Ateneo - UPO

Introduction to North American literature from the colonial origins to the twentieth century, and to the themes of gender, body, and sexuality in English literature from the late nineteenth century until the present time.

All the texts to be examined are available on the DIR platform.

For the American Literature section, other recommended reference texts are:
The Norton Anthology of American Literature
D. Izzo, Literature of the United States of America, vols. 1 and 2, Milan, Le Monnier, 2026
Oliviero Bergamini, History of the United States, Bari, Laterza, 2002

For the English Literature section, further recommended reading include:

Philip Hensher, a cura di, The Golden Age of British Short Stories 1890-1914 , Penguin 2021

Nicholas Royle, a cura di , Best British Short Stories 2022¸ Salt 2022

Nicholas Royle, a cura di , Best British Short Stories 2023, Salt 2023

Nicholas Royle, a cura di , Best British Short Stories 2025 , Salt 2025

Nicholas Royle, a cura di , Best British Short Stories 2019 , Salt 2019

Nicholas Royle, a cura di , Best British Short Stories 2018 , Salt 2018

Nicholas Royle, a cura di , Best British Short Stories 2017 , Salt 2017

Nicholas Royle, a cura di , Best British Short Stories 2016 , Salt 2016

* The course aims to trace the main lines of development in American literature from the colonial period to the 20th century, linking them to their historical, social and political context, and to examine those of British literature in relation to the chosen themes of gender, the body and sexuality; at a basic level, students should be able to outline the history of North American literature and British culture in relation to the three key terms; at an advanced level, students should be able to clearly understand the evolution of North American literature in relation to its historical and cultural context, and to recognise the connections between the three terms proposed by the English Literature IA module and the way in which these are articulated in the short stories covered by the module, whilst also suggesting cross-comparisons between them.
* The course aims to identify the formal, thematic and stylistic characteristics of the main genres, authors and literary movements in both North American and English literature (covering the historical period from the late 19th century to the present day, as addressed in the DAD module). At a basic level, students should be able to distinguish between the author and the narrative voice, and be familiar with the main literary narrative strategies (treatment of time, focalisation and point of view), recognising them in the texts covered by the two modules; at an advanced level, students should be able to apply this theoretical knowledge to the reading and analysis of the texts covered by the two modules.
* The course aims to provide the tools for writing short texts that are clear, correct and focused in response to specific questions
covered in the final written examinations. At a basic level, students must be able to write texts that are grammatically and syntactically correct, well-structured into paragraphs and clear in their presentation, whilst providing accurate information; at an advanced level, students must be able to write not only correctly but also with content that avoids generalisations not based on the individual texts, recognising the interpretative complexity of the literary texts covered in the integrated module.

English at B1 level. A sufficient level of written Italian or English, with correct use of grammar: punctuation, syntax, paragraph structure, spelling and register.

The American literature module comprises lectures and interactive sessions, including an introduction to the historical and cultural contexts.
The English literature component will be delivered exclusively via distance learning, with all materials available on the DIR platform (video-recorded lectures, PowerPoint presentations, the texts of the short stories to be studied, and self-assessment exercises), with the exception of four hours of face-to-face lectures (two hours at the start of the semester and two hours before the first examination session).

It is strongly recommended that you attend the first face-to-face session of the distance learning part of the module (English literature), during which the module will be introduced and the organisation of distance learning explained.
This programme is designed to align with goals 4, 5 and 16 of the UNESCO 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Quality Education, Gender Equality; Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). Students with disabilities, Specific Learning Difficulties (SLD) or Special Educational Needs (SEN) may request specific services and resources tailored to their needs by contacting the relevant office via the dedicated page on the University website: https://uniupo.it/it/servizi/servizi-studentesse-e-studenti-condizione-di-disabilità-e-dsa. Students with disabilities, SLDs or SEN, once they have made contact with the University staff, may contact the course lecturer regarding the arrangements for the examination and any teaching-related matters.

