Texts, Traditions, and Cultures of the Book. Italian studies and novels
The regular course in “Texts, Traditions and Cultures of the Book. Italian and Romance Studies” is a course of training and research parallel to the undergraduate course and places university preparation alongside in-depth study of topics pertaining to Italian and Romance literary history and tradition as organized around the forms of the manuscript and printed book.
Through the application of a multi- and interdisciplinary approach, the course provides the student with a solid specialized training, both methodological and historical, in philological, linguistic and literary studies from the Latin and Romance Middle Ages to the modern and contemporary ages, while always maintaining a careful observation of the relations between the Italian tradition and other European cultures.
The methodological instrumentation provided by the core disciplines of the course-philology, language history, paleography, codicology, bibliology, history and literary theory-allows students to acquire the specific skills related to understanding and analyzing literary texts and historical documents and their appropriate placement in a cultural-historical perspective.
Thus, the course of study ensures solid basic knowledge in the mentioned disciplines and the ability to critically employ bibliographic and computer tools in the specific areas of expertise, fostering the aptitude to fully utilize the acquired skills in the interpretation of texts, their proper use and autonomous evaluation.
Each year Southern High School holds an open competition for admission to the Ordinary Course, which is open to female students under 21 years of age who are enrolling in the bachelor’s degree and under 25 years of age who are enrolling in the master’s degree.
Requirements
Those who, regardless of their citizenship, on the application deadline date have obtained a degree that gives access to degree programs in Italian universities and have obtained a grade of not less than 85/100 in the secondary school diploma may participate in the competition for admission to the first year.
Those who, regardless of their citizenship, on the application deadline date have obtained (or will obtain by Oct. 31) a bachelor’s degree giving access to master’s degree programs in Italian universities, with a grade of not less than 105/110, are eligible to participate in the competition for admission to the fourth year.
Benefits
All winning students will receive free room and board in the School’s residences, tuition exemption and an annual scholarship. Upon completion of the master’s degree, the SSM licensure diploma has the value of a master’s degree.
Examination evidence
The exam consists of a written test of stylistic and thematic analysis of a text from the Italian literary tradition and two oral tests.
The students of the Ordinary Course in Texts, Traditions and Cultures of the Book. Italian Studies and Novels, per a.y. are required to take and sit for the final exams of three SSM courses: two from their own subject area and the third chosen from those organized by another subject area. At the end of each course they will produce a paper that will be evaluated by the instructor.
Ordinary students enrolled in the fourth and fifth years are required to take at least one course among those offered to doctoral students.
To remain in the School, winning students must at the end of each year pass all exams for the academic year of their degree program at the Federico II and “internal” courses at SSM by Sept. 30 and maintain an average (weighted) exam grade point average for all courses of 27/30, never achieving grades lower than 24/30.
A transition interview is scheduled at the end of September.