Programme/Approved Electives for 2022/23
None
Available as a Free Standing Elective
No
Aims
To equip students with knowledge of key works of American literature from the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries.To enable students to explore the historical contexts in which literary works were produced.To give students insight into the ways in which literary texts function as primary sources for the study of American history.To give students practice of contextualised close reading of American literature alongside other historical sources.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Show understanding of how literature aids our understanding of North American history: 1,2Show knowledge of the historical factors that influenced the production of North American literature: 1,2Demonstrate research and planning skills and the ability to present that research effectively in oral and written forms: 1,2Employ skills in close analysis of form and content: 1,2
11 hours: Lectures11 hours: Seminars11 hours weekly workshops2 hours : Workshop on close reading1 hour : Presentation feedback75 hours: Seminar preparation and personal study14 hours: presentation research and preparation25 hours: preparation and writing of online thread responses
Description of Module Assessment
1: Presentation weighted 40%Group presentationIn the workshop scheduled for week 11, students will give a presentation in groups of 2-3, of 10-12 minutes in length, on one of the module's set texts, looking at the literary text in its historical context and as a primary historical source.
The group will receive a single mark.
2: Online Tasks weighted 60%Reflective and critical writing online threadStudents will be required regularly to contribute to an online discussion thread, critically commenting on the texts and ideas discussed in the lectures and seminars. At the end of the module, their writing will be assessed for the evident engagement with the module, for criticality and also for the quality of the writing. Total wordcount: 2,000.