Unit information: Migrations of Culture in 2022/23

Unit name	Migrations of Culture
Unit code	MODL20024
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Kosick
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	School of Modern Languages
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Unit Information

This unit offers an in-depth look at the main critical approaches to the study of transnational cultures. Through discussion of a range of literary, audio-visual and digital texts, artefacts and processes, it will explore the main theoretical debates and methodologies in a number of fields, including postcolonial studies, translational studies, digital studies and migration studies. By exploring conceptual approaches to transnational cultures through analysis of case studies, the approach developed in the unit will balance ‘textual’ analysis with an understanding of the cultural dynamics of conflict, adaptation and exchange generated within the global legacy of colonialism and imperialism.

The unit will be divided into no more than five sections, each of which will explore a different set of debates and methods through the analysis of a specific case study. Section One, ‘Postcolonialism & Decoloniality,’ will discuss postcolonial understandings of transnational dynamics and debate their applicability to contexts beyond the Anglophone and Francophone worlds; Section Two, ‘Cultural/ Textual Translation,’ will explore how translation shapes encounters between languages and cultures; Section Three, ‘Migration & Memory,’ will focus on cultural studies approaches to the memory practices of migrant and diasporic communities; Section Four, ‘Digital Displacements,’ will discuss the role of race in digital cultures through an analysis of Africanfuturist aesthetics; Section Five, ‘Coloniality and the Environmental Humanities,’ will explore climate change as a legacy of colonialist and imperialist regimes.

Your learning on this unit

By the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Apply an advanced understanding of theoretical debates surrounding the study of transnational cultures and knowledge of the cultural contexts of the case studies discussed;
2. Respond critically and analytically to the issues/debates raised by the texts studied;
3. Demonstrate a firm grasp of theoretical and critical scholarship in the relevant fields of study;
4. Formulate independent judgements and engage with ideas at a high level of complexity, both orally and in writing;
5. Implement sophisticated visual and textual analytical skills and an ability to use a broad range of terminology correctly;
6. Develop their skills in presenting and explaining their thinking orally.

How you will learn

• One two-hour interactive lecture per week
• Single-honour students will have an additional fortnightly one-hour tutorial on material related to the unit, but not assessed
• One two-hour seminar per week, including presentations, class discussions and small group work

How you will be assessed

• 1 x summative group presentation (30%) [ILOs 1-6]
• 1 x 2500-word summative writing task (70%) [ILOs 1-5]

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. MODL20024).

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.