| Unit name | Dangerous Books |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL20023 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| 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) |
N/A |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
N/A |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Can works of literature only reflect society, or might they be a catalyst for reform? If a book has an urgent political message, can it also become a lasting work of art? Why might a work of literature be considered dangerous? In what circumstances are books banned? And conversely, what does this tell us about the power of literature, including in consciousness-raising or as a form of protest or resistance? This unit will explore these questions and others, through a reading of imaginative and non-fiction works.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Specialisation units challenge and empower you to engage with specific elements of advanced literary study. Specialisation units include taught options, which are closely informed by the world-leading research of individual academic staff, as well as final-year dissertation units that will enable you to pursue your own research or creative interests. Specialisation units cultivate ambition and independent learning, and showcase the department’s wide-ranging and varied expertise.
An Overview of Content
Dangerous Books explores radical literature (and literature made radical under duress) and its perceived role as a site of refuge and place of dissent. Students will consider the modern role of literature in fomenting and disseminating radical politics and will explore the interconnection of literature and resistance movements on a global scale.
Students will read imaginative and non-fiction works from c. 1800 to 2000 that might be thought to constitute a ‘radical’ tradition. Texts to be studied will include fiction of various kinds, including socially realist works and political allegories; essays and polemics; and literary texts in English from other cultures, for example apartheid South Africa.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
Upon completion of the unit, students will have more knowledge of the relationship between literature and radical politics, including the end of enslavement, anticolonialism and the struggle against fascism. Students will have more confidence in working and writing comparatively, and in moving between historical and geographical contexts.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1. develop a detailed knowledge and critical understanding of literary works in the nineteenth and twentieth century that might be thought to constitute a ‘radical’ tradition in the period;
2. analyse works by applying relevant historical and political contexts to this literature;
3. question the role of literature as a didactic, dangerous, powerful or revolutionary medium and consider the implications of these ideas for related questions in aesthetics and reception;
4. identify and evaluate pertinent evidence in order to articulate a cogent argument appropriate to level I/5
Teaching will involve asynchronous and synchronous elements, including group discussion, research and writing activities, and peer dialogue. Students are expected to 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 help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Students will be given the opportunity to submit an outline of your final essay and receive formative feedback.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
Essay, 3,000 words (100%) [ILOs 1-4].
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. ENGL20023).
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.
