Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2018 - ITAL 390 D100

STT - Dante's Inferno (3)

Class Number: 1289

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 4 – Dec 3, 2018: Mon, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    30 units or permission of instructor.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Provides students with an introduction to Dante's poetics and philosophy, and acquaints them with the Inferno.

COURSE DETAILS:

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) Florentine poet, politician, and intellectual; most famously the author of the Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso): undisputed masterpiece of medieval literature and foundational text of the Western Canon.

NOTE: The course is taught in ENGLISH (no Italian knowledge required)

  

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Course Objectives:  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 reading 20%
  • Bibliographical review 15%
  • Presentation 15%
  • Final Essay 35%
  • Attendance and participation 15%

REQUIREMENTS:

Required Work:      

  • assigned reading completed before each class
  • active participation in class discussion
  • bibliographical review
  • 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 via photocopy and Canvas 

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/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

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS