Module 1 and Module 2
1. Knowledge and understanding.
Students in this course will acquire in-depth knowledge of 20th and 21st-century American poetry and prose through the close reading and contextualization of complex works of literature.
2. Applying knowledge and understanding.
By the end of the course, students will be able to comprehend and analyze stylistically complex 20th and 21st-century American literary texts; appreciate the distinctive qualities of different literary genres; appreciate the distinctive poetic and narrative styles of representative American authors from the 20th and 21st centuries; comprehend issues in modern and contemporary American literature, in relation to the historical context, and relevant critical theories.
3. Making judgments.
By the end of the course, students will be able to articulate their own opinions on literary texts and cultural issues by using appropriate critical tools.
4. Communication skills.
By the end of the course, students will be able to express their own opinions and make insightful comments on the reading material.
5. Learning skills.
By the end of the course, students will have developed critical thinking abilities which are essential to any academic pursuit or work environment.

English Language 2; Anglo-American Literature 2

American Voices: The Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

This course will examine Twentieth-Century American poetry and prose. It will consist of two modules. Module 1 (30 hours; instructor: prof. Buonomo) will focus on some of the most significant works of American Modernism and the ways in which they revolutionized American writing both in terms of style and subject matter. In addition, it will consider the development of American poetry beyond Modernism and analyze the intersection of law, literature, and gender issues through the close reading of a short story by Susan Glaspell.

Module 2 (15 hours; instructor: prof. Traina) This Module will examine a selection of modern and contemporary texts representative of America's multi-ethnic identity.

Both primary and secondary sources will be made available on MOODLE.

Reading list for Module 1:
Poetry
- Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken”; “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”; “Nothing Gold Can Stay”
- Ezra Pound, “The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter”
- e. e. cummings, “In Just-“
- Langston Hughes, “Theme for English B”; “Harlem”
- Sylvia Plath, “Metaphors”
- Elizabeth Bishop, “One Art”
Fiction
- Susan Glaspell, “A Jury of Her Peers”
- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises
- Francis Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
- William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury
Reading List for Module 2: TDB

Background material:
Richard Gray, A History of American Literature (Blackwell). Additional secondary sources for both modules will be made available on MOODLE.

Module 1:
Although essentially lecture-based, this course will strongly encourage students to engage with the reading material and develop their own critical thinking skills.
Module 2:
Lectures and close reading of literary texts in class. Students are invited to attend classes regularly and bring the texts with them (electronic format or paper format). Students are strongly encouraged to actively participate in class discussions about the analyzed texts and authors.
Module 1 and Module 2:
PowerPoint presentations will be used to introduce major topics and authors, and to highlight particularly significant literary passages.

PowerPoint presentations will be used to introduce major topics and authors, and to highlight particularly significant literary passages. Both primary and secondary sources will be made available on the MOODLE platform. Students with specific requirements (for example, those with disabilities, working students, athletes, mature students, students with children, prison inmates, and so on) who are temporarily or permanently unable to attend lectures in person, will be able to follow them on-line upon request to the instructor. The request should be sent via email to the person in charge well before the beginning of the course. The student will take full responsibility for the truthfulness of the reasons provided. Please note that classes are held in-person.

Student learning will be assessed through a written exam consisting of five sections. Sections 1-3 pertain to literary texts and topics covered in Module 1. Sections 4-5 pertain to literary texts and topics covered in Module 2. Each section includes two passages from literary works covered in class and indications on what they share in terms of subject matter and/or narrative style. In order to pass the exam, students must complete at least three sections, one of which must be either section 4 or section 5. Students are expected to identify and discuss the passages, focusing on the topic highlighted in the instructions. The duration of the exam is one hour and forty minutes.
The grading system ranges from 18/30 to 30/30 cum laude:
30 - 30 cum laude = Excellent
27-29 = Very Good
24-26 = Good
21-23 = Satisfactory
18-20 = Weak
0-17 = Fail

Questo insegnamento approfondisce argomenti strettamente connessi a uno o più obiettivi dell’Agenda 2030 per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile delle Nazioni Unite