Unit name | Introduction to Brazilian Cultural Studies |
---|---|
Unit code | MODLM0004 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Atkin |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Modern Languages |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit is particularly geared towards preparation for MLitt/PhD research in Brazilian studies. It introduces MA students to twentieth-century Brazilian culture through guided reading of a range of cultural, critical and theoretical texts. It will draw on diverse cultural media such as literature, drama, film music and/or fine art. The unit will focus on key concerns in Brazilian cultural studies, for example political issues, artistic and intellectual currents, social and racial inequality, regional specificities, the idea of nation, gender and corporeality. Guided reading introduces students to a range of key issues and is complemented by in-depth independent learning, tailored as appropriate to students’ specific interests.
Students will be able to: (1) demonstrate a broad understanding of key issues across twentieth-century Brazilian cultural studies, (2) analyse critical and theoretical texts on Brazilian culture, (3) appraise such texts in formal academic writing, (4) analyse specific areas of Brazilian cultural studies in depth, and (5) construct independently, with guidance, a critical written assessment of such areas.
Students will be set guided reading tasks, meeting the tutor(s) to discuss the material read. Preparation for these meetings will be cumulative preparation for the literature review. In preparation for their essay, students will typically attend undergraduate classes in Lusophone studies where the material is relevant to their work, in addition to meeting with a supervisor to refine and develop a topic arising from the initial reading.
A 2,000-word literature review (40%: learning outcomes 1-3) and a 3,000-word essay (60%: learning outcomes 4 and 5)