Undergraduate Course: Sources of the Self: the Making of American Identity (ENLI10197)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | English Literature |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
http://www.englit.ed.ac.uk/studying/undergrd/honours/3year/index.htm |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | Individualism has played a crucial role in America's ideological and literary development. For many authors, America was not only a New World, but it also promised new identities, and new ways of conceiving the self. The course will consider whether there is such as thing as a distinctly 'American' self. Some of the questions it will consider are: How is American identity constructed? What did the rise of individualism contribute to this process? How has American identity evolved from the eighteenth to the late twentieth century? The course also examines American encounters with 'others' - racial, social, moral, sexual, national, and environmental - in order to understand the various ways in which the self has been conceptualized. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | A MINIMUM of three college/university level literature courses at grade B or above (should include no more than one introductory level literature course). Related courses such as civilisation or creative writing are not considered for admissions to this course.
Applicants should also note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. In making admissions decisions preference will be given to students who achieve above the minimum requirement with the typical visiting student admitted to this course having three to four literature classes at grade A.
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| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| Students will engage in a chronological consideration of literary and non-literary texts, evaluating their developing contribution to ideas of American selfhood. They will learn to assess critically the varieties of American experience and identity, from the 18th century to the late 20th century. |
Assessment Information
1 essay of 2,500 words (25%); 1 examination essay of 3,000 words (75%)
Visiting Student Variant Assessment
1 essay of 2,500 words (25%); 1 examination essay of 3,000 words (75%) |
Special Arrangements
| Numbers are limited to 15, with priority given to students taking degrees involving English or Scottish Literature and Visiting Students placed by the Admissions Office. Students not in these categories need the written approval of the Head of English Literature before enrolling. In the case of excess applications places will be decided by ballot. |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
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| Transferable skills |
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| Reading list |
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | |
Course secretary | Ms Sheila Strathdee
Tel: (0131 6)50 3619
Email: |
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