PAOLO SIMONETTI

How to study (American) Literature? 

1. The most important thing is to READ the primary texts (novels, short stories, poems on the syllabus) from beginning to end, all of them, carefully. No audiobooks, no films, no summaries, no AI abstracts, no reading guides, no YouTube lectures, no author interviews, no bullet points from the Internet. Even critical essays are useless if you haven’t first read the primary texts in their entirety. If you don’t like reading, if you find it boring, if you can’t focus enough to read a book cover to cover, you shouldn’t be studying literature. Choose another course. Without reading the texts, you will not pass the exam.

2. In class, we spend a lot of time reading and analyzing passages from the texts. The oral exam is based on discussing excerpts from these works, so you must complement your reading of the primary texts with the critical essays on the syllabus, which are designed to help everyone engage more deeply with the works and their authors. Knowing the plot is important, but obviously it is not enough.

3. The oral exam assesses not just your knowledge but also your critical thinking and your ability to engage directly with the texts. I will ask you questions to understand how you approached the readings and whether you have considered certain issues (if you haven’t, I will evaluate how you answer when I raise them). Reciting critics’ names, dates, or vague notions by heart is not enough.

4. The entire syllabus must be studied—no exceptions. If you have questions about the syllabus or the exam format, book an in-person office hour appointment. I cannot answer hundreds of emails asking the same questions. 

5. Exams and office hours (except in extremely rare, documented cases) are held in person, with no exceptions. If you find this inconvenient (and I totally understand and sympathize), there are online universities that will soon put us out of business anyway.

6. In case it wasn’t clear from point #1, let me repeat: There is no point in booking the exam if you haven’t read even one of the primary texts. You won’t pass, and you’ll waste your time—and mine.

Thank you for your collaboration.

PRECISAZIONE RIGUARDO LA POSSIBILITA' DI INSEGNAMENTO DELL'INGLESE NELLE SCUOLE SUPERIORI PER GLI STUDENTI DI LETTERATURA AMERICANA

Si ricorda che le letterature anglo-americane (SSD L-LIN/11) e la letteratura inglese (SSD L-LIN/10) sono equipollenti ai fini dei crediti necessari per l’insegnamento della lingua inglese nelle scuole secondarie di primo e secondo grado (Rif: Decreto interministeriale 22/12/2023, n. 255, Tabella A, Classe di concorso A-22 – Lingue e culture straniere nell’istruzione secondaria di I e II grado). Gli studenti che scelgono di studiare lingua inglese possono così liberamente scegliere l'una o l'altra letteratura ai fini dell'acquisizione dei requisiti necessari per insegnare questa lingua nei diversi ordini di istruzione. 

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All students willing to take an exam or attend (in person or as "non-frequentanti") my courses of Anglo-American literature (BA and MA) should register on the Google Classroom page of each course before classes begin: BA 3rd year course (Lingue e Letterature Anglo-Americane III) - code yg7yfwg - and MA 1st-3rd year course (Anglo-American Literature I-M, Anglo-American Literature III-M, Anglo-American Literature Advanced Course, Anglo-American Literatures Advanced Course) - code 474szrz. If you need other courses' codes, please ask.

Richieste tesi di laurea/Thesis request

Si avvisano gli studenti interessati a laurearsi con me in letteratura americana che prenderò in considerazione (sempre previa disponibilità) solo le richieste di chi ha sostenuto almeno tre esami di letteratura americana (triennale) o due esami di American Literature (magistrale). Vi prego di non chiedermi la tesi se non avete triennalizzato (o biennalizzato in magistrale) la materia.

Grazie per la comprensione e la collaborazione. 

Students interested in writing a thesis in American literature with me as an advisor should know that I will be take into account only requests from students who have taken at least three American literature exams (BA) or two American literature exams (MA). Please do not ask me to be your thesis advisor if you do not have this prerequisite.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.