| Unit name | American Literature |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL20124 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Mr. Savage |
| 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?
This unit will introduce students to the wealth of literature in English in the period running approximately from 1550 to 1780. There will be opportunities to consider the rise of the novel and developments in poetry; students will also be encouraged to study parallel developments in society and in enlightenment thought and changing methods of literary production and consumption.
This unit aims to introduce you to a range of literature in the period running from the works of John Milton to Samuel Johnson. You will be introduced to a range of literary developments in this period, including the rise of the novel, and to relevant contexts that impact on particular texts and on literary production and reception more widely.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Period units facilitate your ongoing and detailed appreciation of the chronology and historical development of literature in English. You will gain knowledge of and insight into literary forms, from poetry and prose to critical essays and drama. You will develop your practice of academic skills in close analysis and argument, encounter key critical concepts, and enhance your confidence as a researcher. Period units will enable you to understand the importance of historical contexts from the medieval period to the present day, while developing your sense of literary studies as a discipline.
An overview of content
The unit aims to facilitate students' ongoing appreciation of the chronology and historical development of literature in English. Students will be introduced to a range of literary developments in the period under consideration, including 'pastoral', satire and the rise of the novel, and to relevant contexts that impact on particular texts and on literary production and reception more widely.
The unit will typically include readings from:
We will consider a range of texts across this unit, such as: The Shepherd’s Calendar, Paradise Lost, As You Like It, Marvell’s ‘Mower’ poems, Aemilia Lanyer poems, Oroonoko, Dryden’s classical translations, Swift’s A Modest Proposal, Rasselas and Evelina.
All the texts are either in the Norton English Literature anthologies of the periods, or are available with support from the University library online. Students can find the secondary literature (listed in weekly briefings on Blackboard) online, through links provided by the tutors, or in the library catalogue. Students will also have the benefit of PowerPoint slides in the seminars and on Blackboard which will have further ‘trigger’ or ‘review’ information through quoted material and links.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will encounter a range of texts considered ‘canonical’ which may be familiar yet which still hold imaginative gifts to be explored. They are of interest today because of their continuing thematic relevance, formal innovation and lively cultural and social interrogations, and because they are so consistently investigated by subsequent authors and artists of other kinds. In particular, learning about the ways in which women writers negotiated early modern literary institutions provides a way into thinking about the relationship between the literary canon and gender. Similarly, writers’ approach to expanding imperial development and its colonial consequences is reflected in the texts studied, alongside political and social satire. You will be able to think analytically about these texts and others like them, engaging with them in terms of their formal features and their relationship to the history that produced them. You will develop confidence in writing and research skills with which to examine effectively these texts and contexts.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
This unit is normally taught through a series of 3-hour seminars. Seminars use a range of teaching methods including lectures, 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. Students will be offered the opportunity to build towards summative assessments through informal formative work and feedback.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Presentation (30%) [ILOs 1-3]
2,500-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. ENGL20124).
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.
