| Unit name | American Literature: 1945 to Present |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL29007 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Cheeke |
| 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 |
N/A |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit will focus upon American writing from 1945 to the present, including novels, short stories, poetry, essays and journalism. The weekly seminar will be based around a particular author or text(s), sometimes a specific subject. The aim of the course is to introduce students to a wide range of post-war American writing and to explore the connections between this work and the extraordinary events and developments in American history and culture from 1945 to the present. Authors to be studied may include: Don DeLillo, Thomas Pynchon, Saul Bellow, Philip Roth, Richard Ford, Vladimir Nabokov, Truman Capote, Flannery O’Conner, John Barth, Cormac McCarthy, Mary McCarthy, Raymond Carver, John Cheever, E.L.Doctorow, John Updike, David Foster Wallace, Richard Yates, Robert Lowell, Elizabeth Bishop, Randall Jarrell, James Merrill, the ‘New York Poets’.
The unit aims to introduce students to a wide range of post-war American novelists and poets, and to guide them through the exploration of the connections between this work and American history and culture from 1945 to the present.
Students will be given the opportunity to submit a draft or outline of their final, summative essay of up to 1,500 words and to receive feedback on this.
On successful completion of this unit students will have
(1) enhanced their knowledge and critical understanding of a range of post-war American writers;
(2) examined the complex ways in which the literature of this period interacts with the history, and engages with the culture, of the United States;
(3) acquired an understanding of major critical approaches to analysing such writings;
(4) demonstrated their ability to analyse and comment on both primary texts and secondary sources;
(5) strengthened their skills in academic writing, argumentation, and evaluation of evidence from primary texts and critical literature.
Teaching will involve asynchronous and synchronous elements, including group discussion, research and writing activities, and peer dialogue. Students are expected to engage with the reading and participate fully with the weekly tasks and topics. Learning will be further supported through the opportunity for individual consultation.
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. ENGL29007).
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.
