ARAB CULTURE AND LITERATURE I
Academic Year 2023/2024 - Teacher:
ROSA PENNISI
Expected Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Ability to Understand:
Students will be expected to acquire the methodological tools to develop adequate critical processing skills with reference to literary texts and other forms of cultural expression. Critical skills and mastery of basic cognitive data will also be enhanced as factors aimed at critical application and identification of interdisciplinary intersections.
Ability to Apply Knowledge and Comprehension:
thanks to the knowledge and comprehension skills acquired through lectures, seminars, tutorials and guided readings, students will be able to approach literary texts fluently and critically, combining their knowledge in an interdisciplinary way.
Autonomy of judgement:
through the linguistic and cultural tools they have mastered, students will be able to independently apply their skills and knowledge to read, understand and interpret literary passages (with levels of linguistic difficulty and cultural content appropriate to the state of their knowledge).
Communicative skills:
students will be able to effectively convey what they have learned during the course of study, expressing themselves articulately and competently, with good command of specialized terminology.
Ability to learn:
students will be able to use the most up-to-date learning techniques (peer tutoring, lateral thinking, problem solving) in order to increase their possibilities and knowledge levels.
Course Structure
Teaching will be conducted through lectures, seminars and group activities.
Required Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of the Arabic language
Attendance of Lessons
Attendance is not mandatory
Detailed Course Content
The course aims to introduce students to the history of Arabic literature through the study of the main literary genres and text types that emerged during the classical and post-classical periods. Through guided reading and analysis of literary passages, students will try their hand at translating texts, both didactic and authentic, as well as studying cultural aspects of Arab-Islamic civilization.
Textbook Information
1) Reference book on the history of Arabic literature:
H. Toelle, K. Zakharia, Alla scoperta della letteratura araba, Argo, 2010, pp. 22-50, 57-109, 111-137, 170-199.
2) Thematic insights:
Ibn al-muqaffa‘, Il libro di Kalila e Dimna (a cura di A. Borruso-M. Cassarino), Salerno Editrice, pp. 23-41;
M. Cassarino (a cura di), Le mille e una notte. Le storie più belle, Einaudi, 2006:
- pp.V-XVIII (Prefazione);
- pp. XIX-XXIV (A. Kilito, “Il libro magico”);
- pp. 3-12 / 967-968 (Racconto cornice);
3) Encyclopaedic entries in: J.S. Meisami – P. Starkey (eds.), Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature, New York, 1998:
- “Adab”, (P.F., Kennedy, vol. 1, pp. 54-56).
- “Popular literature”, (U., Marzolph, vol. 2, pp. 610-611).
- “Rhetorical figures”, (W. P. Heinrichs, vol. 2, pp. 656–662).
4) Literary extracts in Arabic: handout provided by the lecturer.
Dizionario:
R.Traini: “Vocabolario arabo-italiano”, Roma IPO, 1965-1973 (and later reprints).
Additional material and Arabic texts will be provided by the lecturer through Studium's platform.
Please remember that in compliance with art 171 L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or journals, only 15% of their content can be copied.
For further information on sanctions and regulations concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian Association on Copyright).
All the books listed in the programs can be consulted in the Library.Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Compulsory oral examination
The assessment of the examination will take into account the candidate's mastery of the content and skills acquired, linguistic accuracy and lexical propriety, as well as his or her ability to argue.
Knowledge and skills required to pass the examination
To know the historical stages of the cultural context in which Arabic literary production was born and developed; to know and distinguish the different literary themes and genres, both in poetic and prose production; to know the major literary works and their authors from the pre-Islamic to the pre-modern era; to be able to analyse literary texts in Arabic and contextualise them.
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
How to chronologically divide the historical phases of the development of Arab-Islamic society?
What is the social function of the poet in pre-Islamic times and how does it evolve?
What is d'adab literature?
What are the characteristics of popular literature?
