Reading the World

We’ve designed Reading the World to build students’ skills in handling literary texts.  If you enjoy reading about different places, you’re ready to go. The rest you can learn!

Literature can be a data source, inspiration, or method to engage with alternative views on global environments, resources and cultures.  Our videos have leading authors of global literature in English performing their texts to camera. Working with their texts, you’ll see how you can use literature in your coursework. You’ll also learn about global citizenship and cultural diversity, build your confidence, and broaden your graduate skills.

On this site, you can:

  • watch these author videos
  • locate excerpts from their novels
  • find out about key literary concepts
  • link to academic research on the novels’ themes
  • try our suggested exercises
  • explore relevant articles and books
  • see how GEES students build texts into their projects
  • learn how textual skills feature in GEES graduate careers

Intended learning outcomes

  • Appreciate how geography acts as a structuring device for a) the novel and b) the society being represented by the author
  • Apprehend something of the local psychological context and the internal social and cultural classifications in the society the author represents
  • Become familiar with local pronunciation of place names and varied regional accents in world English
  • Analyze the role of geography and environment in creating the affective and sensual dimension of texts by viewing authors' live readings 
  • Use the texts, performances and linked resources to describe a non-tourist, non-representational perspective on everyday life in other cultures
  • Link textual skills to GEES career outcomes and employability