Module Identifier EN20120  
Module Title READING THEORY/READING TEXT 1  
Academic Year 2001/2002  
Co-ordinator Dr Elizabeth Oakley-Brown  
Semester Semester 2  
Other staff Dr Christoph Lindner, Mrs Carol Marshall, Dr Damian Walford Davies, Dr Elizabeth McAvoy, Mrs Lillian Stevenson, Mr Matthew Jarvis, Mr Michael Smith, Mr Robert Cooper, Dr Sean Matthews, Dr Tiffany Atkinson  
Pre-Requisite EN10320 , EN10420  
Course delivery Lecture   20 Hours  
  Seminar   10 Hours  
Assessment Essay   1 x 2,500 word essay   25%  
  Exam   2 Hours (Students will be required to answer two questions in a two-hour pre-released examination paper.)   75%  
  Resit assessment   Resubmit any failed elements and/or make good any missing elements.    

Brief description


This module aims to build on work introduced in EN10320 The Study of English. It seeks to introduce students to some of the major theoretical formations in literary theory of the twentieth century; to acquaint students with the work of a range of important literary theorists; and to investigate how different theories interrelate and confront one another. It also aims to prepare students for the applied theory module EN30920 Reading Theory/Reading Text 2. It may be taken as a free standing module by Joint Honours students.


Topics
1. Structuralism, semiotics, and narratology
2. Marxism, history, and ideology
3. Poststructuralism and deconstruction
4. Gender criticism and feminism
5. Psychoanalysis, subjectivity, and identity
6. Postcolonialism, nation, and ethnicity


Lectures and seminars
There will be two lectures per week. Lectures offering explanations of theoretical ideas will be interlaced with lectures which seek to discuss theories in a cross-perspectival fashion. The weekly seminars will use the module reader to focus on the following topics: Structuralism, Marxism, Poststructuralism, Feminism and Psychoanalysis.


Assessment
Students will be required to write one x 2,500 word essay, and to answer two questions in a 2-hour pre-released examination paper. The essay will contribute 25% of the module mark, the examination 75%.


Required text
Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan, eds., Literary Theory: An Anthology (Oxford: Blackwell, 1998)

Aims and objectives


to introduce students to some of the major theoretical formations in literary theory of the twentieth century;
to acquaint students with the work of a range of important literary theorists;
to investigate how different theories interrelate and confront one another;
to prepare students for the applied theory module EN30920 Reading Theory/Reading Text 2.

Learning outcomes


On completion of this module students should typically be able to:
summarise and explain some of the basic concepts and key ideas underpinning a range of theoretical approaches;
distinguish between different theoretical approaches;
evaluate the significance of particular theoretical approaches for the practice of literary criticism;
employ elements of particular theoretical approaches in the critical analysis of passages from literary texts.