Knowledge of German, Swiss and Austrian literary history between 1800 and 2000

Skills in stylistic and rhetorical analysis of novelistic and literary texts in general

Skills in correlating fictional events and characters with current social events

Knowledge of literary theories of interpretation

Critical skills (thematic criticism, reader response criticism, formalism/narratology, implied reader)

The Authoritarian Personality in German Literature: Anthropological, Critical-Literary and Theoretical-Literary ApproachesThe course aims to analyze the concept of "authoritarian personality" in German literature through an interdisciplinary approach that combines anthropology, literary criticism and literary theory. Key texts of German literature that represent authoritarian figures and the mechanisms of power that characterize them will be examined. One of the focuses will be on Bourgeoisie and Authority. The bourgeoisie, as a dominant social class, is closely linked to the mechanisms of authority in the history of German literature. In particular, its ascension and consolidation has led to a redefinition of power relations, between the individual and the State, and of its influence on models of behavior and social conformism. The critical literature of the bourgeoisie and its representations highlights the internal contradictions and psychological oppression imposed by the bourgeois context. In the works analyzed, the bourgeoisie is represented as a class that not only exercises moral and economic authority, but is also responsible for systemic irrationality and injustice. Starting from the introduction to the concept of "authoritarian personality" in particular through Theodor W. Adorno and the Frankfurt School, we will go through the criticism of the mechanisms that these personalities put into play, in pedagogical, social, relational contexts.

German Literature I

Students will have the ability to collect and interpret data relating to the course topics.

They will be able to use advanced critical texts for study and read texts on historical-cultural topics with sufficient agility.

They will also be able to understand aesthetically complex texts.

Students will be able to express independent analyzes and judgments supported by correct historical, theoretical and cultural reflections and to connect the critical judgment on artistic works to their socio-cultural value.

Students will be able to communicate information, judgments and ideas to interlocutors, both specialists and non-specialists, with sufficient language skills.

They will also acquire sufficient skills in technical language (cultural, literary, socio-political) to clearly structure an illustrative speech on the specific topic (education and political and socio-anthropological development).

Students will be able to search for the information necessary for the critical analysis of the period covered, and then select the information most useful for enriching their knowledge.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

The teaching of the course will partly use (especially at the beginning) frontal lessons in the classroom alternated (at a later stage) with moments of direct experimentation by the students obtained through the production of written, oral and multimedia papers to be discussed in classroom. The teaching and learning process is dynamic and requires the active participation of students. (Active Learning)

Innovative teaching methods

Flipped Classroom

The course will operate in laboratory mode

Assessment

Students will read the texts commented on in class (excerpts or short complete texts) taken from the list. They will also choose two "long" texts/authors to be treated in more depth through a comparative essay to be submitted at the end of the course. The choice will be made during the course in agreement with the teacher. In the final exam they will comment on the texts covered in class, demonstrating that they have read them in full, integrating and analyzing the texts both from a historical-literary and aesthetic point of view, and with an analysis of cultural elements relating to law and justice.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Assessment

In the final exam they will comment on the texts covered in class, demonstrating that they have read them in full, integrating and analyzing the texts both from a historical-literary and aesthetic point of view, and with an analysis of cultural elements relating to authoritarian personality.

For their preparation to be evaluated as sufficient, students will have to demonstrate that they have read entirely - and understood - both the theoretical texts and the obligatory novels and those they have chosen and that they know how to place the authors in their historical-literary context. Specifically, they will be able to combine the concepts of justice, manipulation, emargination, social judgement, authoritarian personality and rhetoric devices with situations described in novel texts. 

For their preparation to be evaluated as good, students will have to demonstrate that they have read entirely - and understood - both the theoretical texts and the novels, that they know how to place the authors in their historical-literary context, and that they can connect theoretical and historical knowledge - literary studies with critical judgment on texts. Specifically, they will be able to combine the concepts of justice, manipulation, emargination, social judgement, authoritarian personality and rhetoric devices with situations described in novel texts. They will demonstrate that they can place the texts in the most appropriate literary genres (social novel, historical, Detektivroman, Novelle)

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.