| Unit name | Drinking in the words: The pleasures and pains of alcohol in British fiction and culture |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL20127 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Pam Lock |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
n/a |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
n/a |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
n/a |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
As a specialist subject option, this unit reflects the research expertise and enthusiasms of the convenor, and offers students the chance to work directly with a member of staff who has strong connections to the subject field. You will have the opportunity to engage in greater depth with a specialised theme or topic, pursue advanced discussions, and develop your own arguments and contributions. Your specialist subject may build directly on work introduced at an earlier stage of study, or branch out in a different direction. It may reflect some of your longstanding interests, or expose you to new and unexpected ideas. In all cases, specialist subject options encourage students to think reflectively, creatively, and with increased independence about their identities and interests as scholars.
How does this into fit into your programme of study?
Specialist subject options are offered in the second and final years of the English programmes. It is standard practice for single honours students to take two specialist options in each of those years (one per TB), and for joint honours students to take one. Specialist subject options are available to students on Liberal Arts programmes, and may in some cases also be available to taught postgraduates. The portfolio of units available will change from year to year based on staff availability, but it will consistently represent a full range of research strengths across the English department, as well as demonstrating our commitment to supporting choice and providing increased optionality as students progress through their programme
Overview of content:
This unit will support students to explore a range of different approaches to the consumption of alcohol with particular attention to identity, control, and free will regarding addiction, pleasure, free will, and consumption and in terms of the individual, the community, and the state apparatus (criminal, medical, legal etc). Materials will include 19th and 21st century novels and short stories, contemporary fiction, historical and contemporary newspapers and other periodicals, and autobiographies and biographies.
The unit will be organised in 3-week blocks, each block covering literary, historical, and contemporary approaches to that theme. For example, one block would cover the art of the confession: 1) ‘true’ confessional narratives of drunkards such as Charles Lamb; 2) fictionalised confessions such as Eliot’s ‘Janet’s Repentance’; 3) an independent research task to identify confessional narrative tropes in celebrity autobiographies. The overarching aim of this ‘thematic block’ would be to consider how and why the confessional narrative is important to public understandings of the pleasures and dangers of intoxication and alcohol (and other public discourses more widely). Each 3-week thematic block would include a flipped classroom session in which students present their ideas and research findings in short, informal presentations.
You will be given the opportunity to submit a draft or outline of your final, summative essay of up to 1,500 words and to receive feedback on this.
Learning outcomes:
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to...
1. Demonstrate insight into a wide range of fiction and historical materials from 1800 to present
2. Synthesise historical and literary materials to consider them in their mutual context
3. Consider the influence of historical fiction and culture on contemporary fiction and cultures
4. Carry out independent research projects, and discuss findings with peers in an informal environment
5. Deliver a persuasive written argument based on independent research
Teaching will involve asynchronous and synchronous elements, including 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
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
1 x 1500 word optional formative draft or plan, submission schedule to be confirmed by the unit tutor
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
1 x 3000 word essay (100%) [ILOs 1-5]
When assessment does not go to plan:
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ENGL20127).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
