Introductory description

Dante's Divine Comedy is not only the text that invented the Italian language and a milestone of world literature: it is one of the most influential texts in history, whose presence can still be traced in literature, film, comic books, theatre, videogames, and TV series. This module will introduce you to the first part of Dante's poem, written around 1314, and will enable you to understand its historical context, analyze its narrative complexities, and to critically reflect on the ethical issues Dante poses and which are still relevant in the contemporary world (including, but not limited to, desire and sexuality, freedom of thought, punishment and expiation). Through a lecture+seminar structure, we will combine close reading of selected cantos (in Italian and in translation) with a broader outlook on the culture of medieval Europe and its trans-cultural exchanges (especially with the Islamic world), as well as on Dante's legacy in the contemporary world.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Week 1: Introduction

Weeks 2-3: Inf. I

Week 4: Inf. V

Week 5: Inf. VI

Week 7: Inf. X

Weeks 8-9: Inf. XXVI

Week 10: Inf. XXXIII

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Use knowledge acquired in lectures, seminars and from prescribed reading as a basis for individual research
• Demonstrate relevant factual knowledge about the Dante and the Inferno, and contexts and issues under discussion and demonstrate understanding of the texts at a thematic as well as linguistic and stylistic level
• Successfully communicate what they have learnt both orally and in writing
• Critically analyse the texts and engage where appropriate with scholarly debates surrounding the texts
• Evaluate the impact of political, intellectual and literary developments on Dante's Inferno
• Develop IT skills

International

All modules delivered in SMLC are necessarily international. Students engage with themes and ideas from a culture other than that of the UK and employ their linguistic skills in the analysis of primary materials from a non-Anglophone context. Students will also be encouraged to draw on the experiences of visiting exchange students in the classroom and will frequently engage with theoretical and critical frameworks from across the world.

Subject specific skills

This module will develop students’ linguistic skills through engaging with primary materials in the target language. It will build students’ capacity to engage with aspects of Italian culture through analysis of this primary material and through seminar discussion aimed at deeper critical thinking. In particular, students’ awareness of Dante's Hell will be enhanced through lectures and seminars which engage in scholarship in the field.

Transferable skills

All SMLC culture modules demand critical and analytical engagement with artefacts from target-language cultures. In the course of independent study, class work and assessment students will develop the following skills: written and oral communication, creative and critical thinking, problem solving and analysis, time management and organisation, independent research in both English and their target language(s), intercultural understanding and the ability to mediate between languages and cultures, ICT literacy in both English and the target language(s), personal responsibility and the exercise of initiative.