English Language and Culture
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
The course is aimed at the development and consolidation of the skills of written understanding and oral presentation of texts and specialized topics of a historical and cultural nature. It also seeks to enhance, at the intermediate-advanced level (level B1/B2 of the CEFR), knowledge related to the lexicon, grammar and the use of the English language.
Expected learning outcomes
At the end of the course the student will have acquired the language skills necessary to understand different text types; will know the historical highlights of the English-speaking countries presented in the classroom and will be able to understand specialized texts. The student will also be able to assimilate and interpret the information received, express himself and communicate in English (both orally and in writing) at an intermediate-advanced level, and make autonomous critical assessments. These skills will be acquired through a direct and continuous meeting with the instructor in the classroom. The discussion around the proposed sources, which will take place from time to time, will be an essential moment of critical reflection and methodological learning. Students opting not to attend the lessons will be able to make use of the educational tools provided by the instructor on Ariel, deepen their knowledge of main topics through special readings with the agreement with the instructor, and contact the instructor via email or during office hours.
Lesson period: Activity scheduled over several sessions (see Course syllabus and organization section for more detailed information).
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
A-L Edition
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Unita' didattica
L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Caponi Paolo
Unita' didattica
L-LIN/12 - LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION - ENGLISH - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Ravizza Eleonora Natalia
M-Z Edition
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
6 ECTS course (compulsory)
The course particularly addresses students who are interested in the English culture and in the cultures of English-speaking countries in international perspective, using the methodological approaches of cultural studies and postcolonial studies. The programme includes important critical texts pertaining the key notions of the course and of postcolonial studies, and also updates the debate to the present time. Memory will be a key concept. In addition to theoretical essays, case studies will be examined in the light of the proposed theory.
9 ECTS course (optional)
The course particularly addresses students who are interested in the English culture and in the cultures of English-speaking countries in international perspective, using the methodological approaches of cultural studies and postcolonial studies. The programme includes important critical texts pertaining the key notions of the course and of postcolonial studies, and also updates the debate to the present time. Memory will be a key concept. In addition to theoretical essays, case studies will be examined in the light of the proposed theory.
Module 3 has been designed as a professional training workshop, in which the specificities of historical communication will be analyzed. In particular, the focus will be on the differences between academic language (EAP) and popularization discourse.
The course particularly addresses students who are interested in the English culture and in the cultures of English-speaking countries in international perspective, using the methodological approaches of cultural studies and postcolonial studies. The programme includes important critical texts pertaining the key notions of the course and of postcolonial studies, and also updates the debate to the present time. Memory will be a key concept. In addition to theoretical essays, case studies will be examined in the light of the proposed theory.
9 ECTS course (optional)
The course particularly addresses students who are interested in the English culture and in the cultures of English-speaking countries in international perspective, using the methodological approaches of cultural studies and postcolonial studies. The programme includes important critical texts pertaining the key notions of the course and of postcolonial studies, and also updates the debate to the present time. Memory will be a key concept. In addition to theoretical essays, case studies will be examined in the light of the proposed theory.
Module 3 has been designed as a professional training workshop, in which the specificities of historical communication will be analyzed. In particular, the focus will be on the differences between academic language (EAP) and popularization discourse.
Prerequisites for admission
Basic English is requested.
Teaching methods
6 ECTS course
Lectures will be delivered in presence according to the official timetable. Class contribution will be appreciated. During the 10-week course, 2 two-hour COMPULSORY classes will be managed by prof. Gualtieri and 1 two-hour OPTIONAL class by Prof. Ravizza. The course may proceed in the form of a seminar with groups work and reading to be prepared during the course. The programme and materials will be available on the MyAriel website of the course. Students will be informed of any changes during classes. Attendance is highly recommended, however not compulsory. Classes will be entirely in English, with very few exceptions in Italian.
9 ECTS course
Lectures will be delivered in presence according to the official timetable. Class contribution will be appreciated. During the 10-week course, 2 two-hour COMPULSORY classes will be managed by prof. Gualtieri and 1 two-hour OPTIONAL class by Prof. Ravizza. The course may proceed in the form of a seminar with groups work and reading to be prepared during the course. The programme and materials will be available on the MyAriel website of the course. Students will be informed of any changes during classes. Attendance is highly recommended, however not compulsory. Classes will be entirely in English, with very few exceptions in Italian.
Module 3 foresees seminar activities and practical exercises.
Lectures will be delivered in presence according to the official timetable. Class contribution will be appreciated. During the 10-week course, 2 two-hour COMPULSORY classes will be managed by prof. Gualtieri and 1 two-hour OPTIONAL class by Prof. Ravizza. The course may proceed in the form of a seminar with groups work and reading to be prepared during the course. The programme and materials will be available on the MyAriel website of the course. Students will be informed of any changes during classes. Attendance is highly recommended, however not compulsory. Classes will be entirely in English, with very few exceptions in Italian.
9 ECTS course
Lectures will be delivered in presence according to the official timetable. Class contribution will be appreciated. During the 10-week course, 2 two-hour COMPULSORY classes will be managed by prof. Gualtieri and 1 two-hour OPTIONAL class by Prof. Ravizza. The course may proceed in the form of a seminar with groups work and reading to be prepared during the course. The programme and materials will be available on the MyAriel website of the course. Students will be informed of any changes during classes. Attendance is highly recommended, however not compulsory. Classes will be entirely in English, with very few exceptions in Italian.
Module 3 foresees seminar activities and practical exercises.
Teaching Resources
I semestre / first semester a. a. 2025-2026
60 ore - 9 crediti / (40 ore 6 cfu prof. Gualtieri; 20 ore 3cfu prof. Ravizza)
Titolo / Title: Contested Histories in Contemporary Great Britain (and beyond) - "Contested Histories" nella Gran Bretagna dell'oggi (e nei paesi di lingua inglese)
Programma da 6 cfu (obbligatorio per tutti gli studenti)/ 6 ECTS course (compulsory for all students)
Modulo 1 (Prof. Gualtieri) Historical and cultural context: The British empire and postcolonial Studies / Contesto storico-culturale: l'impero britannico e gli studi postcoloniali
Modulo 2 (Prof. Gualteri) Contested histories: theory and case studies / "Contested Histories": teorie e casi di studio
Programma da 9 cfu (opzionale)/ 9 ECTS course (optional)
Modulo 1 (Prof. Gualtieri) Historical and cultural context: The British empire and postcolonial Studies / Contesto storico-culturale: l'impero britannico e gli studi postcoloniali
Module 2 (Prof. Gualteri) Contested histories: theory and case studies / "Contested Histories": teorie e casi di studio
Module 3 (Prof. Ravizza) Telling histories. Understanding the styles of historical communication
Testi obbligatori
Programma da 6 cfu (obbligatorio per tutti gli studenti)
Parti 1 e 2 Testi obbligatori / Compulsory texts for Part 1 and Part 2:
Ferguson, Niall, Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World, Penguin, 2018.
Essays:
- McDonald, Sharon, "Is 'difficult heritage' still 'difficult'?", Museum International, vol. 67, nn. 1-4, 2015, pp. 6-22.
- Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty, "How the Heritage of Postcolonial Studies Thinks Colonialism Today", Janus Unbound: Journal of Critical Studies, 1, 1, Fall 2021, pp. 19-29.
- Highmore, Ben, "Disjunctive Constellations: On Climate Change, Conjunctures and Cultural Studies", New Formations, 102, 2020, pp. 28-43.
- Mbembe, Achille, "The Universal Right to Breathe", Critical Inquiry, 47, 52, 13 April 2020 https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/711437
Case studies:
- Olusoga, David, Black and British: A Forgotten History YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu4yOqdfStY - "David Olusoga: Black British History and Belonging"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YFPGHpeQ3c "Black History Month" Lecture 2024.
- The Rhodes Must Fall movement and the statue of Edward Colston
- Case studies in museums: British Museum in London and Hunterian Museum in Glasgow
- Monuments in democratic South Africa.
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa and Canada.
Additional compulsory materials:
Important websites and excerpts from history texts will be proposed and examined during the course.
Programma da 9 cfu (opzionale)
Parti 1 e 2 Testi obbligatori / Compulsory texts for Part 1 and Part 2:
Ferguson, Niall, Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World, Penguin, 2018.
Essays:
- McDonald, Sharon, "Is 'difficult heritage' still 'difficult'?", Museum International, vol. 67, nn. 1-4, 2015, pp. 6-22.
- Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty, "How the Heritage of Postcolonial Studies Thinks Colonialism Today", Janus Unbound: Journal of Critical Studies, 1, 1, Fall 2021, pp. 19-29.
