2023 Fall
ITALIAN R5A 005 - LEC 005
Reading and Composition
Mediterranean Monsters: Exploring the Monstrous in Italian Art and Literature
Rachel K Cook, Sally Anne Tucker
Class #:32894
Units:4
Instruction Mode:
In-Person Instruction
Offered through
Italian Studies
Current Enrollment
Total Open Seats:
0
Enrolled: 17
Waitlisted: 0
Capacity: 17
Waitlist Max: 3
No Reserved Seats
Hours & Workload
3 hours of instructor presentation of course materials, and 9 hours of outside work hours.
Other classes by Rachel K Cook
Course Catalog Description
Reading and composition course based on works by Italians and foreigners about Italy and its culture and by Italians about their distinctive experiences of other cultures as tourists and emigrants. Works studied will be primarily chosen from among fiction and non fiction narratives, both originally in English and translated into it. R5A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition Requirement and R5B satisfies the second half.
Class Description
Since antiquity, monstrous creatures have played a central role in Mediterranean art and literature. Indeed, the hybrid, grotesque, and monstrous figures that appeared in ancient Mediterranean myth continued to captivate the creative imaginations of subsequent generations. Over time, these monsters have repeatedly reappeared in the visual and literary arts, sometimes changing form and meaning in response to shifting historical and cultural realities. However, they have retained their ability to surprise, fascinate, and terrify. The continued reappearance of archetypal monsters in art and literature across millennia testifies to their lingering appeal and metaphorical significance.
By focusing on the representation of the monstrous in Italian art and literature, this course will explore the ways in which familiar concepts shift, transform, and ultimately endure across cultures. Through the close reading and visual analysis of works from the ancient to the contemporary, students will learn to recognize and engage with recurring themes from a variety of periods and genres and think critically about how these themes relate to various socio-cultural changes throughout history.
This course is a writing-intensive class which fulfills the university’s first semester requirement for Reading and Composition and teaches students to read and reflect critically about literary texts and works of art and to express their own, original ideas in an argumentative academic essay. Assignments will focus on visual analysis, close reading, and written composition. Students will also learn to develop their own ideas and respond to those of their classmates through class discussion and peer review.
Preliminary Readings (subject to change):
Homer, The Odyssey (English translation, selections)
Dante Alighieri, Inferno (English translation)
Jorge Luis Borges, “The House of Asterion”
Percy Bysshe Shelley, “On the Medusa of Leonardo da Vinci in the Florentine Gallery”
Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief
Selected Artworks (subject to change):
Chimera of Arezzo, c. 400 BCE, bronze, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Florence
“Siren Painter,” Odysseus and the Sirens, c. 475 BCE, terracotta, British Museum, London
The Last Judgement, 13th century, mosaic, Florence baptistery
Priamo della Quercia, Yates Thompson 36 (manuscript): selections from Inferno, 15th century, British Library, London
Piero di Cosimo, The Discovery of Honey by Bacchus, c. 1499, tempera and oil on panel, Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts
Caravaggio, Medusa, 1596, oil on canvas, Uffizi Gallery, Florence
John William Waterhouse, The Siren, c. 1900, private collection
Class Notes
Due to the high demand for R&C courses we monitor attendance very carefully. Attendance is mandatory the first two weeks of classes, this includes all enrolled and wait listed students. If you do not attend all classes the first two weeks you may be dropped. If you are attempting to add into this cl..
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Due to the high demand for R&C courses we monitor attendance very carefully. Attendance is mandatory the first two weeks of classes, this includes all enrolled and wait listed students. If you do not attend all classes the first two weeks you may be dropped. If you are attempting to add into this class during weeks 1 and 2 and did not attend the first day, you will be expected to attend all class meetings thereafter and, if space permits, you may be enrolled from the wait list.
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Rules & Requirements
Requisites
- Satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing Requirement.
Repeat Rules
Course is not repeatable for credit.
Requirements class fulfills
First half of the Reading and Composition Requirement
Reserved Seats
Current Enrollment
No Reserved Seats
Textbooks & Materials
See class syllabus or https://calstudentstore.berkeley.edu/textbooks for the most current information.
Guide to Open, Free, & Affordable Course Materials
Associated Sections
None