School of Humanities  
 
 
AMS-20058 The Detective and the American City  
Co-ordinator: Dr James Peacock    Room: CBB0.025, Tel:33140  
Teaching Team: Mrs Jayne  Braddick, Mrs Amanda  Porritt, Miss Jo-Anne  Watts,  Jo  Gill  
Lecture Time: See Timetable...  
Level: 2 Credits: 15 Study Hours: 150  
School Office: Tel: 01782 733147
 
 
 
Programme/Approved Electives for
American Studies Dual Honours (Level 2)
American Studies Minor (Level 2)
American Studies Single Honours (Level 2)
English and American Literatures Single Honours (Level 2)
English with Creative Writing Single Honours (Level 2)
English Single Honours (Level 2)
Available as a Free Standing Elective
No
Barred Combinations
None
Prerequisites
Successful progression from Level I

Description

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.
Aims
- to analyse and discuss the relationship between the detective and the city across a number of cultural fields $ú literature, visual art and film.
- to treat the detective as a figure which reflects economic, demographic, cultural and political changes in American cities, and anxieties about identity and status attending those changes
- to pay close attention 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
- to discuss not only traditional detectives, but also broader theoretical issues of reading, spectatorship and criticism which will be of value to students in their further literary studies
- to consider the benefits and difficulties of a cross-disciplinary appraoch to American Studies
Intended Learning Outcomes
describe and evaluate basic features of multi-disciplinary scholarship (literary, historical and/or political) relating to study of the United States. will be achieved by assessments: 01, 02, 03
describe basic features of the social, historical, and political identity of the United States. will be achieved by assessments: 02, 03
analyse and interpret a range of primary and secondary written and/or visual sources. will be achieved by assessments: 01, 02, 03
make coherent arguments based on evidence and analysis orally and in writing. will be achieved by assessments: 01, 02, 03
relate textual analysis to social, cultural and historical contexts will be achieved by assessments: 01, 02, 03
carry out research using a range of textual and electronic resources. will be achieved by assessments: 02, 03
employ the basic bibliographical, referencing, and presentation requirements of the core disciplines. will be achieved by assessments: 02
Study hours
10 x 2-hour seminars; 2 x 2-hour workshops; 30 hours tutorial and seminar preparation, 56 hours assessment preparation, and 40 hours private study.
Description of Module Assessment
01: Short Paper weighted 30%
Close reading exercise of 1,000-1,500 words
Students will carry out a detailed close reading of an extract from one of the texts featured in the first few weeks of the module.
02: Essay weighted 60%
Longer discursive essay on one or two of the texts featured on the module, 2,500-3,000 words.
03: Class Participation weighted 10%
assessment of student contributions to seminar and workshop discussions
Version: (1.06B) Updated: 03/Oct/2013

This document is the definitive current source of information about this module and supersedes any other information.