Please note: Due to alternative arrangements for teaching and
assessment in place from 18 March 2020 to mitigate against the restrictions in
place due to COVID-19, information shown for 2019/20 may not always be accurate.
Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information
for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.
| Unit name |
The Culture of Fascism |
| Unit code |
ITAL30031 |
| Credit points |
20 |
| Level of study |
H/6
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
|
| Unit director |
Dr. King |
| Open unit status |
Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None
|
| Co-requisites |
None
|
| School/department |
Department of Italian |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Arts |
Description including Unit Aims
This unit explores various dimensions of how the fascist regime in Italy represented itself and how Italians experienced and understood Fascism during the 20 years in which Mussolini held power. The unit uses different documents of the period (feature films, documentaries, political speeches) as the means of looking at questions such as political consensus and dissent, identity and political ideology, race, empire and national identity, visual culture and cultural production.
Aims:
- To introduce students to a significant body of knowledge of a complexity appropriate to final year level. The content matter will normally include one or more of the following: literature; social, cultural or political history; linguistics; cultural studies; film, television or other media.
- To facilitate students’ engagement with a body of literature, including secondary literature, texts, including in non-print media, primary sources and ideas as a basis for their own analysis and development. Normally many or most of these sources will be in a language other than English and will enhance the development of their linguistic skills.
- To develop further skills of synthesis, analysis and independent research, building on the skills acquired in units at level I.
- To equip students with the skills to undertake postgraduate study in a relevant field.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Successful students will:
- be knowledgable about a significant cultural, historical or linguistic subject related to the language they are studying;
- will have advanced skills in the selection and synthesis of relevant material;
- be able to evaluate and analyse relevant material from a significant body of source materials, usually in a foreign language, at an advanced level;
- be able to respond to questions or problems by presenting their independent judgements in an appropriate style and at an advanced level of complexity;
- be able to transfer these skills to other working environments, including postgraduate study.
Teaching Information
Two seminar hours per week across one teaching block (22 contact hours).
Assessment Information
essay 50%, short essay 25%, presentation 25%
Reading and References
Set Texts:
The reading for the course will consist largely of a course pack distributed to students at the beginning of the unit. Students should, however, purchase:
Sciascia, L., Gli zii di Sicilia (for the story, 'L'Antimonio'), (Milan: Adelphi, 1992).
Students are also advised to read and if possible to purchase:
Schnapp, J., A Primer of Italian Fascism (University of Nebraska Press, 2000)
Ben-Ghiat, R., Fascist Modernities. Italy 1922-45 (University of California Press, 2001).
