The teaching of Romance Philology provides essential skills and critical tools to navigate the landscape of medieval Romance languages and literatures. Through a historical-comparative approach, the course promotes the study of the origins and development of Romance languages and the exploration of the literary heritage of the Romance Middle Ages, with particular attention to the Chanson de Roland, a masterpiece of French epic poetry.

• Introduction to Romance Philology

  • Overview of the subject and its areas of study
  • Brief history and foundational aspects of the discipline
  • Tools of Romance Philology: dictionaries, repertoires, databases, journals

• Elements of Romance Linguistics

  • Romance languages and the concept of Romània
  • From Vulgar Latin to Romance languages: phonetic, morphosyntactic, and lexical changes

• The First Romance Texts

  • Historical and cultural context
  • General characteristics of the documentary heritage and selection of case studies

• Origins, Development, and Major Genres of Medieval Romance Literatures (Lyric, Romance, Epic)

• Monographic In-Depth Study: The Chanson de Roland

  • Includes reading, translation, and philological-literary commentary of selected excerpts by the instructor and its impact on Romance Europe.

None.

Knowledge and Understanding: Students will acquire the fundamental methodological tools to investigate and understand the origins and evolution of medieval Romance languages and literatures.

Applied Knowledge and Understanding: Students will be able to apply their basic knowledge and skills to analyze specific case studies related to the linguistic and literary domain of the Romance Middle Ages, demonstrating contextualization skills and familiarity in approaching the proposed texts.

Autonomy of Judgment: Students will demonstrate the ability to navigate the field of medieval Romance languages and literatures with ease, formulating evaluations, hypotheses, and interpretations based on the correct use of philological methodologies.

Communication Skills: Students will possess adequate language proficiency and the ability to appropriately use the specialized vocabulary of the discipline, in order to accurately convey information and solutions related to the case studies examined.

Learning Skills: Students will be able to progress independently in the study of medieval Romance languages and literatures, once they have acquired the fundamental methodologies and basic knowledge.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

There is the possibility of in-class exercises and inviting guest speakers to lecture on topics covered during the course.

Teaching

Lectures.

Attendance

Study of preparatory materials (see "Course books" section) is required.

The status of attending students will be granted to those who participate in at least 70% of the course lectures (equivalent to 26 out of 36 hours).

Prior knowledge of Latin and a solid understanding of the basics of linguistics and historical grammar are preferred but not essential.

Course books

The study of the following is required:

• Pietro G. Beltrami, La filologia romanza, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2017 (except for pp. 53-81, corresponding to Parte Prima: "6. Filologia e storia", "7. La linguistica generale", "8. Ieri e oggi: gli strumenti della filologia romanza"; and pp. 177-196, corresponding to Parte seconda: "6. Le lingue romanze oggi"; reading these chapters is still recommended for a more thorough understanding of the subject).

For the text of the Chanson de Roland, the adopted reference edition is:

• La Canzone di Orlando. Introduzione di Cesare Segre, a c. di Mario Bensi, Milano, BUR, 1985 and later reprints (see https://www.rizzolilibri.it/libri/la-canzone-di-orlando/). The passages examined in class and to be prepared for the exam will be indicated during the course, though it is essential to read the entire text.

  Any additional study materials will be uploaded to the Moodle platform.

Assessment

Oral Exam. The evaluation is expressed in thirtieths and aims to assess the depth of understanding of the subject, reasoning and argumentative skills, as well as the appropriate use of philological terminology by the candidates. Based on these criteria, the exams may be rated as excellent (28-30/30, with possible honors), good (25-27/30), fair (22-24/30), or sufficient (18-21/30). Exams that are found to be seriously lacking in basic knowledge, presentation skills, and use of the specialized vocabulary of the discipline will be considered insufficient.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Individual study.

Attendance

The study of preparatory materials (see "Course books" section) is required.

Students who do not attend the course should contact the professor well in advance for informational and introductory purposes.

Course books

To allow non-attending students to compensate for the content covered during lectures through independent study, the following materials related to the course content are provided to ensure thorough understanding:

• Pietro G. Beltrami, La filologia romanza, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2017 (complete study)
• Alberto Limentani–Marco Infurna, L'epica romanza nel Medioevo, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2007 and later reprints (complete study)
• La Canzone di Orlando. Introduzione di Cesare Segre, a c. di Mario Bensi, Milano, BUR, 1985 and later reprints (see https://www.rizzolilibri.it/libri/la-canzone-di-orlando/). Passages to be prepared will be communicated to interested students upon written notification to the professor of the intention to take the exam as a non-attending student. As with attending students, it is essential to read the entire text.

Any additional materials to be prepared for the exam will be collected and made available to non-attending students in a dedicated folder on Moodle.

Assessment

Oral Exam. The evaluation is expressed in thirtieths and aims to assess the depth of understanding of the subject, reasoning and argumentative skills, as well as the appropriate use of philological terminology by the candidates. Based on these criteria, the exams may be rated as excellent (28-30/30, with possible honors), good (25-27/30), fair (22-24/30), or sufficient (18-21/30). Exams that are found to be seriously lacking in basic knowledge, presentation skills, and use of the specialized vocabulary of the discipline will be considered insufficient.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.