INTRODUCTION TO GERMAN PHILOLOGY

Course objectives

A) Knowledge and understanding - Students will be required to demonstrate basic knowledge and understanding of the topics covered during the course and presented in the reference bibliography; they will be able to prove to possess abilities of analysis, reflection and comparison concerning the main areas of Germanic Philology. B) Applying knowledge and understanding - Students will be able to demonstrate the full understanding of the syllabus of the course; they will be expected to apply the knowledge acquired to relevant issues in a thoughtful and critical way; they will be able to demonstrate they possess the appropriate skills to build and support arguments related to the topics covered by the course, and to apply the suitable techniques and methods to the field. C) Making judgements - Students will be able to express judgments in an autonomous form, on the basis of examples provided in the lectures and/or in the bibliographic resources provided, and prove to be able to find and interpret data in order to formulate answers to general – both concrete and abstract – problems. D) Communication skills - Students will be able to communicate information, ideas, problems and related solutions; to demonstrate adequate capacity of synthesis and expressive ability in the light of the specific terminology. E) Learning skills - Students will develop the skills necessary to undertake further studies with a certain degree of autonomy.

Channel 1
MAURO CAMIZ Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
This introductory class aims at providing students with a basic knowledge of the subject, mainly focussing on linguistic and philological aspects of the Germanic languages from their origins to the Middle Ages, as well as on elements of their literature history. Subsequently, a grammatical deepening will allow the participants to read, analyse, and translate one or more short texts from the Old English tradition.
Prerequisites
No specific prerequisites are needed. A basic knowledge of Linguistics and/or of any modern Germanic language might be of some help in understanding some topics.
Books
1. S. LEONARDI, E. MORLICCHIO, La filologia germanica e le lingue moderne, 2009 2a. F. MOSSÉ, Manuel de l'Anglais du Moyen Age, 1945: Partie I, Grammaire (provided as PDF file) or as an alternative: 2b. R. QUIRK, C. L. WRENN, An Old English Grammar, 1957 (provided as PDF file). Further bibliographical information and materials will be indicated and/or provided during the course.
Frequency
Classes take place usually in-person. Occasionally on-line lessons could be required due to unforeseeable reasons (eg. public transportation strikes or the like). Attendance is not mandatory but it is extremely encouraged.
Exam mode
Individual oral exam (min. 15/20 minutes) with questions on any parts in the program. Besides knowledge of the topics, also communicative skills, usage of the subject erminology and the ability to elaborate on the topics of the course are evaluated. Quick exercises may be also proposed, to assess the ability of the examinee to apply theoretical principles on a specific case.
Lesson mode
Frontal lessons (1st semester) with presentation and discussion of topics also with slideshows or other (multi-medial or traditional) tools (made available for individual study). Students intervention and questions are strongly encouraged and may stimulate further discussions.At times, participants may be required to actively participate in the lessons.
  • Lesson code1023403
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseModern humanities
  • CurriculumSingle curriculum
  • Year3rd year
  • Duration12 months
  • SSDL-FIL-LET/15
  • CFU6