Duration
15h Th, 30h SEM
Number of credits
| Master in ancient and modern languages and literatures, research focus | 10 crédits | |||
| Master in French and Romance languages and literatures : general, research focus | 10 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
All year long, with partial in January
If a student fails an examination during the first term:
- They are permitted to resit the assessed subject during the second term (May-June);
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The seminar is organized into a thematic section composed of three parts and a general research training (see below).
The themes addressed this year are as follows:
- Letters written by women in the 16th century (H. Miesse)
- Historical fiction by women : Goliarda Sapienza, L'arte della gioia (1998) (T. Rimini)
- Italian women poets of the 20th and 21st centuries (L. Imola)
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of this seminar, students will be able to:
- understand and use the bibliographical tools required for research in Italian literature;
- account for the specific characteristics of the authors, texts and movements studied, moving beyond simplifications and demonstrating nuance;
- situate the texts, authors and movements studied within their cultural, spatial and temporal contexts;
- identify and analyse the distinctive characteristics of the historical novel written by women in the second half of the 20th century, placing them in the context of the Italian tradition of the historical novel;
- carry out research to fully understand a text: context of production, chronology, vocabulary and names mentioned;
- analyse representative epistolary texts from 16th-century Italy;
- to analyse 20th- and 21st-century poetic texts using a tried-and-tested classroom method;
- determine selection criteria from among Renaissance epistolary works and justify them;
- compare texts;
- apply the methods and concepts studied to the analysis of texts (e.g. stylistics, narratology, thematic criticism);
- write an abstract;
- create a visual aid to accompany an oral presentation;
- present the results of the research carried out orally, in Italian.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
B2 level in the Italian language (e.g., upon completion of Italian I and II courses).
In-depth knowledge of the history of Italian literature.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Disciplinary Component
- Readings and discussions based on these readings. Students are expected to read and prepare in advance the material that will be covered in the courses.
- Practical activities: transcription, editing, encoding, indexing, analysis, critical review.
- Participation in cultural events related to the various aspects of the seminar (visits, film screenings, theatrical performances).
In addition to the activities mentioned above, students will participate in two types of learning activities:
[1] Cross-disciplinary sessions held in French with students enrolled in an advanced seminar, covering research topics across all languages.
(a) Themes of the general sessions:
- Open science
- Research integrity
- The different phases of scientific publication (article submission, peer review, revision)
- Disciplinary knowledge in literature: literary studies in the digital age
- Disciplinary knowledge in linguistics: introduction to qualitative and quantitative research
- The dissemination of science to the general public
Students must participate in three out of these six sessions.
(b) Practical workshops aimed at preparing students for the student symposium (see [2]):
- Abstract writing (two sessions: theory + workshop)
- Designing visual aids (such as PowerPoint slide shows) for a presentation (two sessions: theory + workshop)
- Oral presentation: finding and using your voice
[2] Mandatory participation in a student symposium, where students enrolled in the advanced seminar, across all languages and disciplines, will present one of their research projects. Faculty members of the department and undergraduate students (BAC3 in LLM) will be invited to attend this mini-conference.
Students will write an abstract in French and in a foreign language, which will be distributed to the symposium audience, and they will present their research projects in 10 minutes, supported by a visual aid. They can choose to present in French or a foreign language. If they present in a foreign language, the visual aid must be in French to facilitate audience understanding and discussion. Indeed, after each presentation, there will be 5 minutes for comments and audience questions.
This mini-conference will take place before the start of the first session.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
First general session on 7 October, 4-5 pm in the CIPL's Grande Smartroom (A4/-1).
The thematic parts of the seminar are held in person and in Italian. They require student engagement and a certain amount of independent work (particularly readings).
The cross-disciplinary sessions in the first semester (Q1) may be organized in a hybrid format to allow Erasmus students to participate remotely.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
H. Miesse: readings indicated in class and materials gradually uploaded on eCampus.
T. Rimini: readings indicated in class and materials gradually uploaded on eCampus.
L. Imola: readings indicated in class and materials gradually uploaded on eCampus, in addition to the following reference documents:
- Isabella Leardini (dir.), Costellazione parallela. Poetesse italiane del Novecento, Vallecchi, Firenze, 2023.
- Claudia Crocco, Bernardo De Luca, Giacomo Morbiato et Marco Villa (dir.), Voci della poesia italiana contemporanea. 2000-2025, Carocci, Roma, 2026.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Further information:
Disciplinary Component
With the aid of visual support, the student will present the results of their various research projects (3 × 10 minutes) before the three seminar instructors on a date chosen in consultation, prior to the symposium (see below). They will also answer the instructors' questions regarding their research. One of the three presentations (of the student's choice) will serve as the basis for the presentation at the symposium. The instructors will assess the content of the presentation and the relevance of the results presented, the quality of expression and of the visual support, as well as the precision in responding to questions.
Written assignments, of a formative nature and intended to prepare the oral presentations, may be required from the students.
The use of artificial intelligence is prohibited, except as a linguistic assistant, comparable to existing spelling and grammar checkers.
Cross-disciplinary Program
The cross-disciplinary program is worth 2 credits, or 20% of the overall grade.
Both components of the seminar will be evaluated by the instructors of the disciplinary component.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
First general session on 7 October, 4-5 pm in the CIPL's Grande Smartroom (A4/-1).
The disciplinary component runs throughout the year, with the first part taking place in the first term and the other two parts in the second term.
Provisional timetable (to be confirmed with participants):
Part 1 (Ms Miesse) - 11.00-13.00 on Thursdays 5/11, 12/11, 19/11, 26/11, 3/12 and 10/12
Part 2 (Ms Rimini) - 10.00-12.00 on Thursdays from 4 February
Part 3 (Ms Imola) - 6 sessions to be scheduled in Q2.
Contacts
Hélène MIESSE
Office A2 4/6
E-mail helene.miesse@uliege.be
Thea RIMINI
Office A2 6/18
E-mail : thea.rimini@uliege.be
Letizia IMOLA
E-mail : letizia.imola@uliege.be