Unit information: Period Unit 2 (1550-1780) in 2022/23

Unit name	Period Unit 2 (1550-1780)
Unit code	ENGL20134
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Sue Edney
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	n/a
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	n/a
Units you may not take alongside this one	n/a
School/department	Department of English
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Unit Information

This unit will introduce students to the wealth of literature in English in the period running approximately from 1550 to 1780. There will be opportunities to consider the rise of the novel and developments in poetry; students will also be encouraged to study parallel developments in society and in enlightenment thought and, changing methods of literary production and consumption.

This unit aims to introduce you to a range of literature in the period running from the works of John Milton to Samuel Johnson. You will be introduced to a range of literary developments in this period, including the rise of the novel, and to relevant contexts that impact on particular texts and on literary production and reception more widely.

The unit aims to facilitate your ongoing appreciation of the chronology and historical development of literature in English.

Your learning on this unit

Overview of content

The unit aims to facilitate students' ongoing appreciation of the chronology and historical development of literature in English. Students will be introduced to a range of literary developments in the period under consideration, including 'pastoral', satire and the rise of the novel, and to relevant contexts that impact on particular texts and on literary production and reception more widely. 

The unit will typically include readings from:

• Spenser, Milton, Marlowe, and Shakespeare related to ‘pastoral’;
• Jonson, Marvell, Lanyer and Pope relating to pastoral critique and its use as satire;
• Dryden and Swift on the political/satirical contexts of literature;
• women writers of the period on pastoral, satire and the public role of women;
• Aphra Behn, Samuel Johnson and Frances Burney on the novel, including aspects of black history and depictions of racial diversity from the 17th to the late 18th century. 

We will consider a range of texts across this unit, such as: The Shepherd’s Calendar, Paradise Lost, As You Like It, Marvell’s ‘Mower’ poems, Aemilia Lanyer poems, Oroonoko, Dryden’s classical translations, Swift’s A Modest Proposal, Rasselas and Evelina.

All the texts are either in the Norton English Literature anthologies of the periods, or are available with support from the University library online. Students can find the secondary literature (listed in weekly briefings on Blackboard) online, through links provided by the tutors, or in the library catalogue. Students will also have the benefit of PowerPoint slides in the seminars and on Blackboard which will have further ‘trigger’ or ‘review’ information through quoted material and links.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. analyse a range of texts from the period and to place them in wider historical, sociological, and other contexts;
2. demonstrate understanding of the historical development of literature at this time;
3. place this period in the wider context of literature in English;
4. communicate their ideas about these issues effectively;
5. demonstrate skills in textual analysis, argumentation, and critical interpretation appropriate to level I/5.

How you will learn

The unit will delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous teaching over a period of 10 weeks, each of which will utilise a range of teaching methods including mini-lectures by the tutor(s), formal and informal presentations by students, small group discussion, guided activities and self-directed learning.

How you will be assessed

1 x 3000-word essay (60%) [ILOs 1-5]

1 x Presentation (40%) [ILOs 1-4]

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 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. ENGL20134).

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.