Revolutions and Evolutions 19C Writings
| Module title | Revolutions and Evolutions 19C Writings |
|---|---|
| Module code | EAS2029 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Tricia Zakreski (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 90 |
|---|
Module description
Revolutions and Evolutions explores a wide range of literature written during the Victorian period. You will study literary texts by writers such as Charles Dickens, Charlotte Brontë, and Thomas Hardy in relation to central historical, social, and cultural developments in the nineteenth century. The texts on this module are thematically arranged in order to illuminate a number of the important and exciting conceptual developments of the nineteenth century including the production and consumption in world of work; developing notions of the self and subjectivity; the emergence of the mass cultural market; and the connections between the past, present, and future.
Module aims - intentions of the module
- As well as studying a selection of major Victorian texts in depth, to consider these texts in their historical, social, and cultural contexts. The use of a course reader will introduce you to a range of texts beyond the core reading that will give you a broad understanding of the major themes that influence the literary production of the period. Such themes include imperialism, industrialisation and urbanisation; gender and identity, religion, secularism and the rise of science; liberalism; the emergence of the mass market; and the development of new literary forms such as the short story.
- To emphasise how these developments are inter-related and how they are engaged with literary and cultural production as it emerged in the course of the century. Lectures and seminars will model research and interpretation that brings together literary and non-literary texts with issues of wider social, cultural, and historical context. Seminars will aim to encourage you to read texts closely in full consciousness of their historical and cultural positioning. You will be expected to participate in class discussion and will be encouraged to hold independent small group meetings in preparation for the seminars.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate detailed, analytical knowledge of selected major texts from the Victorian period
- 2. Demonstrate an appreciation of the relation between nineteenth-century literature and important historical and intellectual developments of the time
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Demonstrate an ability to analyse the literature of an earlier era and to relate its concerns and its modes of expression to its historical context
- 4. Demonstrate an ability to interrelate texts and discourses specific to their own discipline with issues in the wider context of cultural and intellectual history
- 5. Demonstrate an ability to understand and analyse relevant theoretical ideas, and to apply these ideas to literary texts
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Through seminar work, demonstrate communication skills, and an ability to work both individually and in groups
- 7. Through essay-writing, demonstrate appropriate research and bibliographic skills, a capacity to construct a coherent, substantiated argument and a capacity to write clear and correct prose
- 8. Through research for seminars and essays, demonstrate proficiency in information retrieval and analysis
- 9. Through research, seminar discussion, and essay writing demonstrate a capacity to question assumptions, to distinguish between fact and opinion, and to critically reflect on their own learning process
- 10. Through sitting their final examination, demonstrate proficiency in the use of memory and in the development, organisation, and expression of ideas under pressure of time
Syllabus plan
Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:
The Condition of England and the World of Work:
- Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Maud
- Thomas Hardy, Mayor of Casterbridge
The Self and Subjectivity:
- Charlotte Brontë, Villette
- Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
Writers and Readers:
Serialisation and Print Culture:
- Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend
Modernity and Anti-Modern: Spaces and Times:
- H. Rider Haggard, King Solomon’s Mines
- Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
- The New Woman, Selections of Short Stories
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | 261 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 16 | 16 x 1 hour lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 1 | Revision lecture |
| Guided independent study | 103 | Seminar preparation (individual) |
| Guided independent study | 158 | Reading, research and essay preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay proposal | 500 words | 1-5, 7-9 | Peer assessed with office hours follow-up |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 45 | 2000 words | 1-5, 7-9 | Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up |
| Examination | 45 | 2 hours | 1-5, 7-10 | Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up |
| Seminar participation | 10 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay | 1-5, 7-9 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Examination | Examination | 1-5, 7-10 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Seminar participation |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Primary texts:
- Charlotte Bronte, Villette (1853). Oxford World Classics. Ed. Margaret Smith.
- Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton (1848), Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Thomas Recchio.
- Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886). Norton Critical Edition. Ed Phillip Mallett.
- H. Rider Haggard, King Solomon's Mines (1885). Oxford World Classics, Ed. Dennis Butts.
- Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend (1864-5) Penguin, 1997. Ed. Adrian Poole.
- Victorian Literature: A Sourcebook, ed. John Plunkett and Ana Parejo Vadillo Palgrave, 2012.
- Angelique Richardson, ed, Women Who Did: Stories by Men and Women, 1890-1914. Penguin, 2002.
- Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oxford World Classics. Ed. Isobel Murray.
- Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Penguin 2003. Ed Hugh Haughton.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/01/2012 |
| Last revision date | 26/10/2018 |
