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Unit information: Modernism, Experimentation and Form in 2023/24

Unit name Modernism, Experimentation and Form
Unit code ENGLM0039
Credit points 20
Level of study M/7
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director Dr. Ferris
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

Unit Information

The unit introduces students to the formal and thematic innovations of Modernist writing. It addresses the structural and generic questions raised by early and high Modernist texts, as well as attending to the social, political and cultural contexts of the period, including scientific and medical discoveries; new technologies such as transport, telephony and film; the rise of psychoanalysis; feminism, sexual liberation and women in the workplace; the First World War, shell shock and language pathology; narrative, causality and chance-occurrence; animality, post-humanism, and Modernism’s evolved notion of the self.

The unit aims to develop students’ awareness of one of the most formally innovative periods in literary history; analyse its questioning of generic conventions and motifs; enable students to discuss and, at a mature level, write about literary works of the period and to encourage and develop existing skills through independent reading, research and writing.

Your learning on this unit

1. A broadened experience of the range and variety of Modernist writing.

2. Improved independent critical thinking about literature of the period.

3. A maturing ability to apply critical, social and cultural contexts to the discussion of early-twentieth-century English literature.

4. Developing an appropriate style of critical writing for the discussion and analysis of literary works.

5. Improving existing skills through independent reading, research and writing on defined texts and topics.

6. Present findings in a coherent and communicable form orally.

How you will learn

Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities. These can include seminars, lectures, class discussions, formative tasks, small group work, and self-directed exercises.

How you will be assessed

Tasks which do not count towards your unit mark but are required for credit (zero-weighted)

1,000 word presentation (0%, required for credit) [ILO 6]

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 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.

Resources

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. ENGLM0039).

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.

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