (Proemio) –
Strofe: 1, 4-5
QUINDICESIMA SETTIMANA
martedì 5 maggio
Conclusioni
Compito: Scheda su La mandragola - AUDIO/VIDEO
Progetti degli studenti
giovedì 7 maggio
Conclusioni e ripasso per l’esame finale
FINAL EXAM: Tuesday May 12, 10:30-12:30
SCHEDE: One for the following authors/works:
1. Un sonetto a scelta (tra quelli di Lentini, Guinizzelli, Cavalcanti e Dante) –SCRITTA
2. Dante e La Divina Commedia –AUDIO/VIDEO
3. Una poesia o la „lettera ai posteri“ di Petrarca - SCRITTA
4. Giovanni Boccaccio Il Decamerone – AUDIO/VIDEO
5. Orlando Innamorato o Orlando Furioso – SCRITTA
6. Machiavelli La mandragola – AUDIO-VIDEO
10