| Unit name | Literature 1900-present |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL20064 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Malay |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
This unit aims to introduce students to the breadth of British, Irish and Commonwealth writing of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It will encourage them to think about some of the major literary genres, movements and contexts of the age, including modernism, colonial and postcolonial writings, Absurdism, postmodernism, and beyond. The unit will also consider some of the most pressing intellectual, ideological and artistic debates of the long twentieth century through its literatures, discussing issues such as the impact of technological advances; nationhood and nationalism; exile and diaspora; war and conflict; nostalgia and Utopianism; the politics of racial, religious and gender identity; and the role of ‘culture’ and art in the public arena. Alternating between weeks centred on the study of core texts and weeks on these particular topics, genres, movements and contexts, the unit will encourage students to make connections across texts, and to use the core reading as a starting point for further exploration, both in their work for this unit and on the Later Literature options at H/6
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Core units provide an accessible and stimulating introduction to university-level English. You will gain knowledge and insight of literary forms, from poetry and prose to critical essays and drama. You will practice essential academic skills in close analysis and argument, encounter key critical concepts, and develop your confidence as a researcher. Core units will further enable you to understand and appreciate the importance of historical contexts from the medieval period to the present day, and the development of literary studies as a discipline.
Overview of Content
This unit engages with a range of different writers, genres, historical and cultural contexts, and themes between 1900 to the present. It begins with key texts from ‘high modernism’, including work by T. S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf, before considering the work of late modernists such as Elizabeth Bowen and Samuel Beckett and then concluding with contemporary poetry and fiction.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
On completion of this unit students will be able to demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of the diverse, lively and challenging literary history of this period. They will also be able to articulate how these texts engaged with, intervened in, and contested contemporary political, social and cultural discourses, by approaching them through a range of appropriate theoretical and critical frameworks.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
The unit is taught by seminars and a lecture programme. Teaching includes group discussion, research and writing activities, and peer dialogue. Students are expected to attend all timetabled teaching, engage with the reading, and participate fully with the weekly tasks and topics. Learning will be further supported through the opportunity for individual consultation.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
1,000 word essay (40%) [ILOs 1-4].
2,000 word essay (60%) [ILOs 1-4].
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ENGL20064).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