- Highmore, Ben, "Disjunctive Constellations: On Climate Change, Conjunctures and Cultural Studies", New Formations, 102, 2020, pp. 28-43.
- Mbembe, Achille, "The Universal Right to Breathe", Critical Inquiry, 47, 52, 13 April 2020 https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/711437
Case studies:
- Olusoga, David, Black and British: A Forgotten History YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu4yOqdfStY - "David Olusoga: Black British History and Belonging"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YFPGHpeQ3c "Black History Month" Lecture 2024.
- The Rhodes Must Fall movement and the statue of Edward Colston
- Case studies in museums: British Museum in London and Hunterian Museum in Glasgow
- Monuments in democratic South Africa.
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa and Canada.
Additional compulsory materials:
Important websites and excerpts from history texts will be proposed and examined during the course.
Testi per il modulo 3 (opzionale)/ Texts for Module 3 (optional)
- Giuliana Garzone, 2020, Specialized Communication and Popularization in English, Roma, Carocci Editore
Altri materiali (slide del Corso ed esercizi) verranno messi a disposizione sulla piattaforma Ariel.
60 ore - 9 crediti / (40 ore 6 cfu prof. Gualtieri; 20 ore 3cfu prof. Ravizza)
Titolo / Title: Contested Histories in Contemporary Great Britain (and beyond) - "Contested Histories" nella Gran Bretagna dell'oggi (e nei paesi di lingua inglese)
Programma da 6 cfu (obbligatorio per tutti gli studenti)/ 6 ECTS course (compulsory for all students)
Modulo 1 (Prof. Gualtieri) Historical and cultural context: The British empire and postcolonial Studies / Contesto storico-culturale: l'impero britannico e gli studi postcoloniali
Modulo 2 (Prof. Gualteri) Contested histories: theory and case studies / "Contested Histories": teorie e casi di studio
Programma da 9 cfu (opzionale)/ 9 ECTS course (optional)
Modulo 1 (Prof. Gualtieri) Historical and cultural context: The British empire and postcolonial Studies / Contesto storico-culturale: l'impero britannico e gli studi postcoloniali
Module 2 (Prof. Gualteri) Contested histories: theory and case studies / "Contested Histories": teorie e casi di studio
Module 3 (Prof. Ravizza) Telling histories. Understanding the styles of historical communication
Testi obbligatori
Programma da 6 cfu (obbligatorio per tutti gli studenti)
Parti 1 e 2 Testi obbligatori / Compulsory texts for Part 1 and Part 2:
Ferguson, Niall, Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World, Penguin, 2018.
Essays:
- McDonald, Sharon, "Is 'difficult heritage' still 'difficult'?", Museum International, vol. 67, nn. 1-4, 2015, pp. 6-22.
- Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty, "How the Heritage of Postcolonial Studies Thinks Colonialism Today", Janus Unbound: Journal of Critical Studies, 1, 1, Fall 2021, pp. 19-29.
- Highmore, Ben, "Disjunctive Constellations: On Climate Change, Conjunctures and Cultural Studies", New Formations, 102, 2020, pp. 28-43.
- Mbembe, Achille, "The Universal Right to Breathe", Critical Inquiry, 47, 52, 13 April 2020 https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/711437
Case studies:
- Olusoga, David, Black and British: A Forgotten History YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu4yOqdfStY - "David Olusoga: Black British History and Belonging"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YFPGHpeQ3c "Black History Month" Lecture 2024.
- The Rhodes Must Fall movement and the statue of Edward Colston
- Case studies in museums: British Museum in London and Hunterian Museum in Glasgow
- Monuments in democratic South Africa.
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa and Canada.
Additional compulsory materials:
Important websites and excerpts from history texts will be proposed and examined during the course.
Programma da 9 cfu (opzionale)
Parti 1 e 2 Testi obbligatori / Compulsory texts for Part 1 and Part 2:
Ferguson, Niall, Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World, Penguin, 2018.
Essays:
- McDonald, Sharon, "Is 'difficult heritage' still 'difficult'?", Museum International, vol. 67, nn. 1-4, 2015, pp. 6-22.
- Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty, "How the Heritage of Postcolonial Studies Thinks Colonialism Today", Janus Unbound: Journal of Critical Studies, 1, 1, Fall 2021, pp. 19-29.
- Highmore, Ben, "Disjunctive Constellations: On Climate Change, Conjunctures and Cultural Studies", New Formations, 102, 2020, pp. 28-43.
