| Unit name | Cultural Encounters |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODLM0002 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Clare Siviter |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
MODLM0022 Institutions of Culture |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Building on the TB1 unit 'Institutions of Culture', this unit allows students to explore the notion of the ‘encounter’ as a dominant force in contemporary experiences and understandings of culture. Students will explore the ways in which cultures interact and are in dialogue with each other, by examining practices such as translation, adaptation, imitation and reception within and across borders. Encounters happen through displacement and mobility (e.g. travel and exile, in addition to the circulation of ideas and works), but also occur within cultures (e.g. between the rural and the industrial, and between high and low cultures). The encounter is characteristic of a globalised, transnational world; as such, students will be introduced to contemporary cultural theories such as post-modernism, post-colonialism and globalisation. Yet they will also use the knowledge gained from 'Institutions of Culture' to reflect on the historical precedents for these cultural practices, such as the movement of ideas across borders in the Romantic period. By fracturing the cultural ‘canon’ in this way, students will be introduced to some of the cutting-edge debates in academic discourse, such as those on world literature and transnational cinema.
Students will:
a) develop an understanding of how cultures interact, either between or within cultures, or across time periods.
b) be able to evaluate the impact of encounters between national cultures and time periods on the development of culture and literature.
c) be able to assess and challenge the theoretical frameworks applied to cultural criticism, and engage in debates about the nature of culture and literature in national, transnational and global contexts.
d) be able to respond to questions or problems by presenting their independent judgements in an appropriate style and at a high level of complexity.
e) be adept at applying this knowledge to the discussion of texts and building extended arguments and comparative analyses, both in seminar discussions and their writing.
Teaching will be delivered in the form of seminars, lectures, and collaborative as well as self-directed learning opportunities supported by tutor consultation.
1 x Group Presentation (30%) and 1 x 3000-word essay (70%); both assessments cover all ILOs.
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. MODLM0002).
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 Faculty 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. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
