| Unit name | Literatures of Decolonisation |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL30147 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Crowley |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Literatures of Decolonisation ask fundamental questions about what it means to study (English) literature at university, but also what role literature specifically and the arts/humanities more broadly have played in anticolonial and decolonial struggles around the world. The unit therefore encourages students to think critically about their own engagement with literature and literary studies while introducing them to the roles literary texts have played in asking questions about what colonialism is, what it means to be colonized, and how we continue to live with the effects of colonisation, and decolonisation, in the UK. The unit will provide you with a set of literary, sonic and visual materials which chart histories of resistance to colonial rule, as well as articulations of anticolonial ideas and practice in parts of Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas and elsewhere
The unit will enable you to ask critical questions about the foundations of literary study, and the relationship of empire to the creation of intellectual disciplines. You will deepen your understanding of theories of feminism, Marxism, environmentalism and postcolonialism by considering how these theories intersect with calls for decolonisation in the work of authors studied on this unit.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Exploration units offer thought-provoking and engaging investigations into key topics, including period-focused, thematic, and trans-historical options. You will hone your abilities as a researcher able to navigate skilfully a range of databases and archives, as well as engaging effectively with more advanced critical and theoretical perspectives. Exploration units ask you to both rethink the familiar and meet the unexpected, and encourage you to develop depth as well as breadth of critical understanding.
An overview of content.
The unit will explore literature from the post-WWII ‘decolonisation era’ to the present moment, taking in writing from Southern Africa, US/Mexico, Kenya, the Caribbean, and elsewhere. These texts will include novels, poetry, critical theory and experimental memoir. The unit will also include weekly film material, including a number of documentaries, that help to visually chart the archives and recordings of colonisation and resistance while providing helpful context and study aides.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit:
On completion of this unit students will be able to demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of the ways in which literature, as an aesthetic form, intervenes in, contests and participates in varying forms of socio-political discourse at national, transnational and global scales. They will be able to apply a thorough understanding of a range of historical, cultural and intellectual issues to readings of literature and literary studies in the contexts of decolonization, anti-colonial resistance, and indigenous-led movements for environmental activism.
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
The unit is taught by seminars and a programme of cohort sessions. Teaching includes group discussion, research and writing activities, and peer dialogue. Students are expected to attend all timetabled teaching, engage with the reading, and participate fully with the weekly tasks and topics. Learning will be further supported through the opportunity for individual consultation.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Group project (30%) [ILOs 1-4].
2,000 word essay (70%) [ILOs 1-3].
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ENGL30147).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
