Advanced Studies in Early Italian Literature with Bachelor Thesis

Undergraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

The course ITAL255 aims to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of ancient Italian literature. The course includes the study of central texts from ancient Italian literature. The texts are to be studied from a literary-historical and theoretical perspective.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to have the following learning outcomes defined in knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

Students who have completed the course,

  • are well acquainted with the selected works in the reading list.
  • possess knowledge of the cultural and historical context of the works.
  • have knowledge of key literary theoretical concepts.

Skills

Students who have completed the course,

  • can use the acquired concepts in independent analyses of course texts.
  • can discuss the themes of the texts and place them in a cultural and historical perspective.
  • are able to discuss, in writing and orally, issues related to the reading list.
  • can convey knowledge within their field of study in both oral and written Italian.

General Competence

Students who have completed the course,

  • can effectively communicate central subject matter both in writing and orally.
  • can further develop their knowledge for future studies and professional life.
  • can communicate in Italian at a relatively high level.

ECTS Credits

15 (ECTS)

Level of Study

Bachelor

Semester of Instruction

Spring

Place of Instruction

Bergen and online
Required Previous Knowledge
There are no formal requirements, but all teaching is conducted in Italian.
Recommended Previous Knowledge
60 study points at 100-level in Italian, or equivalent.
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Due to subject overlap, the credit count for ITAL255 is reduced by 15 credits if the course is combined with ITAL205 or ITAL252, and reduced by 10 credits if combined with ITAL250.
Access to the Course
The course is open to all students admitted to the University of Bergen.
Teaching and learning methods

The teaching in the course consists of lectures and seminars.

The scope of the teaching in the course will normally consist of one lecture (double session) and one seminar (double session) each week for a total of 10 weeks. The teaching coincides with the teaching for ITAL255.

If fewer than five students register for both courses, the teaching offer may be adjusted according to the number of students. In such case, students will be informed about the alternative teaching arrangement at the beginning of the semester.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

In this course, students are required to complete three teaching activities:

  • A written text commentary of approximately 500-600 words
  • An oral presentation related to the course syllabus. Students develop the presentation in consultation with the instructor.
  • The bachelor’s thesis must be supervised. Therefore, the student must attend supervision according to an agreement with the person with the course responsibility.

The commentary and the oral presentation are assessed as pass/fail. Students who have passed both of the two compulsory assignments and attended supervision may undergo the final assessment in the course.

Approval of the compulsory work requirements is valid for the semester in which they are completed.

Forms of Assessment

The course assessment is divided into two parts:

  1. The student must submit a supervised bachelor's thesis of between 4000 and 5000 words written in Italian for evaluation. The thesis accounts for 50% of the overall grade in the course.
  2. The student will take a 20-minute oral exam conducted in Italian, where the subject matter for the conversation may be drawn from the entire course syllabus. The oral exam also accounts for 50% of the overall grade in the course.

Both parts of the exam must be completed in the same semester. Candidates who receive a grade of F on the bachelor's thesis are therefore not eligible to take the oral exam.

Those who successfully complete and pass the course cannot retake the course according to Forskrift om studium ved Universitetet i Bergen § 8-1 (2).

Grading Scale
The grading scale is A-F, where F is a fail.
Assessment Semester
The spring semester. If you have registered valid absence, you will be offered a re-sit exam in the same semester.
Reading List
The reading list will be available on December 1st for use in the spring semester.
Course Evaluation
Evaluation of the course is carried out in accordance with the University of Bergen quality assurance system.
Examination Support Material

During work on the bachelor's thesis, students must demonstrate academic integrity. For more information on the concept, please visit the webpage, 'Academic Integrity and Cheating.'

In the oral exam, candidates are not allowed to use any form of aids.

Programme Committee
The Program Board for Italian is responsible for the academic content and structure of the study program, and for the quality of all the subjects therein.
Course Coordinator
The Program Board for Italian.
Course Administrator
The Faculty of Humanities by The Department of Foreign Languages has the administrative responsibility for the course and the study program.