Run by School of Arts, Culture and Language

20.000 Credits or 10.000 ECTS Credits

Semester 2

Organiser: Prof Andrew Hiscock

1. This module is designed to respond to the popularity of cross-chronological, cross-generic modules (such as Literatures of Troy), and to complement the existing opportunities in the School of English to explore comparative literary studies and to build upon knowledge bases gained at level 2.
2. This module will offer students a wider understanding of the composition, production and consumption of texts in very different social contexts.
3. This module will pay particular attention to the development of critical concepts of genre and will allow the student to reflect upon the undertakings of epic poetry, tragedy, the novel, narrative poetry and science fiction.
4. This module is designed to enable students to develop a critical vocabulary and informed literary opinion about canonical and non-canonical texts.

This module will take as its focus the textual response to inherited mythic structures: how myth may be perceived in theoretical terms as a proairetic discourse; how it establishes affinities with certain genres (e.g. epic, tragedy, romance); and how in more contemporary cultural debates it has been problematised by expectations of falsehood. The seminar programme will changes from year to year but typically the modules ranges from Ancient Greek representations of myth (e.g. Medea, Homer, Plato) to medieval accounts in dramatic and/or prose narrative (e.g. Thomas Beckett) and to varying accounts of saints’ lives. In the early modern period attention may be devoted to the changing importance of ancient mythologies in literary narrative (e.g. Neoplatonism, chivalric romance). In the more contemporary periods, options also change from year to year, but may include explorations of such pervasive constructs as the Founding of Empire (Kipling, Lessing), The American Dream (Capote, Fitzgerald, Highsmith), Orientalism and the Other (Henry James, Du Maurier, Highsmith), and The War on Terror (Buchan, Fleming, and Porter’s Empire State), for example.

threshold

Typically, work graded D- to D+ (or 40 to 49) will show many of the following qualities: • Unsure and lacking in confidence when discussing ideas • Referring to the subject in question in a superficial manner • Making an effort to provide fairly balanced answers • Some points in the argument irrelevant to the topic • Little evidence of background reading • Some uncertainty over language and syntax • Strengths and weaknesses fairly balanced; occasionally clumsy and unimaginative • In creative work: superficial • Not succeeding in mastering the requirements of the medium

good

Typically, work graded B- to B+ (or 60 to 69) will show many of the following qualities: • Discusses ideas adeptly • Most of the arguments about a specific field are well-aired • Displays knowledge of the subject in question; the answer is relevant • Shows analytical and clear thought • Gives evidence of relevant reading • Shows accuracy in expression with mastery over language. • A few minor errors here and there. • Signs of creative thought deserve a higher position within the class • In creative work: shows signs of originality, having understood the requirements of the medium • Plans of well-balanced and full answers, despite some gaps

excellent

Typically, work graded A- to A** (or 70 to 100) will show many of the following qualities: • Discusses ideas with confidence and precision • Demonstrates maturity and sophistication • Displays deep knowledge of the subject in question; the answer is totally relevant • Shows independent, analytical and clear thought • Gives evidence of substantial and relevant reading • Shows great accuracy in expression, displaying total mastery over all aspects of the language • Shows occasional signs of brilliance and originality of thought • In creative work: displays considerable originality • Command over medium; may have potential for publication/production

1. enhanced understanding of the diversity of literature produced from antiquity to the twenty-first century.

2. enhanced appreciation of the diversity of material cultures in evidence across the course of Western literature.

3. enhanced research skills with reference to textual analysis.

4. enhanced skills to exploit library collection, most particularly with reference to the classical collection and pre-modern collections in Modern languages.

5. enhanced experience of textual interpretative strategies

Type	Name	Description	Weight
ESSAY	Essay I	2,000-word essay	45.00
ESSAY	Essay II	2,000-word essay	45.00
INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION	Presentation	10-minute powerpoint presentation with audio commentary to be submitted in Turnitin.	10.00

		Hours
Seminar	One two-hour seminar per week for 11 weeks One one-hour study group per week for 11 weeks	22
Study group	Students are encouraged to form together into small groups to perform seminar preparation and to establish areas of agreed understanding and to identify ongoing queries	11
Private study	Students are expected to prepare set texts and relevant critical reading thoroughly for seminar discussion each week.	167

• Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
• Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
• Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
• Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
• Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
• Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
• Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.
• Teamwork - Able to constructively cooperate with others on a common task, and/or be part of a day-to-day working team
• Management - Able to utilise, coordinate and control resources (human, physical and/or financial)
• Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting
• Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others
• Leadership - Able to lead and manage, develop action plans and objectives, offer guidance and direction to others, and cope with the related pressures such authority can result in

Compulsory in courses:

• 3Q5Q: BA Cymraeg and English Literature year 3 (BA/CEL)
• Q310: BA Eng Lit with Eng Lang year 3 (BA/ELEL)
• 3QV1: BA History and English Literature year 3 (BA/ELH)
• 09V3: BA English Literature and Italian year 4 (BA/ELI)
• 3YT5: BA English Literature and Spanish year 4 (BA/ELIS)
• 065C: BA English Literature with Journalism year 3 (BA/ELJ)
• 1Q3Q: BA Linguistics and English Literature year 3 (BA/ELL)
• QQC3: BA English Lang and Lit year 3 (BA/ELLIT)
• QQCF: BA English Language & English Lit [with Foundation Year] year 3 (BA/ELLITF)
• 32N6: BA English Literature and Music year 3 (BA/ELM)
• 32N7: BA English Literature & Music with International Experience year 3 (BA/ELMIE)
• 32M8: BA English Literature with Theatre and Performance year 3 (BA/ELTP)
• M3Q9: BA English Literature and Criminology and Criminal Justice year 3 (BA/ENC)
• 2P17: BA English Literature and Creative Writing year 3 (BA/ENCW)
• 2P1P: BA English Literature and Creative Writing with Place Yr year 3 (BA/ENCWP)
• 8H25: BA English Literature year 3 (BA/ENGL)
• 8H2P: BA English Literature with Placement Year year 3 (BA/ENGLP)
• 8H26: BA English Literature (with International Experience) year 4 (BA/ENIE)
• 06CD: BA French and English Literature year 4 (BA/FEL)
• 3P3Q: BA Film Studies and English Literature year 3 (BA/FSEL)
• 3N7S: BA German and English Literature year 4 (BA/GEL)
• T124: BA English Literature & Chinese year 4 (BA/LITCH)
• 3HPQ: BA Media Studies and English Literature year 3 (BA/MEN)
• 3VQV: BA Philosophy and Religion and English Literature year 3 (BA/PREN)
• 3L3Q: BA Sociology and English Literature year 3 (BA/SEL)

Optional in courses:

• W890: BA Creative&Professional Writing year 3 (BA/CPW)
• W89P: BA Creative and Professional Writing with Placement Year year 4 (BA/CPWP)
• W899: BA Creative & Professional Writing with International Exp year 4 (BA/CRIE)
• 2P78: BA English Lit with Creative Writing with International Exp year 4 (BA/ECI)
• Q3Q2: BA English Language w English Lit year 3 (BA/ENGEL)
• 2D13: BA English Literature with Creative Writing year 3 (BA/ENGLC)
• R101: BA French year 4 (BA/F4)
• R1N2: BA French with Business Management year 4 (BA/FBM)
• R1NC: BA French with Business Studies year 4 (BA/FBS)
• R1R3: BA French with Italian year 4 (BA/FI4)
• R102: BA French with International Experience year 3 (BA/FIE)
• R181: BA French with Psychology (with International Experience) year 4 (BA/FPIE)
• R1C8: BA French with Psychology year 4 (BA/FPSY)
• T108: BA French with Chinese year 4 (BA/FRCH)
• R1W8: BA French with Creative Writing year 4 (BA/FRCW)
• R1P5: BA French with Journalism year 4 (BA/FRJO)
• R1N1: BA French with Marketing year 4 (BA/FRMKT)
• R1P3: BA French with Media Studies year 3 (BA/FRMS)
• R1R2: BA French with German year 4 (BA/FRWGER)
• R1R4: BA French with Spanish year 4 (BA/FS4)
• R1R5: BA French with Spanish (with International Experience) year 5 (BA/FSPIE)
• Q1Q3: BA Ling with Eng Lit year 3 (BA/LEL)
• M115: LLB Law with English Literature (International Experience) year 3 (LLB/ILEL)
• Q2W9: MArts English Literature with Creative Writing year 3 (MARTS/ELCW)
• Q321: MArts English Literature with International Experience year 3 (MARTS/ELIE)
• Q320: MArts English Literature year 3 (MARTS/ELIT)