| Unit name | Chaucer and Chaucerians |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL20061 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Baden-Daintree |
| 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 provides the opportunity to explore the work of a single author, the medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer, together with a selection of writers whose works operate in dialogue with Chaucer’s example. This involves a detailed study of Middle English texts (supported by modern translations, where necessary), alongside an engagement with the processes of reception, including editing and publication, adaptation and translation. Students will gain an overview of the Canterbury Tales, as well as other Chaucerian works such as dream visions, lyrics, and Troilus and Criseyde. The main focus will be on Chaucer, but students will also study the work of various writers whose work bears his influence, such as James I, Robert Henryson and William Shakespeare, together with contemporary poets, playwrights, artists and filmmakers, such as Lavinia Greenlaw, Zadie Smith and Patience Agbabi.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Exploration units offer thought-provoking and engaging investigations into key topics, including period-focused, thematic, and trans-historical options. You will hone your abilities as a researcher able to navigate skilfully a range of databases and archives, as well as engaging effectively with more advanced critical and theoretical perspectives. Exploration units ask you to both rethink the familiar and meet the unexpected, and encourage you to develop depth as well as breadth of critical understanding.
Overview of Content
This unit engages in depth with the work of a single medieval author, Geoffrey Chaucer, and the influence and reception of his works from the Middle Ages to the present day. Focusing on close reading of the Middle English texts, it will provide students with an overview of the range of Chaucer’s work, its manuscript and publication contexts as well as an introduction to the processes of literary reception. Students will be encouraged to explore the connections between Chaucer’s writing and works in a range of media, from literary translations and continuations to television, visual art and theatre.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
On completion of the unit students will have had the opportunity to engage in depth with the work of a single author and their literary and cultural influence over time, gain an increased understanding of medieval literature in its wider context, and refine their understanding of literary reception in ways that not only connect to the content of this unit, but will be a meaningful consolidation and extension of the Y1 medieval unit, as well as a possible starting point for dissertation research.
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):
Group project (30%) [ILOs 1-4].
2,500 word essay (70%) [ILOs 1-3].
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. ENGL20061).
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.