- Mbembe, Achille, "The Universal Right to Breathe", Critical Inquiry, 47, 52, 13 April 2020 https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/711437
Case studies:
- Olusoga, David, Black and British: A Forgotten History YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu4yOqdfStY - "David Olusoga: Black British History and Belonging"; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YFPGHpeQ3c "Black History Month" Lecture 2024.
- The Rhodes Must Fall movement and the statue of Edward Colston
- Case studies in museums: British Museum in London and Hunterian Museum in Glasgow
- Monuments in democratic South Africa.
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa and Canada.
Additional compulsory materials:
Important websites and excerpts from history texts will be proposed and examined during the course.
Testi per il modulo 3 (opzionale)/ Texts for Module 3 (optional)
- Giuliana Garzone, 2020, Specialized Communication and Popularization in English, Roma, Carocci Editore
Altri materiali (slide del Corso ed esercizi) verranno messi a disposizione sulla piattaforma Ariel.
Assessment methods and Criteria
6 ECTS course
Students will be tested through analytical and critical discussions of the all the material in the programme. Marks and excellence will be awarded for coherent organisation of ideas, proficient and accurate language use, critical depth in reading the materials, original thinking in the presentation, capacity of establishing accurate and creative connections between theory and practice, correct historical and cultural contextualisation of the examined texts, events, and practices. Overall, the ability to build a critical argument and support it with theory and practical examples will be mostly appreciated. Group work will be organized during the course and will be part of the final evaluation. The final test will be oral, in Italian or English at the student's choice. It will take place in presence and will include the whole content of the course programme. See the full content of the MyAriel website of the course. Marks will be out of 30. At the beginning of the course students will receive information on assessment procedures and criteria and on the whole course programme.
9 ECTS course
Students will be tested through analytical and critical discussions of the all the material in the programme. Marks and excellence will be awarded for coherent organisation of ideas, proficient and accurate language use, critical depth in reading the materials, original thinking in the presentation, capacity of establishing accurate and creative connections between theory and practice, correct historical and cultural contextualisation of the examined texts, events, and practices. Overall, the ability to build a critical argument and support it with theory and practical examples will be mostly appreciated. Group work will be organized during the course and will be part of the final evaluation. The final test will be oral, in Italian or English at the student's choice. It will take place in presence and will include the whole content of the course programme. See the full content of the MyAriel website of the course. Marks will be out of 30. At the beginning of the course students will receive information on assessment procedures and criteria and on the whole course programme.
As concerns module 3, students will be required to work on an individual project concerning the specificities of EAP (English for Academic Purposes) and popularization discourse.
Students will be tested through analytical and critical discussions of the all the material in the programme. Marks and excellence will be awarded for coherent organisation of ideas, proficient and accurate language use, critical depth in reading the materials, original thinking in the presentation, capacity of establishing accurate and creative connections between theory and practice, correct historical and cultural contextualisation of the examined texts, events, and practices. Overall, the ability to build a critical argument and support it with theory and practical examples will be mostly appreciated. Group work will be organized during the course and will be part of the final evaluation. The final test will be oral, in Italian or English at the student's choice. It will take place in presence and will include the whole content of the course programme. See the full content of the MyAriel website of the course. Marks will be out of 30. At the beginning of the course students will receive information on assessment procedures and criteria and on the whole course programme.
9 ECTS course
Students will be tested through analytical and critical discussions of the all the material in the programme. Marks and excellence will be awarded for coherent organisation of ideas, proficient and accurate language use, critical depth in reading the materials, original thinking in the presentation, capacity of establishing accurate and creative connections between theory and practice, correct historical and cultural contextualisation of the examined texts, events, and practices. Overall, the ability to build a critical argument and support it with theory and practical examples will be mostly appreciated. Group work will be organized during the course and will be part of the final evaluation. The final test will be oral, in Italian or English at the student's choice. It will take place in presence and will include the whole content of the course programme. See the full content of the MyAriel website of the course. Marks will be out of 30. At the beginning of the course students will receive information on assessment procedures and criteria and on the whole course programme.
As concerns module 3, students will be required to work on an individual project concerning the specificities of EAP (English for Academic Purposes) and popularization discourse.
Unita' didattica
L-LIN/10 - ENGLISH LITERATURE - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Gualtieri Claudia
Unita' didattica
L-LIN/12 - LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION - ENGLISH - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor:
Ravizza Eleonora Natalia
Professor(s)