| Unit name | Contemporary Literature |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGLM0038 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Theo Savvas |
| 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?
As an MA option, this unit reflects the research expertise and enthusiasms of the team who will be teaching it, and offers students the chance to work directly with staff who have strong connections to the subject field. You will have the opportunity to engage in greater depth with a specialised theme or topic, pursue advanced discussions, and develop your own arguments and contributions. You can take this unit as either a Pathway Unit or an Optional Unit and it can either build directly on work introduced at an earlier stage of study, or allow you to branch out in a different direction. It may reflect some of your longstanding interests, or expose you to new and unexpected ideas. In all cases, MA Pathway and Optional units encourage students to think reflectively, creatively, and with increased independence about their identities and interests as scholars.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit is part of a range of specialised Pathway and Optional MA units that are offered to students on taught postgraduate programmes. It is standard practice for MA students studying full-time to take 1 Pathway / Optional unit in TB1 and 2-3 Pathway / Optional units in TB2. Part-time students in their first year normally take no Pathway / Optional units in TB1 and 1 Pathway / Optional unit in TB2; in their second year they normally take one Pathway / Optional unit in TB1 and 2 Pathway / Optional units in TB2. Optional units are available on a variety of taught postgraduate programmes (including MA in English Literature, MA in Comparative Literatures and Cultures). The portfolio of units available will change from year to year based on staff availability, but it will consistently represent a full range of research strengths across the English department, as well as demonstrating our commitment to supporting choice and providing increased optionality as students progress through their programme.
An overview of content:
Literature today is marked by its diversity. Globalisation, technology, terrorism, and ecological awareness have all shaped how writers are representing the world. At the same time, literature as a discipline has been reshaped by the emergence of new critical approaches, such as postcolonialism and postmodernism, and new theories of sexuality and gender, and race and ethnicity. In this unit we will consider a selection of primary texts written in English after 1970, and including prose and poetry, which address such issues. We will study a range of writers which may include B.S. Johnson, Gerald Murnane, Raven Leilani, Teju Cole, and Seamus Heaney.
How will you be different:
The unit aims to: develop students’ awareness of the variety of contemporary literature; introduce relevant literary models and themes; contextualise this writing in relation to postmodernism, postcolonialism, and new theories of sexuality and gender, and race and ethnicity; enable students to discuss and write about contemporary literature at a mature level; develop their skills through independent reading, research and writing.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities. These can include seminars, lectures, class discussion, optional formative tasks, small group work, and self-directed exercises. The combination of these different learning activities will help students build confidence and practical skills when addressing key research problems associated with textual scholarship.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
4,000 word essay (100%) [ILOs 1-5]
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 form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic 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. ENGLM0038).
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.