For the English literature section
* 2 ongoing tests, each with 10 questions: the first on the historical and cultural section (pass mark: 6 correct answers); the second on the module’s three key terms: body, gender and sexuality (pass mark: 6 correct answers). Linked to the learning outcome: providing general knowledge of the historical and cultural implications of the key terms (body, gender and sexuality) in the British context from the late nineteenth century to the present day. At a basic level, students should be able to demonstrate a broad understanding of British cultural history and the definitions of the three key terms; at an advanced level, students should be able to show a detailed knowledge of this cultural history and a more complex understanding of the scope of the three key terms. * Ongoing tests on the introduction to the narrative voice and narrative techniques (10 questions: pass mark 6 out of 10). Linked to the learning objective: learning the difference between author and narrative voice and ability to discuss the narrative and ideological strategies of literary texts. At a basic level, students must be able to distinguish between author and narrator, and be familiar with the main literary narrative strategies (handling of time, focalisation and point of view), recognising them in selected passages from the short stories covered in the module; at an advanced level, students must show a solid understanding of these strategies, accurately identifying them in selected passages from the short stories covered in the module. * A final written examination held in class (in Italian or English), answering two questions on the syllabus covered: the first on a complete short story covered, providing an analysis of both form and content (500 words); the second question testing the student’s analytical ability to comment (on both form and content) on a short passage from a different short story covered in the module (200 words). Both the form and content of the written examination will be assessed: both must be satisfactory. Linked to the learning objective: writing short texts (in Italian or English) in a clear, correct and focused manner, in response to questions on the narrative voice and the treatment of the themes of the body, gender and sexuality in the selected short stories, whilst avoiding generalisations. At a basic level, students must be able to distinguish between the author and the narrative voice, and be familiar with the main literary narrative strategies (the treatment of time, focus and point of view), recognising them in the two short stories covered in the examination; At an advanced level, students must be able to apply their theoretical knowledge to the reading and analysis of the two short stories covered in the exam, proposing broader interpretations, always based on textual analysis.
For the American literature section: Mid-course online test: multiple-choice questions, duration: 30 minutes (weighting: 20% of the final mark); written examination with open-ended questions covering the entire syllabus: 5 questions, duration: 2 hours (weighting: 70%); oral examination, to be held following and subject to passing the written examination (weighting: 10%).
At a basic level, the student must demonstrate familiarity with the texts and literary history covered in the module; at an advanced level, the student must demonstrate a deeper level of understanding, so as to better account for the complexity and polysemy of the literary texts.
The use of AI is not permitted for any of the assessed components of the examination. The final mark is based on the weighted average of the marks for the two modules. For both, the mark bands are: 18–23 (basic level), 24–27 (intermediate level), 28–30 with distinction (advanced level). Distinction will be awarded on the basis of an assessment of the accuracy, depth and analytical quality of the answers in the final written examination.

For the American literature section: the geographical and historical background of the United States and the fundamentals of political thought; Cotton Mather; Nathaniel Hawthorne; Frances Ellen Watkins Harper; Frederick Douglass; Harriet Jacobs; Herman Melville; Emily Dickinson; Mark Twain; Kate Chopin; Ambrose Bierce; William Faulkner; Ernest Hemingway; William Carlos Williams; Arthur Miller; Lorraine Hansberry; James Baldwin
For the English literature section: a historical and cultural introduction to the concepts of the body, sex, gender and sexuality during the period under consideration; a methodological introduction to the narrative voice and its strategies; 7 short stories (George Egerton; Vernon Lee; Rudyard Kipling; D.H. Lawrence; E.M. Forster; Jeanette Winterson; Adam Mars-Smith) INTEGRATION OF THE GENDER DIMENSION The gender dimension is placed at the centre of the module’s content, in an intersectional relationship with other concepts such as the body and sexuality (but also race, class and religion).

- To develop a basic ability to analyse a literary text from both a thematic and ideological perspective and a formal (narratological) one.
- Be able to navigate the themes covered in the module, paying attention to their historical development and socio-cultural complexity, and be able to compare different texts
- Improve one’s ability to read literary texts in English, paying attention to both form and content
- Demonstrate proficiency in writing short responses to clear, targeted questions designed to assess comprehension of a text.