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 British Writing since 1945: Fiction and Drama
Code ENGL215
Coordinator Dr DJ O'Connor
English
D.Oconnor2@liverpool.ac.uk
Year CATS Level Semester CATS Value
Session 2022-23 Level 5 FHEQ First Semester 30

Aims

To equip you with the sophisticated reading skills needed to interpret British fiction and drama since 1945.  
To examine previous critical responses to these texts and weigh arguments against each other.  
To examine texts in their social and political context.
To compare techniques developed by writers with those developed by artists in other media, including painting, music and film.  
To develop a critical appreciation of narrative and dramatic techniques, their purposes, effects, and implications.   
To develop and deploy the nuanced forms of expression which will enable you to articulate your responses.


Learning Outcomes

(LO1) Students will acquire analytical skills and vocabulary appropriate to university-level work and be able to use them appropriately in relation to a range of sources from different historical periods and social contexts.

(LO2) Students will gain the ability to construct and support argument in written or spoken forms suitable for academic work and be able to participate constructively in group discussions.

(LO3) Students will gain awareness of cultural, theoretical and historical contexts of literature and language use.

(LO4) Students will have the ability to write well-constructed prose, reflecting appropriate scholarly knowledge and independent response within a sustained argument.

(LO5) Students will have knowledge of one or more specific literary historical periods and the language and genres associated with it/them.

(LO6) Students will have the ability to demonstrate research and evaluative skills that support wider literary or linguistic analysis, criticism, and/or data collection.

(LO7) Students will have the ability to demonstrate critical or creative engagement with contemporary practice in British fiction and drama.

(S1) Students will gain the ability to analyse and interpret sophisticated texts closely and critically.

(S2) Students will gain the ability to construct and support argument in both written and spoken forms.

(S3) Students will gain the ability to write with appropriate subject knowledge, using appropriate approaches and terminology.

(S4) Students will gain the ability to identify and assess relevant information and data, and argue independently in response.

(S5) Students will gain the ability to critically evaluate research materials.

(S6) Students will gain the ability to undertake independent research, and to develop a sense of research attitude.

(S7) Students will gain the ability to critically evaluate technical features of fictional prose and drama.


Syllabus

 

This module allows you to explore British fiction and drama in the years following the Second World War. Authors might include George Orwell, Sheila Delaney, Harold Pinter, Muriel Spark, Caryl Churchill, Salman Rushdie, Irvine Welsh and Zadie Smith. Workshops will address contemporary art, music and cinema, as well as the political and social contexts of the era.


Teaching and Learning Strategies

This module will be taught by 1 x weekly 1-hour tutorial with small group and 2 x weekly 1-hour workshops with whole cohort (F2F or online, as appropriate).


Teaching Schedule

  Lectures Seminars Tutorials Lab Practicals Fieldwork Placement Other TOTAL
Study Hours     11

    22

33
Timetable (if known)              
Private Study 267
TOTAL HOURS 300

Assessment

EXAM Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
Assessment 2 Scheduled by SAS, 24 hours duration, re-sit opportunity, anonymous’  24    60       
CONTINUOUS Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
Practice essay         
Critical/creative-critical Assessment 1  There is a resit opportunity.   Standard UoL penalty applies for late submission.   This is an anonymous assessment.     40       

Recommended Texts

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