Summer 2020 - WL 320 D100

Interdisciplinary Approaches to World Literature (3)

Dante's Inferno

Class Number: 5443

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 11 – Aug 10, 2020: Mon, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Intermediate seminar on the intersections between World Literature and other modes of cultural expression, or other academic disciplines. May focus on different methodological approaches to World Literature, for instance gender, cultural, or performance studies. Alternatively, may explore literature in relation to music, theatre, film, the visual arts, or digital humanities. This course may be repeated for credit when different topics are offered. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:



Dante Alighieri















Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)

Florentine poet, politician, and intellectual; most famously the author of the Divine Comedy (InfernoPurgatorio, and Paradiso): undisputed masterpiece of medieval literature and foundational text of the Western Canon.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

To provide students with a general introduction to Dante’s poetics and philosophy, and more specifically to acquaint them with the Commedy's most enduringly popular and influential cantica, Inferno. We will read the 34 canti that make up this section of the poem over the fall term following a thematic grouping of the units.

Grading

  • Quizzes on the day's readings 15%%
  • Bibliographical review 20%%
  • Presentation 15%%
  • Final essay 35%%
  • Attendance and participation 15%%

REQUIREMENTS:

- assigned reading completed before each class
- active participation in class discussion
- bibliographical review (2 pages)
- class presentation
- final essay on a topic to be approved by the instructor and turned in at the last scheduled meeting (8-10 pages).

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Inferno. New York: Bantam, 1982 This edition comes with Allen Mandelbaum’s acclaimed translation presented opposite Dante’s original verse (though not required, a working/reading knowledge of Italian would be beneficial), as well as a set of insightful but not overwhelming notes  

Erich Auerbach. Dante Poet of the Secular World. Manheim (tr.). New York: NYRB Classics, 2007


Teodolinda Barolini,Dante and the Origins of Italian Literary Culture. Fordham University Press, 2006 (full text available online through the SFU Library catalogue)  

Additional materials to be provided through Canvas, online and/or on reserve library holdings, and photocopy.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN SUMMER 2020

Please note that all teaching at SFU in summer term 2020 will be conducted through remote methods. Enrollment in this course acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.