ENG4562 - Words On the Page

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
identify and demonstrate critical appreciation of narrative forms such as: fantasy, fabulation, romance, realism, metafiction, history; and poetic forms such as the sonnet, the dramatic monologue and free verse;
identify and demonstrate critical appreciation of literary devices such as: plot, characterisation, voice, and symbol; rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, and metre, using vocabulary accurately;
apply an understanding of a range of reading strategies, including recognition of genre, and of 'voice' in poetry;
draw upon their common experience of a range of narrative and poetic texts, relating their work appropriately to cultural and social contexts;
discuss specific stories and poems on the basis of a detailed and sensitive reading.

Content:

In Semester 1, students will be given the opportunity to develop skills in reading narrative texts closely, critically and analytically. They will also be enabled to define and use literary terms relevant to the study of narrative. Sessions will focus on the meanings of key literary terms and will also explore the distinctive nature of different modes of fiction and different styles of writing. The module will focus on a selection of short stories, presented as a CLARCS pack, from a range of different eras and cultural settings.

In semester 2, students will be given the opportunity to develop their skills in reading poetry critically and analytically. They will do this by exploring aspects of the poet’s craft through individual and group exercises drawing on particular poems from various periods. They will then study a selection of poems by particular poets from the early twentieth century, paying attention to their social and cultural contexts, innovations in technique, aspects of each poet’s vision and interpretation of human experience, and issues raised by the ‘modernist’ debate.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Workshops will combine tutor input, learning activities involving small-group discussion, and whole-class discussions.

Workshops
Contact hours: 40
Intended Group size: 25

Guided independent study,br> Hours: 160

Further details relating to assessment
The Skills Audit would comprise a research task, a close-reading exercise, an annotated reading list, and a short critical appreciation.

Other relevant matters
The tasks for the Skills Audit would be issued in stages over semester 1, and students would be given the opportunity to submit two of these, by intermediate deadlines, for formative feedback. In semester 2, students would be set regular quizzes to help them learn the key concepts to be tested in Question 1 of the unseen exam. The options for Question 2 would be presented in workshops 6-9. The final session would give them guidance on how to revise and prepare for the exam.

Assessment:

001 Skills Audit 1 x 2000 words end of semester 1 50%
002 Unseen paper 1.5 hours end of semester 2 50%
003 Skills Audit 1 x 2000 words end of semester 1 - visiting students only 100%


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