Learning objectives
The course aims to provide students with an overview of the main concepts and ideas of the History of the Book, with a special attention to the Medieval and Early Modern periods. By the end of the course the students will be able to analyse and investigate some case-studies (including the following themes: textual transmission; critical editing; digital texts encoding; digital tools for philology) and to use properly the specific vocabulary, also in relation to the main fields of Italian Literature and Bibliography.
Knowledge and understanding: the course attendance, the study of some critical essays and the use of specific digital tools will help students to improve their knowledge and to acquire basic skills in the fields of Modern Philology, Palaeography, Codicology, History of the Book and Digital Humanities.
Applying knowledge and understanding: the students will be able to apply their knowledge in order to achieve the basic skills necessary to understand and to make use of the specific tools of the discipline and of the related problems.
Making judgements: the students will focus on the major topics of the discipline and will improve their ability to make judgments through the analysis of different case studies.
Communication skills: the students will be able to report and explain information, ideas, problems and editorial solutions in order to discuss the philological notions learned during the classes and to make a correct use of the specific vocabulary.
Learning skills: the structure of the course is aimed to provide students with the basic notions of the discipline, and to develop skills useful for further philological studies.
Prerequisites
Basic notions of Italian Literature.
Course unit content
The course (30h = 6 CFU, from 18th September to 20th October 2023) aims to provide students with the basics of the philological work and of the History of the Book (from manuscript to print; including basics of Codicology, Palaeography, Philology). The first classes will focus on a short history of the book. The main part of the course will be devoted to the methodology of the critical edition: the manuscript description; the collation; the formalization of the critical apparatus. Some classes will focus in particular on a selection of case-studies and on the automatic treatment of the texts in a digital environment.
Full programme
See Elly.
Bibliography
The students will study the following readings:
- Breve storia della scrittura e del libro, a cura di F. M. Bertolo, P. Cherubini, G. Inglese, L. Miglio, Roma, Carocci, last print;
- at least 5 readings to be chosen among the critical essays uploaded on the e-learning platform Elly.
The texts analyzed during the classes will be uploaded on the e-learning platform Elly as well.
Teaching methods
During the course directed readings and guided, text-based discussions will alternate with traditional lectures.
Assessment methods and criteria
Oral examination: the evaluation test will assess the achievement of the specific learning goals for the course. Discussion topics and questions will focus on: 1. The history of the book; 2. Digital Humanities; 3. Case studies; 4. Bibliography.
The most relevant criteria for the evaluation include:
- Unsatisfactory grade (score <18/30): lack of the basic skills of the course.
- Passing grade (score 18-21/30): the exam is deemed to be passed with a minimum of 60% of right answers.
- Positive grade (score 22-26/30): students can certificate a good knowledge of basics; they give good oral exposition and develop critical thinking.
- Excellent grade (score 27-30 cum laude/30): excellent knowledge of basics and advanced competences. Very good abilities to use specific language skills; excellent historical knowledge; argumentation consistency.
Other information
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