ID:
509224
Duration (hours):
36
CFU:
6
SSD:
ARCHIVISTICA, BIBLIOGRAFIA E BIBLIOTECONOMIA
Year:
2025
Overview
Date/time interval
Secondo Semestre (23/02/2026 - 22/05/2026)
Syllabus
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to: Interpret reading as a practice performed by a social actor (the reader) within the system of relations between text, medium, reception, and historical-cultural context, highlighting the dynamic and plural nature of the literary text. Trace the main stages in the history of reading and the book, critically examining the links between technological evolution, social change, and reading practices. Describe the factors affecting experiential and cognitive outcomes in digital reading. Illustrate major Italian and international case studies of reading in the digital ecosystem (reading communities, social cataloguing portals, social reading platforms, mobile apps). Beyond case studies presented by the instructor, the course aims to provide students with critical tools to independently explore key issues, recognizing the challenges posed by the evolving book ecosystem for professionals in communication, publishing, and literary studies.
Course Prerequisites
A basic understanding of key concepts in digital publishing (electronic hypertext, multimedia, web documents, e-books, e-readers, audiobooks, platforms for access and distribution, search engines) is recommended. These concepts will, however, be revisited and further explored during the course for students less familiar with them. A minimum knowledge of major authors and movements in the Italian literary tradition is also expected. In particular, students are encouraged to read in advance the following works by Italo Calvino: L’avventura di un lettore, If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler, and the essays collected in Six Memos for the Next Millennium.
Teaching Methods
The course combines lectures (with interactive feedback through Wooclap) and case study analysis. Lecture materials (PowerPoint or PDF) will be made available on the KIRO platform in compliance with accessibility guidelines (structured headings, reading order, alternative text for images, descriptive links). Attendance at lectures and practical sessions is strongly recommended. Video recordings of each session will be provided for students unable to attend.
Assessment Methods
The final assessment is an individual oral exam (20–25 minutes) designed to verify knowledge of the course content. Preparation is based on the required text (Diluvio Digitale), which directly corresponds to topics addressed in class. The exam covers at least three distinct topics chosen by the instructor. The final grade (0–30 scale) reflects the depth of understanding, critical analysis, and the ability to integrate knowledge gained throughout the course. Students may use multimedia resources (images, videos, graphs, presentations) to support their arguments during the exam.
Texts
Paolo Costa, Diluvio Digitale. Storia e destini della lettura (Milan: Egea, 2020).
Contents
The course will introduce students to: The concept of texts as mobile objects, capable of transforming and circulating in different forms and contexts, thus altering their meaning, function, and reception due to changes in medium (e.g., from manuscript to print, from printed book to digital format), as well as social, economic, legal, and cultural factors. The intertwined history of reading and the book, from clay tablets to the digital ecosystem, including the invention of the codex, movable type printing, and modern publishing. Key debates on the nature of literary experience and the reader’s role within it. Concepts of paratextuality, intertextuality, and hypertextuality. Experiential and cognitive issues linked to the transition from print to digital reading. Reading as a social experience and the role of digital platforms that emerged with the Internet and the Web to support virtual reading communities.
Course Language
Italian
Degrees
Degrees
MODERN PHILOLOGY
Master’s Degree
2 years
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People
People
Teaching staff
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