The course

Structure of the program

Online On-Demand Course (6 weeks, from mid-April)

The online on-demand part of the program will be hosted on Virtuale, a Moodle-based platform, and it aims to give students an introduction to the methodologies and the research perspectives that deal with the study of trauma and traumatic memory both in Japan and in the Arab world.

Through this online program, students will acquire a common ground of knowledge that will help them to think critically about texts not only in their own field, but also in a completely different cultural context.

The Online On-Demand Course will span over the course of six weeks and will be divided into six different units:

1. Introductory unit
2. Trauma and Memory Studies in Fiction in a Comparative Perspective
3. Introduction to Comics Studies
4. Manga Studies and the visual representation of trauma in Japan
5. Adult Comics Studies in the Arabic World
6. Primary sources: Working on texts

Each unit will comprehend an introduction to the topic by the scholars and  researchers involved in the project, additional study materials, and a testing part where students and teachers together can check what has been learned and understood of the topic. For more information on this topic, please refer to the Study Plan.

There will also be three scheduled virtual meetings (at the beginning of the course, halfway through, and at the end) where the students can meet the scholars and researchers and discuss together the materials and primary sources provided on Virtuale.

5-days Intensive session in Bologna (In person, first week of June)

The Intensive in person part of the BIP will be dedicated on one hand to lectures, both by the faculty staff involved and guest lecturers, and on the other hand to workshop/seminar sessions where students will be asked to work in groups (preferably made up of students of different universities and/or field of studies). For more details and information on this topic, please refer to the Study Plan.

Grading and assessment

 The final grade will be calculated by considering:

• The completion of the Online On-Demand Course and of all the tests (both open ended questions and multiple-choice questions)
• The participation during the in-person part of the program
• The group work that will be prepared and presented during the in-person sessions
• An individual report on the group work