Download Syllabus - Wayne State University

WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ROMANCE LANGUAGES & LITERATURES
487 MANOOGIAN HALL
TEL. 313/577-3002
Any official University or College policy, official date, or other important information over
which the Department has no control is cited for the convenience of the student only. Please
refer to the University Bulletin, the Student Handbook, the Schedule of Classes, or other
appropriate University online publications for official confirmation of same.
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Student Course Information:
COURSE: ITA. 2710
TIME: M.T.W.TH.F. 11:00-12:00, 1:00-1:55
INSTRUCTOR: R De Benedictis
SECTION:
PLACE: Monastero St. Chiara
TELEPHONE:
OFFICE:
CONSULTATION HOURS:
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The General Education Foreign Culture Requirement
Along with fulfilling L.A. requirements, Italian Civilization courses may also satisfy the
Foreign Culture (FC) requirement because they trace the development of Italian culture from its
origins to the Renaissance period (Part I), as well as, from the Italian Renaissance to the new
Republican time of today’s Italy (Part II).
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Goals and Objectives
Italian Civilization I (2710) is developed to provide students with a vehicle for
understanding Italy's contribution to world culture, and, in particular, to the development of the
political, ethical, social, and educational values of the modern world. This course responds to
student interest and to departmental multicultural objectives.
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Course Description
Italian Civilization I (2710) is described as an overview of the development of Italian culture and
civilization from the early Italic people to 1200, with emphasis on those aspects that prepared the
political, social, cultural and intellectual groundwork of Humanism and the Renaissance.
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Course Materials
A course pack will be available before the commencement of class.
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Method of Instruction
This course will be taught twice per week in English. Material introduced in class will
be further reinforced by video presentations.
Students are expected to take notes on lectures and on video presentations. Course pack material
shall be covered as designated by the instructor.
Policy on Attendance and Class Participation
It is expected that each student will voluntarily participate in class activities. Excused
absences are those due to illness or a death in the family. Absences due to full or part-time jobs
are not excused absences. For the third and each succeeding unexcused absence (regardless of
the reason for the first two) a proportional calculation will be used to determine your class
participation if you are not able to document the absence with a valid excuse (e.g., doctor's
appointment, illness, death in the family). This means that your instructor shall take the number
of class meetings and divide it with the number of classes which you have actually attended to
obtain the percentage of your class participation. Also remember that unexcused absences have
a detrimental effect on your participation grade from the start.
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Withdrawal from Course
Courses dropped before or on October 1 will not appear on the student's transcript and
the registration changes are valid over the student's signature alone. Approval of the instructor is
needed for withdrawals after October 1.
Grading Policy
Grades will be determined according to the following approximate percentages:
30% Quizzes
25 % Mid-Term Examination
30 % Final Examination
15% Class participation
No make-up quizzes or examinations will be given unless the student presents
documentation confirming an illness requiring a physician's attention or a death in the family. If
the student's absence is not properly justified, a grade of zero will be given on the specific
assignment missed.
The mid-term and final examinations are departmental. The corrected mid-term exams
will be returned to the student and reviewed in class. At the end of the review, however, all the
exams will be collected and retained by the instructor. A student who wishes to do so may
consult the exam later in the instructor's office. The student may also review his or her final
examination; it will be retained in the department for one semester by the instructor.
Academic Integrity
The Department presumes the existence of an Honor System at all times. Your name or
signature on exams and work assignments implies that the work is yours alone. Students are
expected to be familiar with the University rules on cheating and plagiarism, as determined by
the university.
EARLY PROGRESS ASSESSMENT
Italian 2710 provides students with feedback on the results of their academic performance
before the end of the fifth week of classes.
ITA2710S 14
SUMMER 2014
CLASS SCHEDULE
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Week 1:
Introduction
Geographical Aspects of Italy
Italian Regionalism
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
as a Regional Phenomenon
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Week 2:
The Etruscans and the Romans
and their Pragmatic Inclination, Quiz 1
Architecture and Infrastructures
The Roman State and The Roman Law
The Roman Forum
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Week 3:
The Italian piazza
Christianity and the Italian Judeo-Christian Culture
The Revival of Education in the Middle Ages, Midterm Exam
Improvisation in Daily Life (Benigni, Life is Beautiful)
The Italian Maritime Republics
The Italian Medieval Universities Quiz 2
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Week 4:
Feudalism and its Socio-Political Implications,
The Background of the Italian Mafia
The Italian and North American Mafias
Italian Design
Cultural Contexting