Course Catalogue

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Do plants communicate? Is chirping a form of language in its own right? What does it mean to listen to the Earth speaking? Ultimately, can human language represent non-verbal forms of interaction? This course poses these questions as a challenge to conventional anthropocentrism. In particular, it looks at how Italian modern and contemporary literature and cinema challenge in diverse and original ways problematic hierarchies of the Anthropocene.

20 x 1 hour seminars over both semesters as scheduled in MyCampus. This is one of the Honours options in Italian and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus."

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into one of the SMLC Honours programmes, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation.

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Creative Close Reading (e.g. book review/oral presentation/ poster presentation/short video/podcast) (1,000 words / 10 minutes) - 30%

Essay (3,000 words) - 70%

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

This course aims to:

■ investigate the ecological complexity of Italian prose, poetry and film that give space in different ways to the voices of animals and plants

■ broaden and enrich an understanding of literature and cinema as human-specific forms of art, inscribing them in the larger context of posthumanism

■ discuss the effectiveness of an ecocritical reading of modern and contemporary Italian authors

■ identify in the polyphonic character of canonical and non-canonical Italian texts an alternative to traditional anthropocentric discourses

■ encourage students to engage in close reading of the strategies through which authors reflect upon and represent dialogues across species

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ question received, simplifying views of agency and communication as strictly human concerns

■ recognise the inclusion of more-than-human languages and signs within artistic discourses that have long been occluded by anthropocentric hierarchies

■ analyse the studied texts in relation to their historical context and relevant ecocritical frameworks

■ undertake independent research, engage with secondary sources, and apply critical tools to the analysis of primary texts

■ develop original and well-researched texts, clearly written and carefully proofread, with an academic purpose in mind but adaptable to different means of communication

■ effectively convey their understanding of the works analysed, through both traditional academic writing and creative (oral, visual, and/or written) analysis of texts

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.