Ateneo - UPO

Historical-theoretical introduction: Narratives of imprisoned bodies
Focus seminar: Myth, genre, gender, and the oblique gaze of the political prison

Historical-theoretical introduction:
MICHEL FOUCAULT, Surveiller et punir. Naissannce de la prison, Paris, Gallimard.

Focus seminar:
MANUEL PUIG, El beso de la mujer araña, Barcelona, Seix Barral.

ANGELA DAVIS, an Autobiography, Penguin, 2021
BOBBY SANDS, Writings from prison, Mercier Press.

WU MING 1, La macchina del vento, Torino, Einaudi, 2019.

Movies
MARCO BECHIS, Garage Olimpo (1999).
JIM SHERIDAN, In the Name of the Father (1993).

TV series
SANDRO BOLCHI, Le mie prigioni (1968).

Supplementary readings for non-attending Students:
ANTONIO GRAMSCI, Letters fom prison, Columbia University Press
ANGELA DAVIS, Are prisons obsolete?, Penguiin, 2011.
Non-attending Students are invited to contact me in time for clarification on the program

The historical-theoretical introduction intends to focus on the work of Michel Foucault dedicated to the birth of the prison institution, with particular attention to the narrative of the project of spaces, the "political technology" of bodies, and the "microphysics of power" through the centuries.
The focus seminar intends to present a critical-comparative itinerary and analysis of literary and filmic works from the nineteenth century to the contemporary, dedicated to fictional and non-fictional narratives of the experience of political imprisonment, with particular attention to the representation of the incarcerated body, the perceptions of space and time, imaginative life, communication between prisoners, gender identity, and in relation to the genre, stylistic, rhetorical and narratological choices characteristic of each work.

Knowledge, acquired during the precedent three years, of history of Italian, European and World literature; basic knowledge of critic and theory of literature.

Frontal lessons, text reading and text, and film analysis, discussions.
During the course, students who wish, singularly or in a group, can present to the class a text or a film, or part of the program.

Dir website will be used, uploading materials that will constitute an indispensable part of the preparation of the exam by the attending students.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request
specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse
e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-
students-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted
the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination
modalities, concerning didactic aspects.

Students can choose between the written and the oral form of examination in presence.

The examination, either in oral form or in written, includes
1) Historical-theoretical introduction: one or more questions about Michel Foucault’s work dedicated to the history of carceral institution.

2) Focus seminar: analysis, interpretation, and comment of an excerpt from one or more literary texts or from one of the films in the program dedicated to fictional and non-fictional narratives of the experience of political imprisonment, with particular attention to the representation of the incarcerated body, the perceptions of space and time, imaginative life, communication between prisoners, gender identity, and in relation to the genre, stylistic, rhetorical and narratological choices characteristic of each work.
The student is thus asked to demonstrate:

1. KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge of the history of carceral institution, with particular attention to the narrative of the project of spaces, the "political technology" of bodies, and the "microphysics of power" through the centuries (historical-theoretical introduction).

In-depth knowledge of the texts and films included in the path dedicated to to fictional and non-fictional narratives of the experience of political imprisonment, with particular attention to the representation of the incarcerated body, the perceptions of space and time, imaginative life, communication between prisoners, gender identity, and in relation to the genre, stylistic, rhetorical and narratological choices characteristic of each work (focus seminar).

COMPETENCES
Acquisition of some fundamental notions of literary criticism, literary theory, and aesthetics of literature related to the role of space in literary experience, their critical use in the analysis and commentary of a text, and their active and interactive use.
Acquisition of the methodological tools presented and discussed during the course pertaining both to the thematic aspects and to the stylistic-compositional aspects of the works examined.
Acquisition of methodological tools for reading, analysis, and commentary on the literary text, with particular attention to stylistic, rhetorical, and narratological analysis.

3.
TRANSVERSALS SKILLS
Being able how to present with clarity and argumentative effectiveness, using the appropriate terminology, the results of the readings carried out.
In particular, the following weight will be given to the verification of the aforementioned achievement of the training objectives: 1. 40%; 2. 40%; 3. 20%;

N.B. The evaluation of the written exam will include grammatical correctness (orthography, morphology, syntax).

1st week: Presentation of the course: literary theory and comparative studies, foundations and tools. Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish. Introduction. Part one: Torment. Political prisoners in history. Silvio Pellico, My prisons. The experience and story of Antonio Gramsci. The experience and story of Breyten Breytenbach.
Second week: Foucault, Discipline and Punish. Part two: Punishment. Reading and comment. Manuel Puig, Kiss of the Spider Woman. Introduction, reading, analysis, commentary.
Third week: Foucault, Discipline and Punish. Part three: Discipline. The docile bodies. Reading and comment. Manuel Puig, Kiss of the Spider Woman. Reading, analysis, commentary.
Fourth week: Foucault, Discipline and Punish. Part three: Discipline. The means of good training. Reading and comment. Angela Davis, Autobiography, Introduction, reading, analysis, commentary.
Week V: Foucault, Discipline and Punish. Part three: Discipline. Panopticism. Reading and comment. Angela Davis, Autobiography, Reading, analysis, commentary. Bobby Sands, Writings from Prison. Introduction, reading, analysis, commentary.
Week VI: Foucault, Discipline and Punish. Part Four: Prison. Reading and comment. Bobby Sands, Writings from Prison. Reading, analysis, commentary. Wu Ming I, The Wind Machine. Introduction, reading, analysis, commentary.
Week VII: Foucault, Discipline and Punish. Part Four: Prison. Reading and comment. Reading, comment, conclusion. Wu Ming I, The Wind Machine. Reading, analysis, commentary.
Week VIII: Marco Bechis, Garage Olimpo. Vision, analysis, commentary. Discussion, conclusion of the course.

In order to achieve the knowledge and skills corresponding to the minimum level of sufficiency, the student is asked to demonstrate:

1. KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge of the history of carceral institution, with particular attention to the narrative of the project of spaces, the "political technology" of bodies, and the "microphysics of power" through the centuries (historical-theoretical introduction).

In-depth knowledge of the texts and films included in the path dedicated to to fictional and non-fictional narratives of the experience of political imprisonment, with particular attention to the representation of the incarcerated body, the perceptions of space and time, imaginative life, communication between prisoners, gender identity, and in relation to the genre, stylistic, rhetorical and narratological choices characteristic of each work (focus seminar).

2. COMPETENCES
Knowledge of some basic notions of literary critics, theory, and aesthetics of literature regarding the dialogical aspects of the literary experience, their critical ue in analyzing and commenting a text, and their active and interactive use.
Acquisition of the methodological tools presented and discussed during the course pertaining both to the thematic aspects and to the stylistic-compositional aspects of the works examined.
Acquisition of methodological tools for reading, analysis, and commentary on the literary text, with particular attention to narratological analysis.

3.TRANSVERSALS SKILLS
the ability to argumentation, with clear and precise terminology.

Knowing how to evaluate a work as an aesthetic object stratified in its context of origin, in its main structural and compositional elements, and in its historical, ideological, and social vitality.
Knowing how to move in front of a text between a synthetic understanding of the whole and analytical articulation of the details.

To achieve an advanced level, the student must demonstrate:
A global and unitary understanding of the path of the course, with the acquired complementarity between theoretical-methodological skills and interpretative skills.
The ability to autonomously re-elaborate the contents of the course and to apply the tools and knowledge acquired to texts and materials, including other ones than those in the program.
The active and confident competence in critical and theoretical terminology combined with excellent appropriate expression.