Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2005-2006 (archived)

Module RUSS3311: RUSSIAN LITERATURE OF 20TH CENTURY

Department: MODERN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES (RUSSIAN)

RUSS3311: RUSSIAN LITERATURE OF 20TH CENTURY

Type	Open	Level	3	Credits	20	Availability	Available in 2005/06	Module Cap	None	Location	Durham

Prerequisites

Russian Grammar and Composition (RUSS2181) OR Russian Grammar and Composition with Year Abroad (RUSS2171) OR an equivalent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Corequisites

Modern Languages, Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' programmes: Russian Language (RUSS3031). Others: see Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Excluded Combination of Modules

None

Aims

to familiarise students with the principal themes and directions of Russian literary texts of the Soviet and post-Soviet periods in the context of Russian narrative discourse through the stylistic analysis of original texts
to provide a factual background against which individual works will be perceived in their proper historical, cultural and stylistic context.
to help students to achieve their maximum potential through one-to-one tutorials and personal guidance on essay subjects and further reading

Content

the course will offer a 20th-century history alternative/complement tothe other final-year course on offer
designed for students with an intermediate knowledge of Russian language and intermediate reading skills in Russian
Students will study the basic texts in English translation with particular attention to stylistic analysis of the key fragments in Russian.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

Concentrating on individual works and original texts gain an understanding of the main trend in the development of Russian narrative discourse of the Soviet and post-Soviet period (Stalin's Terror; the 60s and the 70s; Perestroika and Glasnost; Post-Socialism and Post-Modernism) in a broad historical and cultural context.

Subject-specific Skills:

Develop techniques of textual analysis of literary sources, understanding of critical assessment and build on the skills introduced in year two.

Key Skills:

Skills in writing literary essays on the topics of their choice.
Express own ideas written form.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

Fortnightly seminars will be used to read, examine and analyse texts and visual media relating to the literary text of the week and will also involve continuing development of presentation skills.
Tutorials will be organised throughout the year to allow students to discuss any formative work, such as seminar presentations, critical reviews or essays.
Independent learning will be structured around the preparation for seminars and research for the summative essay.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Lecture	21	Weekly	1 hour	21
Tutorial	2	one in Term 1, one in Term 2	20 minutes	.66
Seminar	10	Fortnightly	1 hour	10
Total contact hours				31.66
Student preparation and reading time associated with the contact hours listed above, formative and summative coursework, general background reading, revision for written examinations, etc				168.34
SLAT Totals				200

Summative Assessment

Component: Summative Essay		Component Weighting: 40%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Summative Essay	2,000 words	100%
Component: Written Examination		Component Weighting: 60%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Written Examination	2 hours	100%

Formative Assessment:

Two 1,500-word formative essays

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University