English and American Literatures
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Last Updated 20 January 2012

Principal Course Timetable Blocks 1


English and American Literatures Single Honours - Level 1 Modules

Semester 1 C/O TYP ECTSCATS
AMS-10022 A Beginner's Guide to Contemporary America EP C 7.5 15
What is the United States really like? American's like to think of their country as exceptional. How might the U.S. be considered exceptional, and does it live up to that reputation? This course will explore American Society and the many complex aspects of the country and culture that make it distinctive. You will consider and critique its founding as a country based, not upon history or a homogeneous population, but upon the political principles of freedom and democracy. You will also examine its history as a nation of immigrants, as depicted by the words on the base of the Statue of Liberty. Race, religion, class, politics: all of these aspects of society appear to clearly set the U.S. apart from Europe, but how and to what extent? The social and historical differences have also led to a very distinctive culture, which we will examine from the standpoint of music and sport. How did that culture arise and what is its future in a globalised world? We will explore this influential culture and nation from the perspective of historical documents, written texts, audio, and video to give a full flavour of this nation and its culture.
AMS-10025 Starting Out: An Introduction to American Literature C C 7.5 15
`Starting Out' introduces students to a number of important nineteenth- and twentieth-century literary texts, to major themes in American literature (the Gothic, the city, commodity culture, the `American Adam', constructions of gender, class and race) and to relevant historical contexts (the Revolution, slavery and the Civil War, the Great Depression, Vietnam). The module is designed to introduce students to the standards and conventions of university-level work and to develop appropriate writing and research skills. Works studied include: `The Fall of the House of Usher', the slave narrative, `The Yellow Wallpaper' and `The Great Gatsby'.
ENG-10022 Poetry through practice EP C 7.5 15
By writing poetry we can become better readers of poetry; and by reading poetry we can become better writers. This module is designed to establish a bridge between the composition and criticism of poetry by introducing students to different literary modes through practice. Taking in a broad selection of poetry from the seventeenth century to the present day, the module will look at major poetic modes (for example the love lyric and the elegy), explore how different poets employed these modes and encourage students to employ them in their own writing. The course will be taught by a combination of tutorials and workshops in which students will discuss selections of poetry and compose work of their own.
ENG-10024 Reading Film EP C 7.5 15
Of all forms of communication, film often seems the most obvious, pleasurable and self-explanatory. With an emphasis on variety of film practice, this module aims to introduce students to the essential elements of film narrative and engage them in thinking critically about the choices made by film-makers in constructing the look and sound of their films. We will be asking, therefore, how meaning is created in the cinema, as well as what ideas and arguments such meanings may generate among critically aware spectators of it. In doing so we will be exploring the richness and complexity of cinema's potential to communicate with its spectators through a carefully selected variety of films. Represented amongst these will not only be the classic Hollywood model with which we are all most familiar, but also films from other national and artistic traditions. These will be examined in the context of both fortnightly lecture/workshops and weekly small group classes.
ENG-10026 Reading Literature C M 7.5 15
How is University English different from 'A' level? What sorts of ideas and facts are important for studying literature? What makes literature distinctive and exciting? This core introductory module aims to answer these questions and thereby enable students to manage the transition from 'A' level or equivalent to self-study, group work, and formal assessment at university level. The central focus of the module is poetry and drama, from William Shakespeare to Tony Harrison. As well as reading these primary works, students will also be introduced to some key ideas and terms in literary criticism, as well as to all the research resources available to them at Keele. It is a module designed to develop and strengthen your pleasure, knowledge and confidence as a reader of literature.
ENG-10028 Telling Tales: An Introduction to Narrative Fiction EP C 7.5 15
Narrative fiction has always been central to our understanding of ourselves and the way we engage with others. The novel in particular has developed over the last four centuries in a number of ways: from producing a critical commentary on the social and political climate of a period, to providing access to the innermost thoughts of an individual. This module will introduce students to the critical study and evaluation of narrative fiction. It will cover a range of authors from different periods and focus on the historical development of fiction from the 'birth' of the novel in the early eighteenth century to the present. It will also identify the formal and aesthetic characteristics of a number of narrative modes such as realism, modernism and postmodernism. Writers covered on the module might include Daniel Defoe, Elizabeth Gaskell, Virginia Woolf and Michael Cunningham. There will also be a range of extracts from relevant literary and narrative theory.
Semester 2 C/O TYP ECTSCATS
AMS-10023 The Unreliable Truth: Studies in Twentieth-Century English and American Literatures EA C 7.5 15
"The Unreliable Truth" looks at the ways twentieth-century British and American writers - including Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, Kurt Vonnegut and Maxine Hong Kingston - experiment with different types of narration to challenge the idea of reliablility in storytelling. Various techniques are studied, including first-person narration, stream of consciousness and metafictional strategies, and throughout the module students are encouraged to compare and contrast texts through open discussion and close textual reading, as well as looking at the historical and cultural contexts in which the texts were written in order to speculate on why different techniques were adopted. This module is intended to build on level 1 literature modules taken in the first semester, and makes a natural pair with AMS-10027 Transatlantic Gothic: Studies in 19thC English and American Literatures.
AMS-10024 New York, New York: An Introduction to American Culture EP M 7.5 15
New York City holds a special place in the popular imagination. Immortalised in cinema, literature, visual art and song, it continues to symbolise much that is iconic about the United States, but also to maintain a unique identity as somewhere diverse, inclusive, democratic and edgy. This module offers Level I students a chance to explore and discuss the icons, the myths and the realities of this infamous urban space, and at the same time, through a range of texts which includes literature, film, visual art and journalism, demonstrate the unique cross-disciplinary approach of American Studies as a degree programme.
AMS-10026 The American Past: Explorations in U.S. History EP C 7.5 15
The American Past module is designed to equip students with a basic grounding in U.S. history from the colonial period to the present day. It stresses the multifaceted character of American development, interweaving such issues as nationalism, race, gender, and class in a broad narrative and thematic synthesis. Students will be particularly encouraged to develop specific insights into the American historical experience through investigation of documentary evidence which will provide the the basis for seminar discussion.
AMS-10027 Transatlantic Gothic: Studies in Nineteenth-Century English and American Literature C M 7.5 15
`Transatlantic Gothic' is an exciting and innovative course which introduces students to one of the most important of nineteenth-century literary genres, both in England and the United States. Students study the prominent texts of this period both individually and comparatively, and are given training in key critical and theoretical concepts (for example, psychoanalytical, deconstructionist and Marxist approaches to Gothic literature). The module is designed to develop intermediate writing and research skills; a formative assessment and individual feedback is also provided. Authors studied may include: Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Brockden Brown and Henry James. The course combines a variety of traditional learning activities (lectures and seminars) with small group work carried out in workshops. A balance of shorter and longer reading assignments makes the workload manageable.
ENG-10023 Fiction Through Practice EP C 7.5 15
This module is designed to establish a bridge between the composition and criticism of prose fiction by introducing students to different literary modes through practice. Reading a wide selection of twentieth-century short stories, the module will look at the major elements of prose fiction (for example voice, narrative structure, evocation of character and place), explore how different writers approach these elements and encourage students to develop them in their own writing. The course will be taught in small group classes, in which students will read and discuss selected short stories and compose work of their own.
ENG-10025 Approaches to Film EP C 7.5 15
Who is the author of a film? How do we categorize and make sense of films in relation to each other? How is the meaning of a film shaped by the historical period or national culture that produced it? What sorts of ideas and ideologies about gender and race do films include or exclude? This module provides an introduction to all these questions addressed within film theory. Like any other discipline of enquiry, Film Studies has generated a set of debates about value and meaning that revolve around some key questions, concepts and terms. Through a series of fortnightly two hour workshop lectures and weekly small group classes, this module will examine the development of critical thinking on the cinema and will invite students to debate, question and apply ideas on: film authorship; film genre; history; film politics. Each of these critical areas will be investigated with reference to an exciting range of films, chosen for the way they have shaped film history and challenged cinema's potential as a form of art and entertainment. Indicative study texts may include: 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' (Dir. Sharman, 1975), 'Modern Times' (Dir. Chaplin, 1936) and 'Breathless' (Dir. Godard, 1960).
