ENG5812 - English Research and Essay-Writing Workshop

Objectives:

On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

(1) Make effective use of a broad range of library and ICT resources to find critical essays and other information relevant to a particular literary topic;
(2) Read and evaluate this material, show understanding of its context, and summarise its contribution to critical debate on the topic;
(3) Present a short oral report on their reading and research, using appropriate audio-visual and IT resources;
(4) Engage in critical debate in their own essays, summarising and quoting from other critical essays and discussing the implications for their own argument;
(5) Demonstrate understanding of the principles of good scholarship and effective communication in the production of a critical essay.

Content:

During Semester 1 students will complete a series of exercises (some assessed via portfolio) designed to develop and consolidate the subject-specific skills of research, analysis, argument, critical debate and scholarly presentation to which they were introduced at Level 1. Tasks will include: revising and correcting a Level 1 essay in light of tutor feedback; using TASC library stock and the English e-library to research a specific topic and report back on findings; formulating critical questions appropriate for particular topics; summarising existing critical debate on a topic; exercises in proof-reading and in identifying examples of poor scholarship. Most of these tasks will be focused on the study of two literary texts which have become canonical in the sense that they have been subject to a wide range of different interpretations and discussions since they were first published, so there is a lot of critical material available to be found and evaluated.

During Semester 2 students will develop their understanding of literary theory, and reflect on their practice as critical readers and essay-writers, through case studies of two more canonical texts. In each case a range of different interpretations of the text will be discussed and evaluated; and the theoretical principles determining the different approaches will be explored. During the semester students will complete a further series of exercises designed to develop their essay-writing skills. This will culminate in the planning and completion of a critical essay on one of the texts studied, accompanied by a paragraph-by-paragraph gloss making explicit how each paragraph in the essay contributes to the development of the argument.

The four main texts to be studied will be taken from the three periods of literary history which are studied as part of the English core at Level 3. Thus there will be at least one text from the period of ‘Classicism and Romanticism’ (eg ‘The Ancient Mariner’); at least one text from the nineteenth century (eg Wuthering Heights, ‘Goblin Market’); and at least one text from the twentieth century (eg Conrad, ‘The Secret Sharer’). There will also be opportunities throughout the module for students to research and experiment with the application of the various critical approaches to other texts, including some less ‘canonical’, from the same periods.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Seminars will combine tutor input with analysis and discussion of texts and a range of practical exercises and learning activities, including some involving library-based research. Assessment presentations will take place in class. Learning will be supported by handouts and by preparation and reading in advance as directed by the tutor.

Seminars
Contact hours 32
Number of groups 1

Individual Tutorial
Contact hours 1

Assessment: