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2020/2021

From the Troubadours to Ramon Muntaner

Code: 105837 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2503998 Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics OB 2 1
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Lluís Cabré Ollé
Email:
Lluis.Cabre@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites

None

Objectives and Contextualisation

This course is an introduction to the history of medieval Catalan literature within its European context. Students will also be introduced into the practice of reading and interpreting medieval Catalan texts.

At the end of the course, students are expected (a) to have a general knowledge of all the relevant authors and genres, (b) to understand the developing of a literary tradition, (c) to be able to comment (viva voce) on any of the works included in the syllabus, and (d) to write short essays on any of them.

Competences

  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights, diversity and democratic values.
  • Apply concepts, resources and methods of literary analysis to Catalan literature taking into account the sources, periods of Western literary history and social context.
  • Carry out historical studies on the trends, genres and authors of the Catalan literary tradition.
  • Critically read and interpret texts.
  • Demonstrate a mastery of the rules of the Catalan language, its linguistic bases and all its application in the academic and professional fields.
  • Identify the main tendencies, most significant authors and most representative work in Catalan literature.
  • Innovate in the methods and processes of this area of knowledge in response to the needs and wishes of society.
  • Interpret literary texts from a philological and comparative viewpoint.
  • Produce written work and oral presentations that are effective and framed in the appropriate register.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Use information in accordance with academic ethics.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Comment on literary texts, using the instruments acquired, with regard to the historical, social and cultural context.
  2. Critically interpret literary works, taking into account the relationships between the different areas within literature and their relationship to humanistic, artistic and social areas.
  3. Describe and interpret the Western cultural tradition, from the classical period to the late Middle Ages, and recognise features of the Western tradition in a medieval text.
  4. Display basic knowledge of medieval Catalan and write versions of medieval texts in modern Catalan.
  5. Explain the context of medieval Catalan literature and relate works to their historical and cultural context.
  6. Gain a greater capacity for reading, interpreting and critically analysing literary and linguistic texts.
  7. Identify principal and secondary ideas and express them using correct language.
  8. Identify the relationships between literature and history, art and other cultural movements.
  9. Identify themes and motifs of the classical and medieval European tradition in any of its literary and artistic manifestations.
  10. Make appropriate use of the knowledge acquired in order to collect data and handle documentary sources in the study of Catalan language and literature.
  11. Master oral and written expression in Catalan.
  12. Produce critical texts on the main trends and the most significant authors and works of poetry and prose in Catalan literature.
  13. Produce normatively correct written and oral texts.
  14. Produce work in accordance with academic ethics.
  15. Produce written work and oral presentations that are effective and framed in the appropriate register.
  16. Respect the opinions, values, behaviour and customs of others.
  17. Use IT tools and be able to consult specific documentary sources.
  18. Use technological resources (digital and audiovisual) to acquire knowledge and apply it in language and literature.
  19. Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.

Content

  1. Troubadour poetry. Courtly love and feudalism. Troubadour genres. Royal patronage in the Crown of Aragon. Catalan-born troubadours.

  2. Medieval chronicles. The Book of King James (†1276). The Book of King Peter (1280-86). Ramon Muntaner's chronicle (1325-28).

  3. Life and works of Ramon Llull (1232-1316). The Lullian Ars and its literary output.

  4. The troubadour tradition in the 14th and early 15th c. The Cançoneret de Ripoll(1320-1350). MSS Sg. (c. 1360/70) and Ve-Ag (1426).

  5. Verse narrative. Genres. Presence of The Arthurian legend.

Methodology

Lectures will provide students with the historical context of medieval Catalan literature from 1150 to 1425. Seminars are aimed at improving the student's reading skills, by commenting on both the language and the literary contents of short texts. The students' oral presentations of one of such texts are meant to promote debate. Essays (on a work or more than one) are devised to start developing in-depth comprehension of both medieval language and literature. Focus is placed on improving reading skills.

The calendar will be available on the first day of class. Students will find all information on the Virtual Campus: the description of the activities, teaching materials, and any necessary information for the proper follow-up of the subject. In case of a change of teaching modality for health reasons, teachers will make readjustments in the schedule and methodologies.

 

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures 30 1.2 10, 17, 3, 5, 8, 9, 2, 6
Seminars 17.5 0.7 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 2, 16, 6
Type: Supervised      
Oral presentations (flipped class) 9 0.36 17, 1, 11, 14, 15, 7, 16, 13, 18
Type: Autonomous      
Bibliographical research 10 0.4 10, 17, 14, 18
Critical reading 30 1.2 1, 4, 8, 9, 2, 6

Assessment

Assessment is continuous. A minimum grade of 5 is required to pass the course.

Students will be assessed by means of (a) written exams, (b) individual essays, and (c) oral presentations (in the classroom or via Teams etc.). The final qualification will result from the following proportion: (a) 50%, (b) 40%, (c) 10%. 

For any assessment activity, students will receive (via Moodle) prior notice of the date and all relevant information concerning their right to review any assessment item with their teacher.

To opt for reassessment students must have been assessed of at least 2/3 of the overall input, and must have obtained a final mark between 3.5 and 4.9. Reassessment may include a written exam and/or submitting again an essay which had not reached the pass mark (5). The reassessment grade will not be higher than 5.

Students who have submitted less than 30% of the course assignments will be considered Not Assessable.

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Essay writing 40% 24 0.96 10, 17, 1, 4, 3, 11, 12, 14, 5, 15, 7, 8, 9, 2, 6, 13, 19, 18
Exams 50% 28.5 1.14 10, 17, 1, 4, 3, 11, 12, 14, 5, 7, 8, 9, 2, 16, 6, 13, 19, 18
Oral presentations (flipped class) 10% 1 0.04 10, 17, 1, 4, 3, 11, 14, 5, 15, 7, 8, 9, 2, 16, 6, 13, 19, 18

Bibliography

Badia, Lola (dir.), Literatura medieval, 3 vols. in A. Broch, Història de la literatura catalana, I-III (Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2013-15).

Riquer, Martí de, Història de la literatura catalana: part antiga, 3 vols (Barcelona: Ariel, 1964); also in 4 vols (Barcelona: Planeta, 1984).

Riquer, Martín de, Los trovadores: historia literaria y textos, 3 vols (Barcelona: Planeta, 1975).

Cingolani, Stefano Maria, La memòria dels reis. Les quatre grans cròniques i la historiografia catalana, des del segle X fins al XIV (Barcelona: Base, 2007).

Riquer, Martí de, Llegendes històriques catalanes (Barcelona: Quaderns Crema, 2000).

Badia, Lola, & Anthony Bonner, Ramon Llull: vida pensament i obra literària (Barcelona: Empúries, 1988).

Badia, Lola (ed.), Tres contes meravellosos del segle XIV (Barcelona: Quaderns Crema, 2003).

Links
www.narpan.net.
Repertorio Informatizzato dell'Antica Letteratura Catalana (RIALC): www.rialc.unina.it