ENG-10027 Becoming a Critic C C 7.5 15
What kinds of social and historical contexts do we need to understand narratives from different cultures and historical periods? What are the distinctive features of literary narrative? How is it different from film? This module addresses each of these questions while also encouraging students to think seriously about the pleasures and challenges of a form of communication that surrounds us every day. As a core module for English students it is also designed to help students manage the transition from 'A' level or equivalent to self-study, group work, and formal assessment at university level. The set texts for the module will include examples of postcolonial literature and will range from the 18th century to the present day. Students will look at a selection of novels, films and short stories and will be introduced to a number of key concepts (including postcolonialism and postmodernism) in literary and film criticism.
ENG-10029 Playing Parts: Studying Drama and Poetry EP M 7.5 15
How do authors create and manipulate different voices within their texts? How autobiographical is literary writing? What influence might the reader or audience have on dramatic and poetic texts? What new meanings can a text take on in performance? 'Playing Parts' aims to introduce students to the critical study and evaluation of drama and poetry through close attention to issues of performance, voice and style. Focusing on the development of different styles of poetry and drama between the seventeenth century and the present day, it will encourage a reading of literary texts with respect to the historical, formal, and cultural contexts informing them. Texts will be selected and arranged according to a unifying theme, such as: courtship and marriage; travel, colonialism and postcolonialism; life and death; the country and the city. Writers studied may include: Caryl Churchill, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Donne, Carol Ann Duffy, T. S. Eliot, Alexander Pope, Oscar Wilde and William Wycherley.

English and American Literatures Single Honours - Level 2 Modules

Semester 1 C/O TYP ECTSCATS
# AMS-20056 Burning Crosses: Religion and American Culture EP M 7.5 15
This module offers a broadly chronological look at religion&©s importance in American cultural movements. It aims to raise students&© awareness of the complex interactions between religious faith and cultural production through readings of a wide variety of stimulating and challenging texts, from literature, cinema and visual art. These diverse texts, which deal with equally diverse belief systems, show how in both celebration of and violent reaction to organised religion, culture is inextricably bound up with belief. One of the questions the module will address is: in an era when the death of religion has been widely cited, how does one account for the apparent resurgence and centrality of religious belief in American life?
AMS-20060 Hooray for Hollywood? Approaches to American Film EP M 7.5 15
What kind of world has Hollywood shown, how has the industry changed over time, and in what ways have its films been studied? These are the main questions addressed in a module that looks at American popular film, concentrating on the transition from the so-called &«classic Hollywood cinema&ª (from the 1920s to the 1940s) to a &«New&ª Hollywood consolidating itself in the 1960s and 1970s, and onwards to the end of the 20th century. Starting with the close analysis of films, we will examine developments in film form and content, and questions of gender, genre, and race in relation to the changing social contexts of film production and reception. We will consider changes in the organisation of the film industry, its target audiences, its technological innovations and commercial complicity. Last but not least, we will explore the changing role that cinema-going has played in people&©s lives. Although it does not presume previous experience of film studies, this module is intended for students committed to the study of film and/or to the study of modern America.
AMS-20064 The Romance of Fiction: History and Society in Nineteenth Century American Literature C M 7.5 15
This module analyses the major form of the American novel in the Nineteenth Century, defined as 'Romance' to distinguish it from the European novel which expresses itself predominantly in realistic form. Congruent with political and social ambitions for democracy, the 'Romance' suggests liberations of various kinds, principally a freedom from the constraints of too close an allegiance with the visible world, and as an alternative, proposes an arena of imaginative free-play which questions the seeming givens of that visibility. Here, the form is strongly bound up with providing alternative views and understandings of history.
AMS-20068 EALS - Study Abroad l EP C 7.5 15
This is a module that is automatically allocated to the records our Keele level II students who are going to Study Abroad at a partner University for a semester of their second year and cannot be selected by any other level II students.
AMS-20069 EALS - Study Abroad ll EP C 7.5 15
This is a module that is automatically allocated to the records our Keele level II students who are going to Study Abroad at a partner University for a semester of their second year and cannot be selected by any other level II students.
ENG-20001 English and American Literatures - Study Abroad I EP C 7.5 15
This is a module that is automatically allocated to the records our Keele level II students who are going to Study Abroad at a partner University for a semester of their second year and cannot be selected by any other level II students.
ENG-20002 English and American Literatures - Study Abroad II EP C 7.5 15
This is a module that is automatically allocated to the records our Keele level II students who are going to Study Abroad at a partner University for a semester of their second year and cannot be selected by any other level II students.
ENG-20033 Romanticisms O C 7.5 15
The period 1780-1830 was a time of startling cultural and historical activity. There was a revolution in France, the slave trade was abolished, the fight for women's rights got underway and the industrial revolution gained momentum. The writers of this period provided a prototype for modern celebrity culture and shaped the way we understand and appreciate literature today. This module studies the poetry, prose and drama of what we now call the Romantic period. It will consider key issues such as the the constructions of the $ùRomantic Imagination&©, questions of national identity, Romantic ecology and the rise of the Gothic novel. Module suitable for: English students, EALs students, students who have passed an English elective in year 1, students with English A-Level or equivalent.
ENG-20033 Romanticisms EP C 7.5 15
The period 1780-1830 was a time of startling cultural and historical activity. There was a revolution in France, the slave trade was abolished, the fight for women's rights got underway and the industrial revolution gained momentum. The writers of this period provided a prototype for modern celebrity culture and shaped the way we understand and appreciate literature today. This module studies the poetry, prose and drama of what we now call the Romantic period. It will consider key issues such as the the constructions of the $ùRomantic Imagination&©, questions of national identity, Romantic ecology and the rise of the Gothic novel. Module suitable for: English students, EALs students, students who have passed an English elective in year 1, students with English A-Level or equivalent.
ENG-20036 Twentieth Century Novels into Films EP C 7.5 15
Film has always had a close relationship to the novel through both literary adaptation and novelists who have also been screenplay writers. It has, nonetheless, frequently been framed as the poor relation of the two in terms of cultural value. By examining the distinctiveness and complexity of film language and the relative parameters of literary and film modes of narration, this module will examine some of the key but distinctive questions that need to be addressed when thinking about how film and literature make meaning. The module is specifically focused on the construction of history within narrative and will investigate how the categories of personal and collective memory, political conflict, change, national identity and gender are articulated in three novels and their film adaptations.
ENG-20040 The Age of Shakespeare and Donne O M 7.5 15
1603 to 1633, the period of Shakespeare's mature works, Jonson's comedies, and some of the greatest writers of lyric poetry in the language - Donne, Herbert, and the recently uncovered work of Mary Wroth and Ann Southwell. We will study Shakespeare's sonnets, Measure for Measure and King Lear; Jonson's The Alchemist and Bartholomew Fair; the selected poetry and prose of John Donne, and the poetry of Herbert Wroth and Southwell. There are a number of themes that link these works, including justice, desire, constancy, truthfulness and devotion. We will also pay attention to the historical and ideological contexts, but most importantly share the exhilaration of unpacking these supreme examples of literature.
ENG-20040 The Age of Shakespeare and Donne EP M 7.5 15
1603 to 1633, the period of Shakespeare's mature works, Jonson's comedies, and some of the greatest writers of lyric poetry in the language - Donne, Herbert, and the recently uncovered work of Mary Wroth and Ann Southwell. We will study Shakespeare's sonnets, Measure for Measure and King Lear; Jonson's The Alchemist and Bartholomew Fair; the selected poetry and prose of John Donne, and the poetry of Herbert Wroth and Southwell. There are a number of themes that link these works, including justice, desire, constancy, truthfulness and devotion. We will also pay attention to the historical and ideological contexts, but most importantly share the exhilaration of unpacking these supreme examples of literature.
