A319 Descriptor

COURSE DESCRIPTOR 1.

Course Title: A319 : Literature in the Modern World

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Level:

3.

Credit Value: 60 points/16 credits

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Programme (s) to include this course: Core (state whether core or elective)

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Pre-requisite and co-requisite courses: A210: Approaching Literature

Third level

6. Date of first presentation: October, 2005 7. i) ii) iii) iv)

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Course aims: to give practise in the close reading of texts from all three genres. For drama, this includes learning to recognise the ways in which the words on the page can be translated into performance. to identify and analyse narrative and thematic issues in texts and to make productive comparisons between them. to learn to engage critically with a range of theoretical studies and to apply these to readings of the literary texts. to help the students develop a fluent, reflective and analytical style of writing and to encourage them to consider the relationship between literary texts and the historical and cultural contexts within which they are written and read.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should achieve the following learning outcomes: Knowledge and understanding of:

• • • • •

A broad knowledge of twentieth-century literary works, most of them written in English, in the three major genres (prose fiction, poetry and drama – the latter including an awareness of performance as well as text). As well as works in English and in translation by canonical European writers, this will include appreciation of ‘new writings in English’ with their distinctive styles and thematic concerns. The ability to demonstrate an understanding of some theoretical issues relevant to the study of literature. Awareness of how the meanings within texts come into being through their relation to ideology. An understanding of the relationship between a literary text and its historical contexts

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Cognitive skills – be able to:

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Develop skills in literary analysis as established at Level 2 (A210). Develop additional analytical skills as students seek to engage with a culture other than their own, remaining sensitive to possible constraints on understanding as well as to the ‘opening up’ that close analysis produces. Develop skills of critical thinking and the ability to engage with and evaluate complex arguments (applied in this case to literary criticism and theory as well as to literary texts). Develop an ability to engage in comparative argument and to develop a synthesis Develop an awareness of literature and literary criticism as subjects which are, in themselves, open to change and bearing the mark of their own cultural circumstances.

Practical skills – be able to:

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Develop subject-specific skills such as the ability to offer an independent intellectual response to both imaginative and discursive forms of writing. Analyse, interpret and use highly organized language in a way that prepares students for further study. Understand and respond to a variety of different tasks ranging from ones which are relatively closed to ones which are complex and open-ended. Use scholarly conventions in an appropriate and consistent way.

Key skills – be able to:

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Develop skills that can be used effectively in environments other than literary study. These include the ability to articulate a sophisticated argument and to communicate fluently in written English. Enhance existing strategies for learning through critical reading and listening. Manage own independent learning effectively and to use feedback in order to improve performance.

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Course Content : There are six blocks:

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Block one is an introductory block which gives guidance in close reading, introduces some of the major theoretical approaches to be used in the block and offers an overview of the course as a whole. Block Two studies the development of a ‘school’ of writing within the context of cultural and historical changes in the early twentieth century. Block Three begins with the discussion of ideology which lays the foundation for much of the subsequent theoretical and methodological discussion. This then leads into an applied analysis of ideology in action via the theme of ‘Englishness’. Block Four is an exploration of the effects of the dissolution of the British Empire on a range of texts from the 1920s to the 1060s. Block Five introduces students to the variety of literature written in English in countries which were once a part of the British Empire. This block also allows students to study the ways in which the English language itself has been split into a variety of individual ‘englishes’ Block Six explores the relationship between literature and history

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10. Assessment : (indicate mode e.g. essay, report, exercise, examination and weighting of each; and provide a grid to show which learning outcomes are assessed by each element) • • •

MTAs x 2 : TMAs x 4: Examinations x 2:

(15%) (35%) (50%)

The teaching and learning strategy assessment methods are as follows: Learning Outcomes Teaching and learning strategy

Assessment method(s)

Knowledge &* Understanding

TMAs and MTAs are designed to develop skills – see below ‘Details of each assignment’

Students are acquainted with the literary material and introduced to related critical debates through structured teaching and associated reading and audio and (tutor-directed) video material. In-text questions encourage students to interact with the material, practise argument and establish their understanding of the material.

* As given in (8) above.

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Cognitive Skills

Key skills

*

*

Practical skills

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The Course Guide and the Teaching Blocks emphasise the acquisition of the above cognitive skills. In particular Blocks 1 and 2 prioritise the practice of close reading and skills of analysis, and Blocks 3-6 work progressively to develop skills of critical thinking in relation to theory. Block 6 is specificcally concerned with developing an awareness of the relationship between literature, criticism and their historical contexts.

Students are required to communicate effectively and appropriately as judged by the standards of the discipline at this level. Tutors correct spelling and grammar and poor style. Learning skills focus on planning, self-assessment, identifying strengths and weaknesses, setting priorities, reviewing and reflecting, reading and listening with understanding. Practical skills are developed by asking students to analyse both primary and secondary material in a guided manner, giving in text practice. They are also provided with models of good practice in the set books and by means of the teaching materials and are assessed both in the TMAs and the two examinations.

*As given in (8) above.

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These skills are assessed in the TMAs and the two examinations The skills required in discussion and analysis of a specific text and literary movement (i.e. Modernism) are assessed in TMA 01. TMAs 02 and 03 assess skills in comparative and cross-genre evaluation, and the ability to analyse critical material. The ability to work with complex theoretical arguments is assessed in TMA04. All skills are assessed in the two examinations. These skills are assessed in the TMAs and in the two examinations.

These are assessed in TMAs and in the two examinations by setting students a variety of tasks. Particular emphasis is given to the analysis of literary sources in the two examinations. The examinations also provide an opportunity to practise a range of skills, which build in complexity; from an exercise in close reading of one text to a comparative evaluation of two texts from different genres, to a broader analytical discussion of texts which includes an engagement with critical and theoretical debate. Students are taught to use appropriate scholarly conventions and learn how to to properly acknowledge the work of other scholars.

11. Bibliography : (include web-sites) 1. Ashcroft, Bill et.al (1989) The Empire Writes Back: Theory and practice in PostColonial Literatures, Routledge 2. Bloom, Harold,ed. (1987) E.M. Forster's A Passage to India: Modern Critical Interpretations, Chelsea House 3. Cohen, R, ed. (1974) New Directions in Literary History, Routledge 4. Critical Inquiry 2: 465-86, the University of Chicago 1976 5. Levinson, M. et.al, eds (1989 Rethinking Historicism : Critical Readings in Romantic History, Blackwell 6. Said, Edward. 1978 Orientatism, Routledge and Pantheon Books 7. ________ 1988. Nationalism, Colonialism and Literature, Field Day Pamphlet # 15 The A319 AOU Course Chair will produce the required website in due time. 12. Delivery: (recommended student learning hours by mode, e.g. distance learning, face-to-face teaching, or laboratory work) Learning hours: 600 spread over two semesters • • • • •

Private study (Reading) Private study (Audio) Tutorials Assessment (4 TMAs) Assessment (2 exams & two MTAs)

: : : : :

360 hours (180 per semester) 40 hours (20 per semester) 60 hours (15 two-hours tutorials per semester) 70 hours (35 per semester) 70 hours (1 final examination and 1 MTA per semester).

Date prepared: August 6, 2005

By: Professor Trevor Herbert (Slightly adapted by Professor Mohammad Awwad, Dean, AOU Faculty of Language Studies)

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