IT3WTL: Where Truth Lies: Reality, Fiction and Storytelling in Contemporary Italian Media and Culture

Module code: IT3WTL

Module provider: Languages and Cultures; School of Humanities

Credits: 20

ECTS credits: 10

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Chiara Cirillo, email: c.cirillo@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 26 March 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

What is truth, what is its relationship to power, who gets to tell it, how and for what purpose?  Terms such as ‘post truth era’ and ‘fake news’ have become increasingly prevalent in public discourse,  yet the question of ‘truth and lies’ is a longstanding theme in contemporary Italian history,  where political mysteries and historical amnesias shape the national collective identity, and environmental crises intersect with criminal activities.  This module critically examines the themes of truth and lies, reality, memory, and the role of fiction in uncovering memory and confronting sociopolitical issues, misinformation and disinformation, power and voice in relation to contemporary Italian political events, media representation, historical, cultural and ecological narratives. It introduces students to key contemporary Italian events and narratives through a variety of cultural artifacts: novels, films, documentaries and plays, etc. The module also develops research, media and digital literacies for sustainable development and societal contributions.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Critically examine approaches the themes of truth and lies, reality, memory and fiction, information and disinformation, power and voice in relation to contemporary Italian political events, media representation, historical, cultural and ecological narratives.
2. Apply relevant research methods, media literacies and verbal, written and digital competencies to address key Italian national events and narratives through a variety of sources and cultural artifacts.
3. Develop a creative project to address, interpret and represent a contemporary Italian story linked to the themes of truth and lies, reality, memory and fiction, information and disinformation, power and voice developed in the module.
4. Reflect on own critical and creative development in understanding issues of truth, reality, fiction, disinformation, power and voice and in pursuing ethical principles and just, sustainable communication strategies for professional and societal contributions.

Module content

The module will explore key contemporary Italian unsolved political assassinations, terrorist attacks, state and media cover-ups, religious, financial and military obscure activities, the suppression from public memory of the Italian colonial experience and the involvement of organised crime in environmental damage. Students will focus on a variety of sources and cultural artifacts, furthering their understanding of the concepts of truth and power and developing critical approaches to historical, media and cultural representations. Events examined include: the mysterious death of Enrico Mattei, the head of the state-owned oil company ENI; the Piazza Fontana bombing in 1969 that marked the start of the ‘strategy of tension’ and the ‘Lead Years’ of the 1970s and early 1980s; the historical amnesia of Italy’s colonial past in North and East Africa, which begins its reckoning in the 1990s; the controversy surrounding media ownership and political influence in the Berlusconi’s years, and the Mafia’s illegal toxic waste dumping of the early 2000s.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module is delivered through interactive lectures in which content delivery is interspersed with activities. Sessions include group discussions which students prepare for beforehand through reading and engaging in digital content.

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students will produce a recorded reflection on how their understanding and ideas have changed through their studies on the module and a concept pitch of their creative design in the form of an oral presentation. The feedback students receive on these activities can be used to inform the summative assignment Creative design and check progress on their learning.

Reassessment

Additional costs