ENG-20041 Aspects of the Novel 1740-1930 EP C 7.5 15
'Aspects of the Novel 1740-1930' is particularly appropriate for those students taking English or English and American Literatures, but can be taken by all students who have an interest in and enjoy reading novels. Students who enjoyed Telling Tales at Level 1 will find this module builds on their existing knowledge and takes them further in the study of the novel. Students who did not take Telling Tales are very welcome, but might need to spend a little more time preparing (i.e. reading the novels) before the module starts, to leave time to absorb some of the critical concepts the module discusses. The module looks at a key period in the development of the English novel, between 1740 and 1930. Five novels have been chosen- Samuel Richardon's Pamela (Vol 1), Maria Edgeworth's Castle Rackrent, Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now, Arnold Bennett's Anna of the Five Towns, and Dorothy Richardson's Pilgrimage (Vol. 2). Each novel is exemplary of a certain moment in the novel's development as a genre. In order to analyse these developments, the module introduces some of the key theories of the novel as presented by historical, Marxist, feminist, formalist, and poststructuralist criticism. Theories of the novel will be introduced in the form of exemplary essays, which will be made available on WebCT, and then contextualised and explained in dedicated lectures which use the set novels as examples. The module is taught through one lecture and one tutorial per week. It is assessed by one short essay (1500 words, 20% of the overall assessment) and one longer essay (2500 words, 80% of the overall assessment).
MUS-20043 Lyrics and the Popular Song EP C 7.5 15
What makes a great lyric? Why are song lyrics sung? And why are those sung song lyrics accompanied? What, and how, do popular songs mean? Is pop and rock disposable, meaningless commercial art, or a site of profundity, self-discovery and meaningful explorations of socio-cultural issues and the human condition? On this innovative and highly interactive interdisciplinary module fusing creative and critical approaches, you will learn to create, critique, analyse, edit and sing lyrics, in order more fully to comprehend the powerful fusion of words and music at the centre of pop and rock's socio-cultural and artistic meanings, and to develop your own creative voice and abilities as either a writer or a musician. Led by song writer, pop star and novelist Joe Stretch (English) and erstwhile songwriter, never a pop star and musicologist Nick Reyland (Music), the module will proceed through two phases, critical and creative, all sessions having a high level of student participation. In the first phase, lectures, seminars and tutorials will explore core critical issues in the analysis of popular songs lyrics, how they are sung and their interaction with a musical environment; creative considerations including specificity vs opacity, use of names, sexuality and place will be explored. A critical essay will be submitted at the end of this phase of the module. The second phase will take the form of a series of creative workshops involving group and later individual creative work. Indicative themes for the workshops include critiquing and improving flawed existing lyrics, finding melodies for new lyrics, and creating lyrics and melodies for pre-recorded musical environments, in response to literary stimuli. Towards the end of the module, students will bring in their own developing work on their second piece of coursework (a creative task involving either editing an existing lyric or creating a new lyric and melody for a pre-recorded environment) and discuss, with peers and with the tutors, their work in progress. Please note that, while an interest in popular music, creative writing and/or song writing are obviously 'must haves' for students taking the module, no particular musical talent, particularly as a vocalist, is required to enrol. On the other hand, whether or not you consider yourself a singer, you will be singing out loud and sharing your creative work by week twelve, albeit in an informal and supportive creative environment. The module is therefore most obviously suited to musicians and writers with a developing interest in the creation of popular music, but is open to all.
Semester 2 C/O TYP ECTSCATS
AMS-20058 The Detective and the American City EP C 7.5 15
Students are invited to analyse and discuss the relationship between the detective and the city across a number of cultural fields - primarily literature, but also visual art and film. Throughout, the detective is taken as a figure which reflects economic, demographic, cultural and political changes in American cities, and anxieties about identity and status attending those changes. Attention is also paid to the detective as a peculiarly reflexive figure - someone who, in his or her quest to reconstruct plot and deliver explanation, reflects the processes both of the reader and the writer. The module looks not only at traditional detectives, but also at broader theoretical issues of reading, spectatorship and criticism which will be of value to students in their further literary studies.
AMS-20061 Alfred Hitchcock's America EP C 7.5 15
Alfred Hitchcock was an historian, critic, and analyst of American culture, as becomes clear by focusing on some of the greatest films he made in Hollywood from the early 1940s until the late $ù50s. We will pursue cultural and politicised readings, while also attending in detail to both the production histories of his films $ú the stars, studios, and collaborators he worked with - and, through close attention to detail, their paramount formal features. Themes considered include the relation between national security and sexual identity, the complicity of cinema in a surveillance culture, fashion and the politics of gender construction. This module is designed for students who have already taken a film module, and is not recommended for those without some relevant previous experience.
AMS-20065 From Modernity to Counter-Culture: American Literature and Social Criticism in the Twentieth Century C C 7.5 15
The transformations within American society during the Twentieth Century have been amongst the most far-reaching of any western culture. It is the purpose of this module to address the literary responses to this period of radical change, taking its examples from both poetry and prose. These examples will be shown to register and confront social, political and cultural issues both directly and indirectly in order to develop a knowledge of literature's alterability within the modern and postmodern eras, its responsiveness to changing material and ideological conditions, and the varying shapes of that responsiveness. A key question will be the extent to which any literary text critiques or colludes with its social occasion.
AMS-20070 EALS - Study Abroad lll EP C 7.5 15
This is a module that is automatically allocated to the records our Keele level II students who are going to Study Abroad at a partner University for a semester of their second year and cannot be selected by any other level II students.
AMS-20071 EALS - Study Abroad lV EP C 7.5 15
This is a module that is automatically allocated to the records our Keele level II students who are going to Study Abroad at a partner University for a semester of their second year and cannot be selected by any other level II students.
ENG-20003 English and American Literatures - Study Abroad III EP C 7.5 15
This is a module that is automatically allocated to the records our Keele level II students who are going to Study Abroad at a partner University for a semester of their second year and cannot be selected by any other level II students.
ENG-20004 English and American Literatures - Study Abroad IV EP C 7.5 15
This is a module that is automatically allocated to the records our Keele level II students who are going to Study Abroad at a partner University for a semester of their second year and cannot be selected by any other level II students.
ENG-20030 Creative Writing: Poetry & Prose EP C 7.5 15
Developing our own writing (poems and/or prose fiction) provides us with critical insight into our own creative processes, and the processes by which other literary texts are created. Creative Writing at Level II explores ideas of creativity and the techniques of effective writing. The module is based around seminar-workshops, led by published writers (a novelist and a poet). You will be producing writing throughout the module, and learning how to give and take constructive critique on your work from your peers and other writers - which will help you shape your writing through revision. At the end of the module, you submit a Portfolio of original writing and a reflective essay on theories of creativity, your creative process and the techniques on display in your Portfolio.
ENG-20031 French Cinema EP C 7.5 15
Known as 'the seventh art', cinema in France occupies an important place in terms of practise, criticism and spectatorship in that country. This module looks at key moments within the history of French cinema, namely the Golden Age of the 1930s, the New Wave of the 1950s and 1960s, postmodern and postcolonial films of the 1980s and1990s. and trends such as the de-eroticised erotic, blockbusters, and social realism of the 2000s. In so doing, it considers questions around genre, auteurship, stars, social contexts, cinematography, and narrative, as well as issues around class, gender, sexuality and national identity.
ENG-20032 The Drawn Sword: Literature and the English Civil War EP C 7.5 15
The Drawn Sword: Literature and the English Civil War aims to introduce students to one of the most turbulent periods in English history, which nonetheless produced some of its best-known and most exhilarting literary texts. Alongside canonical works such as John Milton's Paradise Lost, Marvell's poems and the plays of Aphra Behn, we examine exciting rediscoveries such as Lucy Hutchinson's Order and Disorder and the poems of Hester Pulter, and novel forms of literary production, such as the earliest English newspapers. We may also look at contemporary representations of the period, such as The Devil's Whore (Channel 4, 2008). Particular attention will be paid to issues such as politics; religion; gender and women&©s writing; writing in different genres; and the treatment of current events in literary writing.
ENG-20034 Victorian Performances O M 7.5 15
The Victorian age was an age of empire, industry, social reform and technological and scientific progress. These startling changes forced writers of the period to rethink the complex relationship between themselves, their writing and the world, relationships that were often figured afresh in terms of different kinds of performance and adaptation. From Browning's development of the dramatic monologue to adaptations of Dickens's novels for the stage, to the day-to-day social performances of class and gender identity that are explored and exploded in sensation fiction, this module will engage with the variety of new genres that were developed during this period and discuss ways in which the Victorian period has been performed through its literature. Module suitable for: English students, EALs students, students who have passed an English elective at level 1, students with A-Level English or equivalent.
ENG-20034 Victorian Performances EP M 7.5 15
The Victorian age was an age of empire, industry, social reform and technological and scientific progress. These startling changes forced writers of the period to rethink the complex relationship between themselves, their writing and the world, relationships that were often figured afresh in terms of different kinds of performance and adaptation. From Browning's development of the dramatic monologue to adaptations of Dickens's novels for the stage, to the day-to-day social performances of class and gender identity that are explored and exploded in sensation fiction, this module will engage with the variety of new genres that were developed during this period and discuss ways in which the Victorian period has been performed through its literature. Module suitable for: English students, EALs students, students who have passed an English elective at level 1, students with A-Level English or equivalent.
ENG-20038 Post-War British Fiction and Poetry O M 7.5 15
The period from the end of the Second World War to the present has seen profound changes in British society and culture. On this module you will study selected narrative fiction and poetry that reflects and engages with some of these changes. You will learn about the developing trends in poetry and fiction over the last 60 years and study the work of some of the leading novelists and poets. You will also gain a knowledge of some critical concepts that are central to the study of the literature of this period including postmodernism, postcolonialism and gender theory. Writers studied on the module are likely to include Muriel Spark, Alasdair Gray, Monica Ali, Martin Amis, A. L. Kennedy, Doris Lessing, Philip Larkin, Tom Leonard, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney, Eavan Boland, Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Derek Walcott, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Jackie Kay.
ENG-20038 Post-War British Fiction and Poetry EP M 7.5 15
The period from the end of the Second World War to the present has seen profound changes in British society and culture. On this module you will study selected narrative fiction and poetry that reflects and engages with some of these changes. You will learn about the developing trends in poetry and fiction over the last 60 years and study the work of some of the leading novelists and poets. You will also gain a knowledge of some critical concepts that are central to the study of the literature of this period including postmodernism, postcolonialism and gender theory. Writers studied on the module are likely to include Muriel Spark, Alasdair Gray, Monica Ali, Martin Amis, A. L. Kennedy, Doris Lessing, Philip Larkin, Tom Leonard, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney, Eavan Boland, Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Derek Walcott, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Jackie Kay.
ENG-20039 Satire EP C 7.5 15
Satire can be savage, gentle, exhilarating or destructive. It can be targetted at a specific political or religious target, or at the weakness of human nature in general. This module looks at a range of satire from the verse satires of the early modern period (Wyatt, Dryden &Pope), fiction and pamphleteering (Swift and Orwell), cartoons (Hogarth, Gillray and Steve Bell) as well as other media from the satire boom of the 1960s to the present. Students will be invited to reflect on and write about these in different ways - a short close reading, a short item for radio or podcast, and a longer piece relating contemporary satire to older examples or the theory of satire.

English and American Literatures Single Honours - Level 3 Modules

Semester 1 C/O TYP ECTSCATS
AMS-30031 Silence, Strength and Sentiment: Gender and Sexuality in Nineteenth-Century American Writing O C 7.5 15
The nineteenth century saw great changes in American society. Rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, shifts in economic structure, the movement away from a hard, masculine, Puritan Christianity toward more domesticated and sociable forms of worship: these trends and more had profound effects on the way gender roles were defined and perceived. This module looks at a number of major literary works by canonical U.S. authors and explores the ways in which anxieties about changing gender roles and relationships were dramatised and narrativised. It also explores the relationship between authorship, gender and sexuality and how the demands of the literary marketplace may have placed particular demands on both male and female authors of the time.
AMS-30031 Silence, Strength and Sentiment: Gender and Sexuality in Nineteenth-Century American Writing EP C 7.5 15
The nineteenth century saw great changes in American society. Rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, shifts in economic structure, the movement away from a hard, masculine, Puritan Christianity toward more domesticated and sociable forms of worship: these trends and more had profound effects on the way gender roles were defined and perceived. This module looks at a number of major literary works by canonical U.S. authors and explores the ways in which anxieties about changing gender roles and relationships were dramatised and narrativised. It also explores the relationship between authorship, gender and sexuality and how the demands of the literary marketplace may have placed particular demands on both male and female authors of the time.
AMS-30037 Film Noir: The Dark Side of America O M 7.5 15
This module assumes and builds upon knowledge of Hollywood as an institution and on a grasp of skills in film analysis, and so is suitable for those who have already taken a film module in Y1 or Y2. It seeks to develop a more advanced approach to the conditions of film production and to such features as genre conventions and the star system, and fosters skills in psychoanalytical screen theory and mise-en-scene analysis, in order to historically contextualise the study of key works of the classic film noir period. The selection of films is intended to suggest networks of relations between directors, actors, cinematic techniques, and studios, as well as themes and settings. The main topics studied will include gender, masculinity, sexuality, censorship, World War II, and the relation between cinematic form and historical knowledge in order to map noir&©s dark representation of America during the war and immediate postwar years.
AMS-30037 Film Noir: The Dark Side of America EP M 7.5 15
This module assumes and builds upon knowledge of Hollywood as an institution and on a grasp of skills in film analysis, and so is suitable for those who have already taken a film module in Y1 or Y2. It seeks to develop a more advanced approach to the conditions of film production and to such features as genre conventions and the star system, and fosters skills in psychoanalytical screen theory and mise-en-scene analysis, in order to historically contextualise the study of key works of the classic film noir period. The selection of films is intended to suggest networks of relations between directors, actors, cinematic techniques, and studios, as well as themes and settings. The main topics studied will include gender, masculinity, sexuality, censorship, World War II, and the relation between cinematic form and historical knowledge in order to map noir&©s dark representation of America during the war and immediate postwar years.
ENG-30056 Postcolonial and World Literature in English O C 7.5 15
This module aims to introduce students to the diversity of literature produced in postcolonial contexts since the end of World War II. We will compare material from a number of formerly colonised regions $ú including Africa, the Caribbean, India, and Australasia $ú and explore how postcolonial texts relate to local cultural and historical experiences. The module is structured around some of the most highly charged issues tackled by postcolonial artists: cultural identity and nationhood; race, gender, and the body; globalisation; economic development; environmental disaster; and war. As we address these, we will look at ways of applying the exciting and challenging ideas raised by postcolonial theory, and consider how world literature is consumed in a global marketplace. The module covers a wide range of texts including prose, poetry, drama, and film, and will examine postcolonial writers&© innovative reconfigurations of form and genre.
ENG-30056 Postcolonial and World Literature in English EP C 7.5 15
This module aims to introduce students to the diversity of literature produced in postcolonial contexts since the end of World War II. We will compare material from a number of formerly colonised regions $ú including Africa, the Caribbean, India, and Australasia $ú and explore how postcolonial texts relate to local cultural and historical experiences. The module is structured around some of the most highly charged issues tackled by postcolonial artists: cultural identity and nationhood; race, gender, and the body; globalisation; economic development; environmental disaster; and war. As we address these, we will look at ways of applying the exciting and challenging ideas raised by postcolonial theory, and consider how world literature is consumed in a global marketplace. The module covers a wide range of texts including prose, poetry, drama, and film, and will examine postcolonial writers&© innovative reconfigurations of form and genre.
ENG-30061 Sex, Scandal and Society: Eighteenth-Century Writing O C 7.5 15
The eighteenth century saw the emergence of the English novel, the rapid rise of the periodical press, and the professionalisation of imaginative writing, as well as an upsurge in comedies of social manners on the stage, a healthy flow of erotic and pornographic texts, and poetry whose sexual and satiric energy is barely curbed by social decorum and convention. In short, men and women of letters were interested in society in fascinating new ways that were the result of the exponential growth of London, the financial revolution that helped erode old social hierarchies, changes in sexual relations and constructions of gender, celebrity culture, and the rise of personality-based politics. Perhaps it is not too much to say that our own society is the heir to changes that happened in the age of the four Georges (1714-1830), and this module is an opportunity to study the fiction, drama, poetry, and visual culture of this period. Authors studied may include: Daniel Defoe, Eliza Haywood, John Cleland, William Hogarth, William Congreve, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and Jane Austen.
ENG-30061 Sex, Scandal and Society: Eighteenth-Century Writing EP C 7.5 15
The eighteenth century saw the emergence of the English novel, the rapid rise of the periodical press, and the professionalisation of imaginative writing, as well as an upsurge in comedies of social manners on the stage, a healthy flow of erotic and pornographic texts, and poetry whose sexual and satiric energy is barely curbed by social decorum and convention. In short, men and women of letters were interested in society in fascinating new ways that were the result of the exponential growth of London, the financial revolution that helped erode old social hierarchies, changes in sexual relations and constructions of gender, celebrity culture, and the rise of personality-based politics. Perhaps it is not too much to say that our own society is the heir to changes that happened in the age of the four Georges (1714-1830), and this module is an opportunity to study the fiction, drama, poetry, and visual culture of this period. Authors studied may include: Daniel Defoe, Eliza Haywood, John Cleland, William Hogarth, William Congreve, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and Jane Austen.
ENG-30065 Dreams and Visions O C 7.5 15
Writers are often visionaries. Their visions might be devices for exposing social evils. They might regard them as spiritual or occult experiences which have to be shared, however imperfectly, in verbal and visual form. Visionary writers might be thought of as the eccentrics, the crazies, or the people who escape from the herd mentaility to see things as they really are. It is a great tradition in English literature. In this module, we will study the work of Langland, Bunyan, Blake, Yeats and some contemporary writers to see how their visions work. We will also be looking at some other work on dreams and visions from the religious and the psychoanalytical traditions to see how we might account for their particular qualities.
ENG-30065 Dreams and Visions EP C 7.5 15
Writers are often visionaries. Their visions might be devices for exposing social evils. They might regard them as spiritual or occult experiences which have to be shared, however imperfectly, in verbal and visual form. Visionary writers might be thought of as the eccentrics, the crazies, or the people who escape from the herd mentaility to see things as they really are. It is a great tradition in English literature. In this module, we will study the work of Langland, Bunyan, Blake, Yeats and some contemporary writers to see how their visions work. We will also be looking at some other work on dreams and visions from the religious and the psychoanalytical traditions to see how we might account for their particular qualities.
ENG-30066 Miners, monetarism, and movements: literature, culture, and politics in the 1980s EP C 7.5 15
This module is most suitable for students who are taking the English Principal, English Major or EALS. The 1980s marked a turning point in British cultural politics. The Conservative election of 1979 broke the post-war consensus, yet the decade saw also widespread resistance to 'Thatcherism' and vigorous activity by a wide spectrum of political movements. 1989 saw the fall of the Berlin Wall and the beginnings of the collapse of Eastern Bloc Communism. This module looks at the decade in the context of its turbulent politics, through the fiction of Martin Amis, Angela Carter, and Jeanette Winterson, the films of Hanif Kureishi, and the 1980s groundbreaking television drama.
ENG-30066 Miners, monetarism, and movements: literature, culture, and politics in the 1980s O C 7.5 15
This module is most suitable for students who are taking the English Principal, English Major or EALS. The 1980s marked a turning point in British cultural politics. The Conservative election of 1979 broke the post-war consensus, yet the decade saw also widespread resistance to 'Thatcherism' and vigorous activity by a wide spectrum of political movements. 1989 saw the fall of the Berlin Wall and the beginnings of the collapse of Eastern Bloc Communism. This module looks at the decade in the context of its turbulent politics, through the fiction of Martin Amis, Angela Carter, and Jeanette Winterson, the films of Hanif Kureishi, and the 1980s groundbreaking television drama.
ENG-30067 The Writer As Psychologist - the Great Russian Realists EP M 7.5 15
The Russian realists - Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Chekhov - number among Russia&©s most profound influences on European culture. In the hands of such writers realism became a potent medium for social criticism and also for psychological analysis. This module concentrates particularly on the latter function. As early as the 1840s we can see the contours of the psychological novel developing in Lermontov&©s idiosyncratically structured A Hero of Our Time, with its alienated hero or $ùsuperfluous man&©. By the 1860s Turgenev is able to elaborate this literary type into a proto-revolutionary hero in his novel Fathers and Children. Dostoevsky&©s celebrated Crime and Punishment explores the relationship between crime and guilt, a theme also central to Tolstoy&©s The Kreutzer Sonata. The Death of Ivan Ilyich, also by Tolstoy, revolves around an existential crisis precipitated by terminal illness. The Cherry Orchard, probably Chekhov&©s best known play, explores the tragedy of nostalgic self-delusion. All of these works anticipate and lay the foundations for the Freudian and existentialist revolutions which were to transform twentieth-century thought. Russian realism was also radically concerned with female psychology. This module features remarkable gynocentric works which powerfully document women&©s varied reactions to their social predicament in nineteenth-century Russia: the assertive heroines of Turgenev&©s On the Eve and Khvoshchinskaya&©s Boarding-School Girl and, as the new century opens, Chekhov&©s Three Sisters dreaming of Moscow in their provincial backwater.
ENG-30067 The Writer As Psychologist - the Great Russian Realists O M 7.5 15
The Russian realists - Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Chekhov - number among Russia&©s most profound influences on European culture. In the hands of such writers realism became a potent medium for social criticism and also for psychological analysis. This module concentrates particularly on the latter function. As early as the 1840s we can see the contours of the psychological novel developing in Lermontov&©s idiosyncratically structured A Hero of Our Time, with its alienated hero or $ùsuperfluous man&©. By the 1860s Turgenev is able to elaborate this literary type into a proto-revolutionary hero in his novel Fathers and Children. Dostoevsky&©s celebrated Crime and Punishment explores the relationship between crime and guilt, a theme also central to Tolstoy&©s The Kreutzer Sonata. The Death of Ivan Ilyich, also by Tolstoy, revolves around an existential crisis precipitated by terminal illness. The Cherry Orchard, probably Chekhov&©s best known play, explores the tragedy of nostalgic self-delusion. All of these works anticipate and lay the foundations for the Freudian and existentialist revolutions which were to transform twentieth-century thought. Russian realism was also radically concerned with female psychology. This module features remarkable gynocentric works which powerfully document women&©s varied reactions to their social predicament in nineteenth-century Russia: the assertive heroines of Turgenev&©s On the Eve and Khvoshchinskaya&©s Boarding-School Girl and, as the new century opens, Chekhov&©s Three Sisters dreaming of Moscow in their provincial backwater.
ENG-30070 Shakespeare on Film: Adaptation and Appropriation EP C 7.5 15
This module will introduce students to Shakespearean adaptation and appropriation via a detailed consideration of the phenomenon of Shakespeare on film. What is involved in the cinema&©s on-off love affair with Shakespeare and the Shakespearean? What kinds of audience are targeted by the makers of Shakespearean films? What happens when a theatrical text is transferred to the screen, or when the literary is transformed into the cinematic? What is the relationship between film adaptation and other forms of Shakespearean appropriation? Film Shakespeare can be traditionalist or avant-garde, commercial or marginal. At one end of the spectrum, theatre productions are faithfully transferred to film; at the other, scraps of text or narrative survive in new contexts. We will examine Hollywood and art-house productions, silent and non-Anglophone films, films aimed at adults and children, films that utilise a variety of genres (film noir, horror, teen movies), and adaptations intended for film and television. We may also consider films that use Shakespeare or the Shakespearean without necessarily adapting any specific play, such as Shakespeare in Love or Theatre of Blood. This module is designed for students who have successfully completed literature and/or film modules at Level 2.
ENG-30070 Shakespeare on Film: Adaptation and Appropriation O C 7.5 15
This module will introduce students to Shakespearean adaptation and appropriation via a detailed consideration of the phenomenon of Shakespeare on film. What is involved in the cinema&©s on-off love affair with Shakespeare and the Shakespearean? What kinds of audience are targeted by the makers of Shakespearean films? What happens when a theatrical text is transferred to the screen, or when the literary is transformed into the cinematic? What is the relationship between film adaptation and other forms of Shakespearean appropriation? Film Shakespeare can be traditionalist or avant-garde, commercial or marginal. At one end of the spectrum, theatre productions are faithfully transferred to film; at the other, scraps of text or narrative survive in new contexts. We will examine Hollywood and art-house productions, silent and non-Anglophone films, films aimed at adults and children, films that utilise a variety of genres (film noir, horror, teen movies), and adaptations intended for film and television. We may also consider films that use Shakespeare or the Shakespearean without necessarily adapting any specific play, such as Shakespeare in Love or Theatre of Blood. This module is designed for students who have successfully completed literature and/or film modules at Level 2.
ENG-30071 Dickens, Collins and Detection EP C 7.5 15
Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins are two of the most important Victorian novelists. They were also close friends, who influenced each other greatly and collaborated on a number of stories. This module will study in depth two major novels by Dickens, and three by Collins. The Dickens novels are Bleak House and the unfinished Mystery of Edwin Drood. Bleak House interweaves one of the earliest detective plots in fiction into a story of social and personal mystery, guilt and retribution. Edwin Drood is a strangely modern work, concerned with opium addition, hypnotism and the power of the unconscious. Wilkie Collins is seen as the $ùfather&© of detective fiction, and we will look at his two greatest achievements, The Woman in White and The Moonstone, texts full of mystery, suspense and strange states of mind. We will also look at an example of Collins&©s under-rated later fiction, The Law and the Lady, which puts at the centre of its plot perhaps the first ever female detective character. These novels change in profound ways the history of the novel, and, through serialization and awareness of new modes of journalism, create new generic possibilities, forms of characterization and plot development. They contribute to the rise of the sensation novel, and experiment with very different depictions of femininity, sexuality and crime that seem to put them at odds with what are taken to be $ùVictorian&© norms. They are deeply concerned with imperial violence abroad and social transgression at home, and they respond to this disturbing material in formally innovative ways.
ENG-30071 Dickens, Collins and Detection O C 7.5 15
Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins are two of the most important Victorian novelists. They were also close friends, who influenced each other greatly and collaborated on a number of stories. This module will study in depth two major novels by Dickens, and three by Collins. The Dickens novels are Bleak House and the unfinished Mystery of Edwin Drood. Bleak House interweaves one of the earliest detective plots in fiction into a story of social and personal mystery, guilt and retribution. Edwin Drood is a strangely modern work, concerned with opium addition, hypnotism and the power of the unconscious. Wilkie Collins is seen as the $ùfather&© of detective fiction, and we will look at his two greatest achievements, The Woman in White and The Moonstone, texts full of mystery, suspense and strange states of mind. We will also look at an example of Collins&©s under-rated later fiction, The Law and the Lady, which puts at the centre of its plot perhaps the first ever female detective character. These novels change in profound ways the history of the novel, and, through serialization and awareness of new modes of journalism, create new generic possibilities, forms of characterization and plot development. They contribute to the rise of the sensation novel, and experiment with very different depictions of femininity, sexuality and crime that seem to put them at odds with what are taken to be $ùVictorian&© norms. They are deeply concerned with imperial violence abroad and social transgression at home, and they respond to this disturbing material in formally innovative ways.
Semester 1-2 C/O TYP ECTSCATS
AMS-30039 Dissertation in English and American Literatures - ISP O C 15 30
The Dissertation in American Literature is a 30-credit, year-long Independent Study Project (ISP) which offers you the opportunity to research in detail a subject of your own choosing and interest, and to write a substantial piece of work. In this module, you can explore any aspect of American literature: single authors, groups of texts, common themes or particular literary periods. We are also able to supervise dissertations on film as well as comparative work which addresses American and British writing in a transatlantic perspective. Work on the module takes place over both semesters of the final year in a structured way, with supporting lectures, group and individual meetings, and targets for production of draft materials. The module offers you the opportunity to produce an extended piece of research as the culminating assessment of your degree programme. Staff in English and American Studies strongly recommend students to take two rather than the minimum one ISP for reasons of both academic and personal development. The opportunity to work on a subject of your own choosing, together with individual written and oral feedback and the opportunity to revise work means that marks for this module have historically been significantly higher than for other final year modules.
AMS-30039 Dissertation in English and American Literatures - ISP EP C 15 30
The Dissertation in American Literature is a 30-credit, year-long Independent Study Project (ISP) which offers you the opportunity to research in detail a subject of your own choosing and interest, and to write a substantial piece of work. In this module, you can explore any aspect of American literature: single authors, groups of texts, common themes or particular literary periods. We are also able to supervise dissertations on film as well as comparative work which addresses American and British writing in a transatlantic perspective. Work on the module takes place over both semesters of the final year in a structured way, with supporting lectures, group and individual meetings, and targets for production of draft materials. The module offers you the opportunity to produce an extended piece of research as the culminating assessment of your degree programme. Staff in English and American Studies strongly recommend students to take two rather than the minimum one ISP for reasons of both academic and personal development. The opportunity to work on a subject of your own choosing, together with individual written and oral feedback and the opportunity to revise work means that marks for this module have historically been significantly higher than for other final year modules.
ENG-30057 Dissertation in English - ISP EP C 15 30
The dissertation module offers an opportunity for students to produce a substantial piece of work that engages in independent and original work in the field of English Literature. The project will be based on a topic agreed between the student and an individual supervisor. It will draw on the interests of the student as developed during the three years of the English degree programme and will benefit from the research expertise of relevant supervisors in the School of Humanities. The successful completion of the dissertation will represent a substantial piece of final-year undergraduate work that will facilitate entry to a postgraduate course and/or demonstrate writing skills relevant to a number of different careers.
ENG-30057 Dissertation in English - ISP O C 15 30
The dissertation module offers an opportunity for students to produce a substantial piece of work that engages in independent and original work in the field of English Literature. The project will be based on a topic agreed between the student and an individual supervisor. It will draw on the interests of the student as developed during the three years of the English degree programme and will benefit from the research expertise of relevant supervisors in the School of Humanities. The successful completion of the dissertation will represent a substantial piece of final-year undergraduate work that will facilitate entry to a postgraduate course and/or demonstrate writing skills relevant to a number of different careers.
ENG-30069 Creative Writing: Portfolio - ISP EP C 15 30
This module gives students the opportunity to plan and develop an extended creative writing project. The exact nature of the project will be negotiated with the course tutor but students may wish to produce a collection of poems or short stories, or a longer piece of prose fiction or part of a novel. The project extends over two semesters. In Semester 1, workshops and discussion groups support the writer in reading relevant works and planning their eventual portfolio of writing, as well as offering the chance to get critical feedback on early draft pieces of writing. By the end of this semester, the student will have drawn up a Creative Brief, which identifies the scope and intention of the creative work to be completed in the second Semester. In Semester 2, the student writes a Portfolio of poetry or prose fiction with a unifying theme or idea, supported by regular writers' workshops and supervision by a staff member who is a practising writer in the relevant medium. To be able to undertake the module, it is recommended that students will have completed the Creative Writing module in Year 2 or have studied Creative Writing in some other context. If neither of these are the case, consult the Module Convenor for advice. It will be assumed that students will have developed some ability to write poetry, prose fiction or both, and to have an idea for a sustainable writing project. Students will have the opportunity to workshop work in progress and to get critical feedback from fellow students. The assessment will be through the production of a portfolio of creative work (even though it may consist of one major piece of work) and a shorter critical essay on creative writing practice and/or a critical commentary.
ENG-30069 Creative Writing: Portfolio - ISP O C 15 30
This module gives students the opportunity to plan and develop an extended creative writing project. The exact nature of the project will be negotiated with the course tutor but students may wish to produce a collection of poems or short stories, or a longer piece of prose fiction or part of a novel. The project extends over two semesters. In Semester 1, workshops and discussion groups support the writer in reading relevant works and planning their eventual portfolio of writing, as well as offering the chance to get critical feedback on early draft pieces of writing. By the end of this semester, the student will have drawn up a Creative Brief, which identifies the scope and intention of the creative work to be completed in the second Semester. In Semester 2, the student writes a Portfolio of poetry or prose fiction with a unifying theme or idea, supported by regular writers' workshops and supervision by a staff member who is a practising writer in the relevant medium. To be able to undertake the module, it is recommended that students will have completed the Creative Writing module in Year 2 or have studied Creative Writing in some other context. If neither of these are the case, consult the Module Convenor for advice. It will be assumed that students will have developed some ability to write poetry, prose fiction or both, and to have an idea for a sustainable writing project. Students will have the opportunity to workshop work in progress and to get critical feedback from fellow students. The assessment will be through the production of a portfolio of creative work (even though it may consist of one major piece of work) and a shorter critical essay on creative writing practice and/or a critical commentary.
Semester 2 C/O TYP ECTSCATS
AMS-30030 Words and Pictures: the Contemporary American Graphic Novel O C 7.5 15
The graphic novel is becoming an increasingly important form and is proving itself worthy of scholarly attention. For many readers coming to graphic novels for the first time, the form poses specific challenges in the sense that it requires new modes of attention, new ways of reading. One of the exciting aspects of this module is that it offers students guidance in those new ways. Time is taken with each primary text, reflecting both the scope and ambition of the texts themselves, and also the need for reflection throughout the module on the reading process itself. Content is not neglected, however, and students will have the opportunity to explore the startling variety of themes, ideas and issues tackled in graphic novels, from racial identity to sexual politics, teenage angst and 9/11. The module is particularly suitable for students who have previously taken cross-disciplinary modules in American Studies (such as The Detective and the American City) and / or for students with at least a literature background.
AMS-30030 Words and Pictures: the Contemporary American Graphic Novel EP C 7.5 15
The graphic novel is becoming an increasingly important form and is proving itself worthy of scholarly attention. For many readers coming to graphic novels for the first time, the form poses specific challenges in the sense that it requires new modes of attention, new ways of reading. One of the exciting aspects of this module is that it offers students guidance in those new ways. Time is taken with each primary text, reflecting both the scope and ambition of the texts themselves, and also the need for reflection throughout the module on the reading process itself. Content is not neglected, however, and students will have the opportunity to explore the startling variety of themes, ideas and issues tackled in graphic novels, from racial identity to sexual politics, teenage angst and 9/11. The module is particularly suitable for students who have previously taken cross-disciplinary modules in American Studies (such as The Detective and the American City) and / or for students with at least a literature background.
AMS-30038 High Culture: Drink, Drugs, and the American Dream EP M 7.5 15
The module aims to study the social, cultural, psychological, medical, philosophical, and aesthetic dimensions of works dealing with three decades of American history that are concerned with a range of intoxicants - alcohol, heroin, LSD, and peyote. Rather than taking a biographical approach (which might, for example, focus on the role of drink in the writing of the Lost Generation), the module focuses on representations of individuals or groups involved in sub- and counter-cultural use of mind-altering and/or addictive substances. The emphasis on studying formal features of texts also includes comparative analysis of Hollywood adaptations and films. The module is suitable for those who have already studied literature in Y1 or Y2, although experience of studying film would be an advantage.
AMS-30038 High Culture: Drink, Drugs, and the American Dream O M 7.5 15
The module aims to study the social, cultural, psychological, medical, philosophical, and aesthetic dimensions of works dealing with three decades of American history that are concerned with a range of intoxicants - alcohol, heroin, LSD, and peyote. Rather than taking a biographical approach (which might, for example, focus on the role of drink in the writing of the Lost Generation), the module focuses on representations of individuals or groups involved in sub- and counter-cultural use of mind-altering and/or addictive substances. The emphasis on studying formal features of texts also includes comparative analysis of Hollywood adaptations and films. The module is suitable for those who have already studied literature in Y1 or Y2, although experience of studying film would be an advantage.
ENG-30053 Postmodernism: Fiction, Film and Theory O C 7.5 15
Postmodernism represents an important body of critical theory that developed in the second half of the twentieth century, and continues to have relevance in the twenty-first. It crosses a range of disciplines, but emphasizes an interrogative, reflexive and eclectic challenge to many philosophical and aesthetic values and practices. On this module, you will explore the relevance and meaning of some of the ideas associated with postmodernism with respect to selected novels and films. You will assess the influence of key ideas on writers and directors and you will study the main themes and techniques used in postmodern fiction and film. The module also encourages a critically-informed assessment of the implications of postmodern thinking for contemporary notions of history, identity, sexuality, politics and consumer society. Fiction and film likely to be studied on the module include Julian Barnes, A History of the World in 10½ Chapters; Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit; Martin Amis, Money; J. G. Ballard, Kingdom Come; The Hours (dir. Stephen Daldry); The Company of Wolves (dir. Neil Jordan); The Matrix (dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski); and Mulholland Drive (dir. David Lynch).
ENG-30053 Postmodernism: Fiction, Film and Theory EP C 7.5 15
Postmodernism represents an important body of critical theory that developed in the second half of the twentieth century, and continues to have relevance in the twenty-first. It crosses a range of disciplines, but emphasizes an interrogative, reflexive and eclectic challenge to many philosophical and aesthetic values and practices. On this module, you will explore the relevance and meaning of some of the ideas associated with postmodernism with respect to selected novels and films. You will assess the influence of key ideas on writers and directors and you will study the main themes and techniques used in postmodern fiction and film. The module also encourages a critically-informed assessment of the implications of postmodern thinking for contemporary notions of history, identity, sexuality, politics and consumer society. Fiction and film likely to be studied on the module include Julian Barnes, A History of the World in 10½ Chapters; Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit; Martin Amis, Money; J. G. Ballard, Kingdom Come; The Hours (dir. Stephen Daldry); The Company of Wolves (dir. Neil Jordan); The Matrix (dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski); and Mulholland Drive (dir. David Lynch).
ENG-30055 The Two Cultures of the Arts and the Sciences O C 7.5 15
Have you ever had to argue that the subject you study is as important as the science subjects? Do you think that the arts are undervalued, underfunded and misunderstood? Do you suspect that $ùbig science&© is not necessarily as objective and politically neutral as it makes itself out to be? Shouldn&©t science be forced to acknowledge its moral responsibilities and the ideological and historical agendas that motivate its research? Is technology making us less human? Are we destroying our world? How does drug use affect our sense of self? This module will consider such questions using diverse texts from Frankenstein, to Terminator, from Darwin&©s Origin of the Species to Richard Dawkins&©s The Selfish Gene, and Aldous Huxley&©s Brave New World. We will challenge and interrogate the idea that the sciences and the arts are two distinct and separate cultures, discussing a range of genres including film, novel, poetry, plays and popular science from the last two hundred years to attempt to establish what are the distinguishing characteristics of $ùart&© and $ùscience&©. As dual honours students you are particularly well placed to consider the different and even contradictory methodologies of individual disciplines. We will look in particular at the way that science is portrayed in the arts, and the claims that science has made for itself, for $ùtruth&©, $ùobjectivity&© and political neutrality. In contrast we shall also consider science&©s role within culture as a reflection of the political and social concerns of the time. The postmodernist debunking of science in the late twentieth century led to the further polarisation of positions and the so-called $ùscience wars&© of the 1990s. The module will be focused on central themes, some of which flag up divisions between the sciences and the arts and others that suggest the possibility of reconciliation. All these themes are topical and important: the environment and eco-criticism, ideology, digital media, science fiction, questions of ethics, gender politics, animal rights, nuclear technology, quantum physics, chaos theory, cloning, genetic modification and the cyborg.
ENG-30055 The Two Cultures of the Arts and the Sciences EP C 7.5 15
Have you ever had to argue that the subject you study is as important as the science subjects? Do you think that the arts are undervalued, underfunded and misunderstood? Do you suspect that $ùbig science&© is not necessarily as objective and politically neutral as it makes itself out to be? Shouldn&©t science be forced to acknowledge its moral responsibilities and the ideological and historical agendas that motivate its research? Is technology making us less human? Are we destroying our world? How does drug use affect our sense of self? This module will consider such questions using diverse texts from Frankenstein, to Terminator, from Darwin&©s Origin of the Species to Richard Dawkins&©s The Selfish Gene, and Aldous Huxley&©s Brave New World. We will challenge and interrogate the idea that the sciences and the arts are two distinct and separate cultures, discussing a range of genres including film, novel, poetry, plays and popular science from the last two hundred years to attempt to establish what are the distinguishing characteristics of $ùart&© and $ùscience&©. As dual honours students you are particularly well placed to consider the different and even contradictory methodologies of individual disciplines. We will look in particular at the way that science is portrayed in the arts, and the claims that science has made for itself, for $ùtruth&©, $ùobjectivity&© and political neutrality. In contrast we shall also consider science&©s role within culture as a reflection of the political and social concerns of the time. The postmodernist debunking of science in the late twentieth century led to the further polarisation of positions and the so-called $ùscience wars&© of the 1990s. The module will be focused on central themes, some of which flag up divisions between the sciences and the arts and others that suggest the possibility of reconciliation. All these themes are topical and important: the environment and eco-criticism, ideology, digital media, science fiction, questions of ethics, gender politics, animal rights, nuclear technology, quantum physics, chaos theory, cloning, genetic modification and the cyborg.
ENG-30059 Romantic Voices O C 7.5 15
Voice is one of the most widely used but hotly disputed terms in literary criticism. This module will present students with some of the many and varied manifestations of voice to be found in literature of the Romantic period. Students will have the opportunity to explore the relationship between the written and spoken word and to develop skills in understanding and articulating the phonetic and oral qualities of Romantic writing. In addition the module will increase students&© understanding of the way that voice can act as a marker of class, gender, faith and politics. Each session invites students to explore a different aspect of voice through close textual analysis, historical documentation and theoretical approaches. The module demonstrates the potential for the written word to evoke and construct the spoken, enabling students to better understand the multiple and conflicting voices that go to make up Romanticism.
ENG-30059 Romantic Voices EP C 7.5 15
Voice is one of the most widely used but hotly disputed terms in literary criticism. This module will present students with some of the many and varied manifestations of voice to be found in literature of the Romantic period. Students will have the opportunity to explore the relationship between the written and spoken word and to develop skills in understanding and articulating the phonetic and oral qualities of Romantic writing. In addition the module will increase students&© understanding of the way that voice can act as a marker of class, gender, faith and politics. Each session invites students to explore a different aspect of voice through close textual analysis, historical documentation and theoretical approaches. The module demonstrates the potential for the written word to evoke and construct the spoken, enabling students to better understand the multiple and conflicting voices that go to make up Romanticism.
ENG-30063 The Canadian Metropolis EP C 7.5 15
What comes to mind when you think of Canada? From the outside, many see it as a safe, civilised country that is, perhaps, not terribly exciting. This is far removed from reality. The country is wrought with tensions, including over Quebec separatism, clashes between francophones, anglophones and immigrants whose first language is neither French nor English, and land claims by aboriginal groups. Although the image of Canada is often one of forests and lakes, populated by the odd Mountie, most Canadians actually live in urban settings. Cities in general are sites where social tensions crystallise. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are the largest and most culturally and economically important ones in Canada. Therefore, it is not surprising that they find themselves time and again in Canadian and Québécois literature and other forms of cultural production. This module looks at a range of Canadian and Quebecois urban fiction, examining how this contributes to discourses around national and other identities.
ENG-30063 The Canadian Metropolis O C 7.5 15
What comes to mind when you think of Canada? From the outside, many see it as a safe, civilised country that is, perhaps, not terribly exciting. This is far removed from reality. The country is wrought with tensions, including over Quebec separatism, clashes between francophones, anglophones and immigrants whose first language is neither French nor English, and land claims by aboriginal groups. Although the image of Canada is often one of forests and lakes, populated by the odd Mountie, most Canadians actually live in urban settings. Cities in general are sites where social tensions crystallise. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are the largest and most culturally and economically important ones in Canada. Therefore, it is not surprising that they find themselves time and again in Canadian and Québécois literature and other forms of cultural production. This module looks at a range of Canadian and Quebecois urban fiction, examining how this contributes to discourses around national and other identities.
ENG-30064 Milton O C 7.5 15
The poetry and prose of John Milton is almost unmatched in English in its achievement, range and ambition. Paradise Lost is the great English epic. Milton's involvement with the Parliamentary regime of the 1640s and 50s produced some of the most engaged and impressive writing of this or any period. From an early age Milton set himself to become a writer: apart from epic, there is tragedy, masque, elegy, sonnet, and polemic. In this module we will look at the range of Milton's work (though not all of it), and attend to the historical, classical and biblical contexts. Finish your degree studies in English with a serious study of one of the great English writers.
ENG-30064 Milton EP C 7.5 15
The poetry and prose of John Milton is almost unmatched in English in its achievement, range and ambition. Paradise Lost is the great English epic. Milton's involvement with the Parliamentary regime of the 1640s and 50s produced some of the most engaged and impressive writing of this or any period. From an early age Milton set himself to become a writer: apart from epic, there is tragedy, masque, elegy, sonnet, and polemic. In this module we will look at the range of Milton's work (though not all of it), and attend to the historical, classical and biblical contexts. Finish your degree studies in English with a serious study of one of the great English writers.
ENG-30068 Shakespearean Stages: Making and Re-Making the Plays of Shakespeare and his Contemporaries EP C 7.5 15
This module gives students the opportunity to study the plays of Shakespeare in depth, and to consider them alongside the plays of his rivals, collaborators and successors. What did Shakespeare's contemporaries think about his plays? How did they adapt his narratives, characters and techniques? Why are Shakespeare's plays performed more today than those of playwrights such as John Webster, Thomas Middleton, Ben Jonson or John Fletcher? While the plays of Shakespeare are still largely familiar to us, examining them alongside less well-known works helps to make them look new and strange, as they may have appeared to their early audiences. We will view the plays as literary texts, but also as texts written to be performed. In addition to thinking about the impact of the plays in their own day, we will consider their lasting influence on theatrical culture, and their performance in twentieth and twenty-first century theatres. We will therefore draw on film and television recordings of stage productions, radio productions, reviews, scripts, programmes, production photographs and other materials. There will be an opportunity to see at least one play in the theatre, and plays will be selected each year according to the performance schedules of local and national theatres. This module is designed for students who have successfully completed literature modules at Level 2.
ENG-30068 Shakespearean Stages: Making and Re-Making the Plays of Shakespeare and his Contemporaries O C 7.5 15
This module gives students the opportunity to study the plays of Shakespeare in depth, and to consider them alongside the plays of his rivals, collaborators and successors. What did Shakespeare's contemporaries think about his plays? How did they adapt his narratives, characters and techniques? Why are Shakespeare's plays performed more today than those of playwrights such as John Webster, Thomas Middleton, Ben Jonson or John Fletcher? While the plays of Shakespeare are still largely familiar to us, examining them alongside less well-known works helps to make them look new and strange, as they may have appeared to their early audiences. We will view the plays as literary texts, but also as texts written to be performed. In addition to thinking about the impact of the plays in their own day, we will consider their lasting influence on theatrical culture, and their performance in twentieth and twenty-first century theatres. We will therefore draw on film and television recordings of stage productions, radio productions, reviews, scripts, programmes, production photographs and other materials. There will be an opportunity to see at least one play in the theatre, and plays will be selected each year according to the performance schedules of local and national theatres. This module is designed for students who have successfully completed literature modules at Level 2.
C Compulsory Core Module
O Optional Core Module
EP Programme Elective Module
EA Approved Elective Module
EF Free-Standing Elective Module
M Mixed Assessment e.g. a mixture of essay(s) and examination, with the latter's weighting below 90%.
E Examination, providing 90% or more of the mark.
C Continuous Assessment e.g. essay(s) or practical work (as appropriate).
+ Available to qualified non-principal, Erasmus, Exchange and Study Abroad students but there may be a restriction on the number of places available
~ Specific pre-requisite(s) needed by non-principal, Erasmus, Exchange and Study Abroad students wishing to take these modules
# Not normally available to Erasmus, Exchange and Study Abroad students (except by prior negotiation with Departmental Tutor)
Note: Modules not marked with a # are available to suitably qualified Erasmus, Exchange and Study Abroad students.