Module ENGL2011: THEORY & PRACTICE OF LITERARY CRITICISM

Department: English Studies

ENGL2011: THEORY & PRACTICE OF LITERARY CRITICISM

Type	Open	Level	2	Credits	20	Availability	Available in 2010/11	Module Cap	None.	Location	Durham

Prerequisites

• At least one of the following modules: Introduction to Drama (ENGL1011), Introduction to the Novel (ENGL1061), Introduction to Poetry (ENGL1071).

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To introduce students to a critical sense of the presuppositions and principles of literary criticism and issues of knowledge, value and ideology arising from the practice of reading.
• To encourage this critical sense in the context of applied readings of literary texts.

Content

• The aim of this module is to introduce students to a sense of the intellectual context of modern criticism and to examine a number of different traditions of thought and critical practice that have contributed to the formation of current debates about the nature of literature and of literary criticism.
• Given the enormity of the subject matter, the issues addressed and traditions examined are a selection from a vast range of possibilities.
• The module focuses on twentieth-century critics, theorists and major contemporary debates:
• The relationship between texts, authors and readers.
• The issue of representation or the relationship between art and life.
• The social context of literature and the social function of criticism.
• The desirability and nature of aesthetic value judgements.
• The problems of interpretation.
• The attempt to define literariness or literary language.
• The role of the academy.
• The development of the humanist tradition and current anti-humanist theories (including post-structuralism, feminism, Marxism, and post-colonialism).

Learning Outcomes

• The students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of general issues in criticism including the relationship between texts, authors, and readers; the nature of aesthetic value judgements; definitions of the literary; the social context and function of literature. Identify presuppositions underlying critical concepts.

• Students studying this module will develop:
• critical skills in the close reading and analysis of texts
• an ability to demonstrate knowledge of a range of texts, authors, and critical approaches within this literary period
• skills in terms of abstract argument and applied critical reading
• an informed awareness of formal and aesthetic dimensions of literature and an ability to offer cogent analysis of their workings in specific texts relating to this literary period
• a sensitivity to generic conventions and to the shaping effects on communication of historical circumstances, and to the affective power of language
• an ability to articulate and substantiate an imaginative response to literature
• an ability to articulate knowledge and understanding of concepts and theories relating to this literary period
• skills of effective communication and argument
• a command of a broad range of vocabulary and an appropriate critical terminology
• an awareness of literature as a medium through which values are affirmed and debated

• Students studying this module will develop:
• a capacity to analyse critically
• an ability to acquire complex information of diverse kinds in a structured and systematic way involving the use of distinctive interpretative skills derived from the subject
• a competence in the planning and execution of essays
• a capacity for independent thought and judgement, and ability to assess the critical ideas of others
• skills in critical reasoning
• an ability to handle information and argument in a critical manner
• information-technology skills such as word-processing and electronic data access information
• organisation and time-management skills

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

• Lectures: enable students to gain subject-specific knowledge of cultural, aesthetic and intellectual issues in relation to individual works and authors, an area or period, or a theoretical or language-related topic; encourage students to be aware of the range and variety of approaches to literary study; present ideas and information to encourage, on the part of students, further thought and discussion
• Tutorials: enable students to explore, in a selective way, through small-group discussion, specific texts and topics (many of which will be addressed by lectures); to focus on selected literary issues and problems; and guide them in developing subject-specific analytical skills and knowledge
• Formative essays: are written on a text or texts, or a literary topic, and they require the student to demonstrate appropriate subject-specific knowledge and skills, such as the ability to articulate knowledge and understanding of concepts and theories relating to literary study. Written feedback is offered on all formative work. The first essay is carefully marked and returned to students individually in one 15-minute handback session. Formative essays allow for students to explore and try out without risk different approaches to and perspectives on literary texts; both essays are useful for revision purposes. A considerable element of choice of essay topics encourages development in students of their capacity for independent thought and judgement.
• Essay handback: encourages students to reflect critically and independently on their work
• Independent but directed reading in preparation for lectures and tutorials provides opportunity for students to enrich subject-specific knowledge and enhances their ability to develop appropriate subject-specific skills.
• Examination: tests the student's ability to present subject-specific knowledge, to select appropriate materials, and to construct and manage clear and effective arguments in a timed period; to demonstrate independent thinking, and test that students have achieved stated learning outcomes.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Lectures	21	1 Per Week	1 Hour	21
Tutorials	4		1 Hour	4	■
Essay Handback Session	1	1 in either Michaelmas Term or Epiphany Term	15 minutes	0.25	■
Preparation and Reading				174.75
Total				200

Summative Assessment

Examination 100% (three-hour sectionalised written examination). Students are required to answer two questions overall, one from each section. Section A addresses general issues in literary criticism and interpretative approaches to literature and encourages students to demonstrate an awareness of specific critics and critical perspectives. To facilitate student choice, candidates may select up to three texts (these must be without substantial personal or editorial material, including critical essays or detailed introductions) to bring into the examination for Section B. Section B invites candidates to discuss one or more literary works of their choice in relation either to a critical issue or approach.

Formative Assessment:

2 essays 1500-2000 words. The second essay is optional.

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■ 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