Module manager: Olivia Santovetti
Email: O.Santovetti@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
Knowledge of Italian at A2/B1 level in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
| ITAL2500 | Modern Italian Identities Across Cultures |
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module explores how modern Italian identities have changed and have been represented across media and cultures, from the country’s unification to the present. The approach is historical, intranational, and transnational. Students examine how social identities have changed over Italy’s modern history and have travelled across national boundaries, highlighting the relevance of migrations and cultural exchanges. By looking at modern Italian identities in context, the module also emphasises their intersectional dimension, by focusing on the interplay of factors such as nationality, gender, ethnicity/race, class, and religion. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
This module has three main objectives.
First, students develop a theoretically grounded and historically informed understanding of the ways in which modern Italian identities intersect and are represented, by analysing issue related to nationality and/or gender, ethnicity/race, class, and religion.
Second, by focusing on modern Italian identities as a case study, students are also able to break the mould of national stereotypes and explore how social identities and their representations change over time and transcend national boundaries.
Finally, by working independently and/or in groups, students learn how to design and produce a podcast.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
1. Critically evaluate and synthesize theories of social identity in the Italian context;
2. Interrogate and appraise how modern Italian identities intersect, evolve over time, and transcend national boundaries;
3. Compare and assess in a nuanced way the representation of modern Italian identities across the arts and media.
4. Select, organise and integrate a wide range of sources to construct a coherent and sophisticated argument;
5. Apply and justify appropriate critical categories and concepts in advance analysis;
6. Design and deliver digital outputs that effectively communicate research to non-academic audience.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 20 | 1 | 20 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 170 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 30 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
In seminars, students’ progress is monitored, and they receive feedback through class discussion. In particular, they are able to test ideas and formats in seminar sessions devoted to assessment preparation.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Portfolio | 50 |
| Coursework | Group Podcast | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Resits follow the same format. For the podcast resit, students work individually.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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