Module Details

The information contained in this module specification was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change, either during the session because of unforeseen circumstances, or following review of the module at the end of the session. Queries about the module should be directed to the member of staff with responsibility for the module.
Title MILLENNIAL LITERATURE AND CULTURE
Code ENGL301
Coordinator Dr DM Hering
English
D.Hering@liverpool.ac.uk
Year CATS Level Semester CATS Value
Session 2020-21 Level 6 FHEQ First Semester 15

Aims

The aims of this module are as follows:

- To enable students to engage with a cross-section of international literature (fiction and non-fiction) from 1990 to the present day and to understand the concept of "millennial culture" as scholarly discipline.

- To allow students to become conversant with the major critical contexts of this era, to understand how these critical debates are conducted.

- To provide students with the materials to perform a critique of literature of the 1990s and 21st century within a social and political context.

- To attract students who are interested in approaching the study of contemporary literature as an inherently international practice.

- To develop skills in the comparison of literary and critical/theoretical writing, and in the understanding of how to apply theoretical contexts to contemporary literary contexts.


Learning Outcomes

(LO1) To identify the impact of critical and cultural arguments surrounding literature and criticism of the late 20th and early 21st century.

(LO2) To recognise different modes of contemporary writing and identify the social, political and cultural context within which they were created.

(LO3) To acquire and display a developed vocabulary of the critical terminology specific to the millennial era.

(LO4) To articulate the cultural relationship between literary and theoretical texts related to millennial culture.

(LO5) To recognise and respond to the discourse of millennial literature and culture as an inherently international undertaking.

(S1) Organisational skills: Ability to understand and critique the terminology of millennial literature and culture.

(S2) Communication skills: Ability to discuss the cultural discourse of the late 20th and early 21st century in designated teaching sessions.

(S3) International awareness: An understanding of millennial literature and culture as an international engagement.

(S4) Independent research and essay writing skills: Ability to research and develop ideas in the form of an assessed essay

(S5) Assessment planning skills: Ability to create a piece of formative assessment and develop it, through feedback and academic support, into a summative piece of written coursework.


Syllabus

 

Texts/authors on the syllabus may be subject to change, and are intended here to show the kind of reading required for each week.

Writers studied may include William Gibson, Jennifer Egan, Maggie Nelson, Claudia Rankine, David Foster Wallace, Donna Haraway and Colson Whitehead.

Subjects studied may include: post-humanism, postmodernism, neoliberalism, life-writing and memoir, digital culture, ecocriticism and climate change.

Reading will typically include both a piece of "literary" reading (a novel, a selection of short stories or nonfiction essays) and a piece of "cultural" reading (a scholarly or theoretical essay). Each seminar will incorporate two pieces of writing, one literary and one critical. The focus will generally be on contextual and comparative readings of shorter texts rather than one novel-length text per week, though students may still be required to read novels occasionally.

Comparative reading is essential to t his module, as it relies upon an understanding of a global and literary/critical context, and of reading literature in tandem with theory and criticism. Students will be able to treat theory, criticism and fiction/nonfiction as equally weighted in their class discussion and coursework.

Assessment will be via:

- A 1000w formative assessment (a plan for the assessed coursework at the end of the module)

- A 3000w summative assessment which will take the form of either a coursework essay or a creative exercise based upon the texts and themes explored within the module.


Teaching and Learning Strategies

Teaching Method 1: Session
Description:
1 x small-group session of 1 hour (synchronous)
1 x whole-cohort session of 1 hour (synchronous or asynchronous, as can be accommodated)
Attendance Recorded: Yes

Self-Directed Learning Description: During this time, students will be required to read ahead to fulfil their required weekly reading, and also to read more widely from an extensive list of secondary material which will be provided by the convenor - this will be made available via VITAL and the library e-reading list. VITAL will also give students access to a series of blended learning options (links to cinematic/televisual/documentary/online materials) that will enhance their learning. This time will also be used to write up assessment, both formative and summative.


Teaching Schedule

  Lectures Seminars Tutorials Lab Practicals Fieldwork Placement Other TOTAL
Study Hours           24

24
Timetable (if known)              
Private Study 126
TOTAL HOURS 150

Assessment

EXAM Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
             
CONTINUOUS Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
Assessment ID: Coursework Essay/Creative Exercise Assessment Description: Summative Coursework Essay Anonymous Assessment: Yes  3000 words    100       
Assessment ID: Essay Plan Assessment Description: Formative Essay Plan (unassessed) Anonymous Assessment: No Essay is not marked but feedback is given.  1000 words         

Recommended Texts

Reading lists are managed at readinglists.liverpool.ac.uk. Click here to access the reading lists for this module.