| Unit name | Critical Issues |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL20100 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. James |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The unit will provide Medical Humanities students with a useful, appropriately pitched introduction to University-level English studies. Students will be trained to respond to literary texts in flexible, sophisticated and open-minded ways. In the process, they will be introduced to some of the major theoretical and critical preoccupations informing the discipline. The weekly seminar discussions will be grounded in the analysis of designated literary works, drawn from a diverse range. These works will be considered in the light of specific weekly topics, informed by further reading, so that students will examine the potential usefulness of discussing literature in the context of ideas derived from, for example, narratology, feminism and postcolonialism. Students will be encouraged to develop and defend textual responses and lines of critical reading through discussion and clear, effective communication in seminars. Seminars will be accompanied by a weekly skills lecture that introduces students to key research and writing skills. While the unit is free-standing and has its own intrinsic rationale, the approaches it introduces will prove enabling for Medical Humanities students in the other literature-related components of their iBAMH programme.
On completion of this unit, a successful student will be able to:
1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a diverse range of literary texts;
2. apply an understanding of critical and theoretical reading to specific issues articulated in the designated literary texts;
3. discriminate between different critical perspectives on the literature studied;
4. identify and present pertinent evidence to develop a cogent argument appropriate to level I;
5. demonstrate skills in textual analysis, argumentation, and critical interpretation, using evidence from primary texts and secondary sources.
6. demonstrate knowledge of academic conventions, research practice, and standards of presentation appropriate to level I.
Teaching will involve asynchronous and synchronous elements, including long- and short-form lectures, group discussion, research and writing activities, and peer dialogue. Students are expected to engage with the reading and participate fully with the weekly tasks and topics. Learning will be further supported through the opportunity for individual consultation.
Andrew Bennett and Nicholas Royle, An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory, 5th edn (Routledge, 2016)
Toni Morrison, Beloved (1987)
Kate Chopin, The Awakeni'ng (1899) Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1899) James Joyce, ‘The Dead’ (1914)
