School of Humanities  
 
 
ENG-30056 Postcolonial and World Literature in English  
Co-ordinator: Dr Anthony Carrigan   Tel:33397  
Teaching Team: Mrs Tracey  Lea, Mrs Amanda  Porritt, Miss Jo-Anne  Watts  
Lecture Time: See Timetable...  
Level: 3 Credits: 15 Study Hours: 150  
School Office: Tel: 01782 733147
 
 
 
Programme/Approved Electives for

American Studies Dual Honours (Level 3)
American Studies Minor (Level 3)
American Studies Single Honours (Level 3)
English and American Literatures Single Honours (Level 3)
English Dual Honours (Level 3)
English Major (Level 3)
English Minor (Level 3)

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Yes

Barred Combinations

None

Prerequisites

None

Description

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 - including Africa, the Caribbean, India, and Australasia - 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.

Primary Reading:

- Brian Friel, Translations (1980) [play]
- Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (1958) [short novel] / Rolf de Heer (dir.) Ten Canoes (2006) [film]
- Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea (1966) [novel]
- Postcolonial island poetry [this will be a selection from Caribbean and Pacific island writers]
- Athol Fugard, Sizwe Bansi is Dead (1974) [play]
- Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions (1988) [novel]
- Jamaica Kincaid, A Small Place (1988) [essay] / Stephanie Black (dir.) Life and Debt (2001) [film]
- Indra Sinha, Animal&Šs People (2008) [novel]
- Ari Folman (dir.) Waltz with Bashir (2008) [film]


Aims

&ˇ To introduce students to critical issues in postcolonial literary and cultural production, post-World War II.

&ˇ To relate postcolonial texts both to their cultural and historical contexts and to global markets in which they circulate.

&ˇ To enable students to apply postcolonial theory to global literary and cultural texts.


Intended Learning Outcomes

appraise and critique postcolonial and world literary texts in light of their cultural and historical contexts. will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2, 3
utilise and analyse postcolonial theory in relation to postcolonial literary and cultural studies. will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2, 3
carry out independent research, synthesize research findings, and present this in extended written form. will be achieved by assessments: 1, 3
engage in close critical analysis of literary texts. will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2, 3
devise, develop, construct, and sustain an argument in written work. will be achieved by assessments: 1, 3


Study hours

24: Tutorials
75: Reading and tutorial preparation
35: Essay research and writing
10: Short paper research and writing
5: Presentation research and preparation
1: Personal contact and feedback


Description of Module Assessment

01: Short Paper weighted 20%
1,000- to 1,500-word assessment
Students will analyse one postcolonial fictional extract from a choice of 2-3 in light of postcolonial theory.

02: Presentation weighted 10%
10-minute individual presentation
Students will give a 10-minute critical presentation on a topic related to each week's reading.

03: Essay weighted 70%
3,000-word essay
Students will write a critical essay in response to a list of 8-10 questions. The essay will require students to reflect on aspects of postcolonial theory and apply them to a selected text. They must not repeat material from the short paper.


Version: (1.06B) Updated: 02/Oct/2013

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