| Unit name | Victorian Materialities |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL30079 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Tara Puri |
| 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?
As a specialist subject option, this unit reflects the research expertise and enthusiasms of the convenor, and offers students the chance to work directly with a member of staff who has strong connections to the subject field. You will have the opportunity to engage in greater depth with a specialised theme or topic, pursue advanced discussions, and develop your own arguments and contributions. Your specialist subject may build directly on work introduced at an earlier stage of study, or branch out in a different direction. It may reflect some of your longstanding interests, or expose you to new and unexpected ideas. In all cases, specialist subject options encourage students to think reflectively, creatively, and with increased independence about their identities and interests as scholars.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Specialist subject options are offered in the second and final years of the English programmes. It is standard practice for single honours students to take two specialist options in each of those years (one per TB), and for joint honours students to take one. Specialist subject options are available to students on Liberal Arts programmes, and may in some cases also be available to taught postgraduates (MA English, MA Medieval Studies, MA Black Humanities). The portfolio of units available will change from year to year based on staff availability, but it will consistently represent a full range of research strengths across the English department, as well as demonstrating our commitment to supporting choice and providing increased optionality as students progress through their programme.
An overview of content:
This unit will introduce students to Victorian literature through the perspective of material culture. The period witnessed an expanding commodity culture, prolific increase in print production, mechanisation of numerous technologies, and an obsession with ‘things’ that became central to the Victorian cultural imagination. Examining a range of literary texts alongside paintings, fashion plates from women’s magazines, advertisements and new technologies of modern life, we will analyse how these artefacts contribute to an understanding of Victorian literature and culture. We will make links between literature, the labour and material nature of literary production, and the objects that populate our chosen texts. In doing this, the unit aims to challenge our understanding of sexuality, gender, race, disability and class in the period.
Students will be given the opportunity to submit a draft or outline of your final, summative essay, and receive formative feedback.
How will you be different:
On completion of the unit students will have had the opportunity to engage with a range of canonical and non-canonical texts, gain an increased understanding of Victorian material culture, and refine their understanding of the period in ways that not only connect to the content of this unit, but will be a meaningful consolidation of their interests developed throughout the programme.
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
(1) demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of material culture in relation to Victorian literature
(2) show a critical understanding of the political, historical, cultural and theoretical contexts that influence this body of literature
(3) acquired the ability to analyse and evaluate differing critical accounts of the primary literature
(4) demonstrated the ability to identify and evaluate pertinent evidence in order to illustrate a cogent argument
(5) strengthened skills in argumentation, academic writing, and evaluation of textual evidence from a range of Victorian literature and culture.
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 count towards your unit mark (summative):
Essay, 3500 words (100%) [ILOs 1-5]
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. ENGL30079).
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.
