Postgraduate Course: Literary Studies Fiction Year One (Online Learning) (ENLI11222)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Students will read one collection of short stories every 3 weeks, (or a selection from the set text stipulated by course director). In student-led forums in which the course director also participates, they will discuss the material in light of their own process and the secondary material set. The emphasis of this course is on reading as a writer. Students will submit two critical responses (each of 500 words) at intervals throughout the year and, at the end of the year, an essay of 3000 words. For critical responses, students choose their own topic and title. Essay titles are set by the course director. |
| Course description |
This is an introduction to the short story. Many who embark on a programme in creative writing find themselves, in the first instance, drawn to the short story, a fluid and versatile form, yet often have less experience of reading short stories than of reading novels. The course encourages students to read as writers, to consider the possibilities of the form, and exemplars of it, in the light of both critical commentary and the students¿ own practice. To highlight the strengths of the form and its different dynamics, texts from mid 19th to the 21st century. The course does not intend to offer a survey of the history and development of the form; rather it highlights writers who bring something individual and memorable. The material is international and some texts will be read in translation. Too often the short story is considered a stepping stone to larger and, by implication, greater work. This course aims to demonstrate that, in its precision and concentration, its powers of suggestion and its essential economy of expression, the short story is a perfectionist¿s art. Each text will have its own discussion board and each board will have a student host, who will initiate discussion by posting a range of topics and close the board by summarising response. The course director will, largely, participate in the discussion on an equal footing as the students: developing writers need to learn to identify for themselves what to take from their reading. The opportunity to compare and contrast responses, and to revisit the reponse for the duration of the course, will raise critical skills and offer increased scope for critical response.
1. Nikolay Gogol, Diary of a Madman, the Government Inspector and
Selected Stories
2. Anton Chekhov, About Love and Other Stories
3. Katherine Mansfield, Selected Stories
4. Ernest Hemingway, The Snows of Kilimanjaro
5. Flannery O'Connor, The Complete Stories
6. Alice Munro, Selected Stories
7. T.C. Boyle, Wild Child
8. Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies
9. Sandra Cisneros, Woman Hollering Creek
10. Annie Proulx: Close Range
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Essential course texts |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 2,
Online Activities 40,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 12,
Formative Assessment Hours 6,
Summative Assessment Hours 3,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
133 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
2 x 500 word critical responses (10% each) and a 3000 word essay (80%) |
| Feedback |
Detailed written feedback on assessments is provided 3 times in the course of the year.
Towards the end of the first semester, and again before the spring break, students submit a critical response of 500 words. These short assessments are marked by the course director, and moderated by another member of staff. From the course director, students will receive feedback on content, structure, style, presentation and referencing, and overall performance. While assessed, these exercises also provide students with the opportunity to hone their critical writing skills, with guidance, in advance of the longer task of the essay.
At the end of the academic year, students submit a 3,000 word essay which is double marked by the course director and another member of staff. Full comments as above are provided by both markers.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Identify and summarise key structural, thematic and linguistic components of a literary text
- Evaluate and critique literary texts and scholarly material
- Synthesise information and articulate ideas in formal writing and group discussion
- Compose and structure a coherent and relevant argument in response to literary texts and scholarly material
- Locate and access relevant information and material through online databases and other web-based resources
|
Reading List
T.C. Boyle, Wild Child
Anton Chekhov, About Love and Other Stories
Sandra Cisneros, Woman Hollering Creek
Nikolay Gogol, Diary of a Madman, the Government Inspector and Selected Stories
Ernest Hemingway, The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies
Katherine Mansfield, Selected Stories
Alice Munro, Selected Stories
Flannery O'Connor, The Complete Stories
Annie Proulx: Close Range |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will have the ability to interrogate a wide range of literary texts; to assess and structure coherent arguments; to weigh up differing viewpoints and arrive at valid conclusions; and to navigate a wide variety of interpretations and opinions. In addition, they will be aware of how best to turn language to ends appropriate to a variety of situations, and will have learned to organise study around work or family, to manage their time in order to meet deadlines, and to work independently. |
| Keywords | LSF1 |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Dilys Rose
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Kara Mccormack
Tel: (0131 6)50 3030
Email: |
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