ENG-20086 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

This module will introduce students to radical experimental writing of the twentieth century, from modernism's rallying call of 'Make it New!' through to the mid and late twentieth century's experiments with poetry, narrative form, film, and revolutionary counter-politics. We will consider poetry, film and fiction and we will ask: why this impulse towards the radical and the form-breaking, at this time? What do we mean when we call something 'experimental'? What social and cultural energies were in play; what were these artists and writers trying to do or to rebel against?

To introduce students to modernist and countercultural writing of the twentieth century.
To enable students to reflect on the social and political contexts of the twentieth century and relate these to writing produced in the period.
To enable students to reflect critically on forms of experimental writing, their aesthetics and contexts.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Identify and assess critically the formal techniques used in narrative, film, and/or poetry throughout the twentieth century: 1
Identify and evaluate trends in fiction, film and poetry in the twentieth century: 1
Demonstrate close reading skills appropriate to the analysis of poetry, film and/or fiction: 1
Apply knowledge of historical contexts informing the period to understanding of literary texts: 1
Demonstrate research skills in secondary reading, textual research, and information gathering: 1

Study hours

Each week:
Two hour lecture/workshop.
One hour seminar.
Reading and secondary reading for class, each week:
7 hours (x12 = 84)
Essay preparation:
30 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment