Programme/Approved Electives for 2022/23
None
Available as a Free Standing Elective
No
From celebrations of friendship and sociability to cautionary tales of inebriety and debauchery, from the euphoria of intoxication to the misery of the hangover, from the public house to the home, the stage to the pulpit, literature and the arts have a long and ambivalent relationship with alcohol. This module will present students with some of the key representations of alcohol and drinking culture from the Renaissance to the present day. Students will examine the social and cultural function of different types of alcohol, look at the economic factors that have affected the consumption and licensing of drink, interrogate some of the common myths and discourses which surround alcohol, explore changing medical understanding of subjects such as alcoholism and addiction, and explore the associations that literature often makes between sexuality, class and alcohol. The module covers a comprehensive series of texts ¿ ranging from poetry to prose, film to the fine arts ¿ that each represent a different aspect of what has become known as The Alcohol Question. It invites students to reflect upon the reasons why alcohol is such a pervasive, but divisive, topic and why so many creative minds have felt the need to address its importance to the human condition in such a variety of different ways.
Aims
The module aims to enable students to:Develop advanced knowledge and understanding of important trends in the representation of alcohol in literature at different historical periodsExplore and critically reflect upon changing moral and political attitudes to the production and consumption of alcoholCreate nuanced arguments that engage with advanced scholarship concerning the representation of alcohol consumption in men and womenEngage in interdisciplinary approaches to the analysis of drinkers and drinking cultures
Intended Learning Outcomes
Develop and apply new skills and an advanced knowledge in textual analysis and intellectual argument and engagement: 1,2Critically assess the relevance and usefulness of an extensive range of primary and secondary sources , including advanced scholarship in the discipline: 1,2Critically evaluate current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline, to develop critiques of them, and to propose new solutions: 1,2Communicate a systematic sense of the research process and research findings clearly to an advanced academic audience using a variety of written and oral means: 1,2Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing programmes of research: 1,2Develop and apply interdisciplinary methodologies to the literature of different periods: 1,2
Seminars 24 hoursIndividual Tutorial 6 hoursAssessment preparation 110 hoursSeminar Preparation and research 160 hours
Description of Module Assessment
1: Oral Presentation weighted 20%PresentationStudents will deliver a 15-minute presentation individually towards the end of semester in the form of a critical reflection on the set reading. They will then produce a written-up version of the presentation.
2: Essay weighted 80%A research essayA 4,000-5,000 word essay addressing at least two of the texts, or groups of texts, covered on the module. The essay will answer one of a list of set questions or students can, in consultation with their tutor, set their own.