University of St Andrews

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 15

ECTS credits : 7

Level : SCQF level 9

Semester: 2

Planned timetable: To be arranged.

Detective stories are enormously popular in Italy but the genre has generally been regarded as primarily Anglo-Saxon. The prominence of a number of Italian crime writers in the 1990's prompted talk of a giallo nazionale and a reconsideration of the history of the genre dating Italian crime fiction back to the nineteenth century. This module studies the history of the detective novel in Italy, considers critical approaches to the genre, and examines the treatment of common features and themes by writers such as Leonardo Sciascia, Giorgio Scerbanenco, Umberto Eco, Carlo Lucarelli, Loriano Macchiavelli, and Andrea Camilleri.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisite(s): Permission of the Italian Honours Adviser

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: 1 seminar and 1 surgery hour.

Scheduled learning hours: 16

Guided independent study hours: 134

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: 2-hour Written Examination = 60%, Coursework = 40%

As defined by QAA
Written examinations : 60%
Practical examinations : 0%
Coursework: 40%

Re-assessment: 3-hour Written Examination = 100%

Personnel