2017/18 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

ITAL1085 Skills and Issues in Italian Studies

10 creditsClass Size: 15

Module manager: Olivia Santovetti
Email: o.santovetti@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2017/18

Pre-requisite qualifications

A Level in Italian, or an equivalent standard of Italian language

Co-requisites

ITAL1010

Ital Language, Level 1

This module is mutually exclusive with

ITAL1030	Beginners Italian 1
ITAL1035	Beginners Italian 2

Module replaces

ITAL1075 - Italy in the Twenty-First Century

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module aims to introduce students who have an 'A' level in Italian (or equivalent) to a broad range of transferable skills while also deepening their understanding of a specific aspect of Italian culture and society. The module will always be taught in Semester 2, as students will carry out their project on a topic related to a module attended in Semester 1. This could be either a one-Semester module or a module running over two semesters (cornerstone module). In both cases, the selected topic (e.g. book, poem, painting, film, historical or political report etc.) will have to be Italian and, in the case of texts and films, in the Italian language.The chronological and thematic areas within which students can choose their topic span from the Middle Ages to the present and focus on a wide array of subjects, including art, history, literature and cinema.

Objectives

This module aims to introduce students who have an 'A' level in Italian (or equivalent) to a broad range of transferable skills while also deepening their understanding of a specific aspect of Italian culture and society.

Students will build on the guidance provided in contact hours and on the interests they developed in Semester 1 modules to prepare a long independent project on an aspect of Italian culture (either a 2,500 word written project in English or a 1,500 word written project in Italian, together with an oral presentation), through which they will be able to gain skills such as: researching information, learning the basis of academic writing and translation techniques, giving an oral presentation, presentation and layout of written work.

The strong connection of the module with Semester 1 teaching will allow students to consolidate their knowledge of a topic they are particularly interested in, while providing them with the skills necessary to approach that topic independently, in more detail and from a different perspective.

Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, students should be able to:
- research information using libraries, databases and the internet;
- use bilingual and monolingual dictionaries effectively;
- read complex texts in Italian and answer questions on them or summarise them;
- write a commentary on a piece of text;
- give a clear and coherent oral presentation (in English and in Italian)
- present their written work clearly and accurately, showing good IT skills;
- show a knowledge of selected aspects of Italian culture and society (e.g. art, literature, cinema, history, politics etc., from the Middle Ages to the present).

Skills outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- show an awareness of the historical and cultural implications of the aspect of Italian culture and society they have selected and studied;
- achieve a strong awareness of the use of Italian language in written and oral communication;
- Develop research skills such as: identifying a research topic, collect information via Leeds university libraries and online databases, planning and organising independent work, synthesise the information collected and rethink them into an original and coherent argument.

Syllabus

The module will always be taught in Semester 2, as students will carry out their project on a topic related to a module attended in Semester 1. This could be either a one-Semester module (e.g. ITAL1024 Italian Cinema and Film Studies: An Introduction; ITAL1034 Art and Literature in Medieval and Renaissance Italy: An Introduction; ITAL1040 Italy from Fascism to the Present) or a module running over two semesters (e.g. cornerstone modules: MODL1050 Introduction to Audio-Visual Culture; MODL1070 World Histories; MODL1100 Politics, Culture and Society; MODL1150 Worlds of Literature; MODL1401 Discourse, Culture and Identity ).

In both cases, the selected topic (e.g. book, poem, painting, film, historical or political report etc.) will have to be Italian and, in the case of texts and films, in the Italian language.

The chronological and thematic areas within which students can choose their topic span from the Middle Ages to the present and focus on a wide array of subjects, including art, history, literature and cinema (as modules ITAL1024, ITAL1034 and ITAL1040 can be taught in either Semester 1 or 2, each year students will have to check which of these modules are running in Semester 1).

For their project the students can choose between two written tasks both worth 75% of their formal assessment:
1) Essay in English (circa 2500 words);
2) Essay in Italian (circa 1500 words).
Both written tasks are accompanied by an oral presentation in Italian worth 25% of the formal assessment.

While the first part of the semester will focus on practical skills (use of library/internet/databases, reading skills, dictionary and translation skills, how to structure an essay, how to write a commentary, presentation skills, etc.), the second half will be devoted to examine the specific subject chosen by the student and write the project: in these five weeks the students will work independently alternating individual supervisions with a chosen member of staff whose expertise falls in the remit of the topic chosen by the students and attending one collective class in which students will do a mock presentation of their work to the class (this session will be used to work and strengthen the students' presentation and oral skills).

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Practical	1	4.00	4.00
Seminar	1	6.00	6.00
Private study hours			90.00
Total Contact hours			10.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			100.00

Private study

This module is designed to equip students with a range of transferable study skills. Great emphasis, therefore, is given to independent work. Classes introduce each skill set, but the onus is on students to acquire, practise and develop these skills for themselves. In the second part of semester 2, in particular, they will work independently on their projects, guided by four meetings with their designated supervisor.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Progress on project work will be monitored via regular one-to-one meetings with the student's supervisor.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	Project (c. 2,500 words in English or 1,500 in Italian)	75.00
Oral Presentation	Presentation of Project	25.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 02/03/2018 17:22:52

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