| Unit name | Cultural Encounters |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODLM0002 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Shilton |
| 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 | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Complimenting the other MA CLC TB1 core unit 'Comparative Literature: Debate, Contexts, Methods', you will explore the notion of the ‘encounter’ as a dominant force in contemporary experiences and understandings of culture. You will explore the ways in which cultures interact and are in dialogue with each other, by examining practices such as translation, adaptation, imitation and reception within and across borders. Encounters happen through displacement and mobility (e.g. travel and exile, in addition to the circulation of ideas and works), but also occur within cultures (e.g. between the rural and the industrial, and between high and low cultures). The encounter is characteristic of a globalised, transnational world; as such, you will be introduced to contemporary cultural theories such as post-modernism, post-colonialism and globalisation.
How does the unit fit into your programme of study?
You will also use the knowledge you gained from 'Comparative Literature: Debate, Contexts, Methods' to reflect on the historical precedents for these cultural practices, such as the movement of ideas across borders in the Romantic period. By fracturing the cultural ‘canon’ in this way, you will be introduced to some of the cutting-edge debates in academic discourse, such as multiculturalism, ecocriticism, political activism, and digital media criticism. This unit reflects current emphases, in Modern Languages, on developing decolonial curricula and perspectives.
An overview of content
The course will offer an introduction to thinking about encounters in relation to a range of literary and visual cultural production. Topics and texts explored on this course will vary, but examples range from adaptation and travel writing to ethnography and the encounter with ‘nature’, art and activism, and multiculturalism in film. You will be introduced to work in a range of media from literature to photography and video art from regions including Latin America, North Africa, Asia and Europe.
How will you, personally, be different as a result of this unit?
In addition to gaining a greater understanding of literature, art, culture and the range of themes above, you will develop a critical decolonial perspective and an understanding of how visual images work. This can be applied beyond this unit in contexts from social media to the street. You will also develop your analytical skills, which is essential preparation for a wide range of graduate jobs or for further postgraduate research.
Learning outcomes
By studying this unit, you will:
Learning activities will include close analysis of works of literature, art and cinema and discussion of secondary critical / theoretical texts from a range of fields and disciplines. Each week, you will be provided with a set of questions to guide you in your reading and analysis of the primary works. These questions will be discussed in the seminar. There will be a dynamic mix of class discussion and pair / group work. There may also be exercises based on a gallery visit / screening / talk.
These activities and modes of learning have been chosen to help you to develop your knowledge and analytical skills in diverse, multimedial (and, hopefully, fun!) ways. They will help you to practise the skills required for your assessments but also for future units and graduate employment. (Please see the list of Intended Learning Outcomes above.)
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative)
Each week, you will be asked to analyse closely a work of art or a set of images. There will be introductory activities on visual analysis to help you to build your confidence in relation to visual material. A visit to a local art exhibition or film screening or talk / panel will be included if relevant to the course, enabling application of your analytical skills beyond the classroom. These tasks are directly related to the summative assessment, helping you to prepare for this from the beginning of the course.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
1 x 10-minute Group Presentation (30%) and 1 x 20-minute Group Presentation (70%); both assessments cover all ILOs.
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 form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic 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. MODLM0002).
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.
