Mind, culture, language

Teacher(s)

Maeder Costantino;

Language

Italian

Prerequisites

Speaking: B1 level in Italian 
Writing: B2 level in Italian  
Reading comprehension: B2 level in Italian  

Main themes

By analysing short stories by leading contemporary writers, students will discover approaches to literary analysis based on the findings of pragmatics, semiotics and cognitive sciences. 

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Analyse Italian literary texts using the tools of semiotics, linguistics and cognitive sciences
2	Understand how literature (and communication) works,
3	Understand how our brain works.
This learning unit contributes to the development and command of the following skills and learning outcomes of the ELAL programmes: 1.4; 1.6; 2.5; 2.6; 3.5; 4.3; 5.6; 6.4; 6.5; 6.6 .

Content

The course offers an introduction to cognitive science through the analysis of short texts of various kinds (fiction, poetry, newspaper articles, dialogues). First, we will focus on communication and pragmatics.
Much of communication—even when literary or artistic—refers to what is left unsaid, to the implicit. The abilities to deduce and to formulate hypotheses are therefore essential. What mechanisms and physiological bases allow us to “calculate” the implicit? These are some of the questions we will address throughout the course.

Evaluation methods

An in‑course exam + a written exam during the regular exam session
Third session: written exam

Other information

All the lessons are taught in Italian.

Bibliography

• Fauconnier, G., & Turner, M. (2003). The way we think : conceptual blending and the mind's hidden complexities. New York: BasicBooks.
• Jacomuzzi, A. (2023). Introduzione alle scienze cognitive. Bologna: Il Mulino.
• Lubienetzki, U. & Schüler Lubienetzki, S. (2020) How we talk to each other – the messages we send with our words and body language. Psychology of human communicationPsychology of human communication. Springer.
• Turner, M. (1996). The literary mind. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Zunshine, L. (2006). Why we read fiction: theory of mind and the novel. Columbus: Ohio State University Press. 

Teaching materials

• Syllabus de textes théoriques

Faculty or entity

> ELAL