Unit information: Italian Fascism in 2022/23

Unit name	Italian Fascism
Unit code	ITAL20045
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. John Foot
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	None
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one
School/department	Department of Italian
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Unit Information

Italy was the first fascist country. It invented fascism and saw the first fascist regime and its first dictator – Mussolini. Italian fascism has therefore been widely influential and continues to be so. There has been a vast amount of research into the history, culture and politics of Italian fascism over the past fifty years.

This unit introduces students to many of the themes which are important for an understanding of Italian fascism using a variety of materials, methodologies, and up-to-date research. As such, it will provide both a context and a series of transferable research and writing skills. It will use a thematic approach to the subject, along with photographs, songs, newspaper articles, film, sporting events, diaries, medical reports and trial transcripts to understand the experience and legacy of Italian fascism.

The unit aims therefore aims to:

• Introduce students to new research on Italian fascism.
• Use a thematic approach to the study of Italian fascism.
• Familiarise students with different sources (visual, aural, archival, representational).
• Link Italian fascism to contemporary political developments and look at the legacy of the movement and the regime (also across disciplines - history, medical humanities for example)
• Develop transferable skills (writing, analysis, research skills) in preparation for future years and study. This will also help with independent study.

Your learning on this unit

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to

1. demonstrate an in-depth understanding of Italian fascism from a variety of angles, including relevant theoretical and methodological approaches;
2. analyse and evaluate the themes covered in this area of study - in particular those of violence, ideology, the fascist imaginary, anti-fascism and opposition, masculinity and gender and cultural change under the regime and memory.
3. compare and contrast Italian fascism with other fascisms, old and new;
4. develop presentation and collaborative skills for groupwork;
5. examine different forms of media to understand fascism.

How you will learn

Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including group seminar-style discussion and self-directed exercises.

How you will be assessed

1 x 15-minute group presentation (30%). [ILOs 1-5]

1 x 2500-word written assignment (70%). [ILOs 1-3 and 5]

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ITAL20045).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.