Unit information: Contemporary Writing in 2015/16

Unit name	Contemporary Writing
Unit code	ENGL10016
Credit points	20
Level of study	C/4
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Josie Gill
Open unit status	Open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of English
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit aims to introduce students to the richness and range of literature written in English in the years since 1945. It will look at fiction, poetry, drama and other kinds of writing where relevant. Students will be encouraged to relate their own past and present reading to the texts selected for discussion.

Aims:

• to develop an appreciation of the variety of writing in English in the years since 1945

• to develop a sense of the general outlines of the literary history of writing in English in the years since 1945.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course students should:

1. be familiar with a variety of landmarks in post-1945 literature in English
2. have a sense of the generic and geographical variety of writing in English since 1945
3. have a knowledge of the generally accepted critical history of the period
4. have an understanding of some of the large literary and critical debates of the period, particularly those centred on postmodernism, postcolonialism, and feminism
5. have improved oral and written skills.

Teaching Information

1 x 1-hour lecture and 1 x 1.5 hour seminar per week.

Assessment Information

• 1 essay of 2,000 words (40%)

• 1 essay of 3,000 words (60%)

Both summative elements will assess ILOs 1-5.

Reading and References

Detailed reading lists will be provided by individual tutors prior to the start of teaching.