CORE MODULES – YEAR 1/LEVEL 4
CC4301 Introduction to Literature: Form and Theory
How do we interpret what we read? Why do two people reading the same text have
different interpretations of it? The study of literature encompasses a range of forms,
and this module focuses on two of the most familiar: poetry and the novel. We study
some of the ways that structure and language create meaning, focusing on the
importance of textual analysis as part of wider debates about interpreting literature.
The module also introduces the key interpretive frameworks that help us make sense
of literary texts. We look at how these frameworks – theories – can be applied to
literature in order to produce different interpretations, and in how theories of literature
and culture have changed. Theories we will study include structuralism, Marxism,
psychoanalytic theory, feminism, postcolonial theory, queer theory and
deconstruction
Indicative reading: Tyson, Critical Theory Today; Boyle, The Tortilla Curtain; Reid
Banks, The L-Shaped Room; Selvon, The Lonely Londoners; selection of poetry
from the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries
Assessed by one textual analysis, one essay and one exam
CC4301 is a pre-requisite for all literature modules in Years 2 and 3
CC4303 Popular Fiction
What’s popular – books, music, television, fashion – has something to tell us about
the context in which it was produced, read, re-read and critiqued. Popular and
populist texts are important precisely because they articulate particular interests,
fears and desires. We also consider the relationship between various genres and
culture more widely, to understand their social significance. In this module we look
at forms of genre fiction, including science fiction and fantasy, young adult fiction,
intercultural literature, detective/crime fiction and romances. We examine the key
aspects of each form, including style, theme, plot and character.
Indicative reading: du Maurier, Rebecca; Hosseini, The Kite Runner, Martin, A
Game of Thrones; Conan Doyle, The Speckled Band and Other Stories; LeCarre,
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold; Asimov, ‘I, Robot;’ Poe, ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’
Assessed by one textual analysis, one essay and one group presentation
CC4305 Approaches to Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is one of the most significant writers in the English language,
and his work is a cornerstone of the study of literature in higher education. Why has
Shakespeare remained so important, and what can his work and his enduring
popularity tell us about our contemporary world? We study a range of
Shakespearean drama in order to understand its importance both historically and
culturally. In addition to a close analysis of the texts, we will consider some of the
many possible interpretations of these plays – both in theory and in practice.
Indicative reading: Shakespeare, The Tempest; Richard III; Henry V; Much Ado
About Nothing; Macbeth; Othello; The Merchant of Venice; McEvoy, Shakespeare:
The Basics; Ryan, Shakespeare; Wells and Orlin, Shakespeare: An Oxford Guide
Assessed by one critical analysis portfolio and one essay
OPTION/STRAND MODULES – YEAR 1/LEVEL 4
CC4302 Tradition and Change in Western Literature
What is literature, and how has our understanding of changed over time? How did
literature begin? What are the key texts that we should be familiar with as scholars
of literature – and who decided which texts are most important? This literature
module explores the origins of western literature and signposts some of the
important issues and ideas we’ll examine in more detail in the second and third years
of the degree. In the second half of the module, we look at literature that challenges
the established traditions of western literature, in form, content and authorship.
Indicative reading: Homer, Odyssey; Sophocles, Oedipus the King; Sir Gawain and
the Green Knight; Dante, Inferno; Tennyson, ‘The Lotus Eaters;’ Mansfield, ‘Bliss,’
Ionesco, The Chairs; Lamming, In the Castle of My Skin; Borges, ‘The Secret
Miracle;’ poetry by Pound, Moore, Stevens, Cobbing, Morgan, Phillips
Assessed by one textual analysis portfolio and one essay
CC4101 Creative Writing: Creative Practice I
How do writers begin to imagine? This Creative Writing module introduces different
processes and approaches in the development of fiction. Students will examine
poetry, prose and scripts to explore the strategies that support creative writing.
Assessment: portfolio, revised essay, critical reflection
MS4202 Film: Film Analysis
How do we make sense of visual imagery? What different approaches can we take
to analysing film? This module examines a range of films and interpretive strategies.
Assessment: three essays
CC4406 History: Britain and Europe in the Long 19th Century
Why is the nineteenth century so important to our understanding of Britain and the
rest of Europe, both historically and in contemporary life? This History module
explores industrialisation, democratisation and imperialism to assess their impact on
social and cultural life in relation to class, gender and empire.
Assessment: three essays
CORE MODULES – YEAR 2/LEVEL 5
CC5302 Writing Early Modern England
The chronological path of the degree begins with this module, which introduces the
poetry and drama of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and some of the
critical debates around this literature. The ‘English renaissance’ produced some of
Britain’s most enduring and valued literature, and we situate our analysis of this
poetry and drama within the fascinating religious, political and social turmoil of the
Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. Among the issues we will explore are gender,
power, sexuality, the self, nation and national identity and religion.
Indicative reading: selected poetry by Donne, Herbert, Jonson, Wroth, Marvell,
Shakespeare, Sidney, Herrick, Lanyer and others; Shakespeare, Hamlet; Marlowe,
Dr Faustus; Webster, The Duchess of Malfi; Milton, Paradise Lost
Assessed by an analysis/review portfolio and essay
CC5301 English Literature: Defoe to Dickens
When we think about reading or studying literature, the novel is the form that often
springs to mind. How did the novel evolve to become the dominant literary form?
What social and historical forces shaped its emergence? Alongside a survey of key
texts in eighteenth and nineteenth century literature, this module examines the
development of the novel as a literary form. Our study of the origins of the novel
brings together the cultural significance of the novel, literary movements including
the gothic, romanticism and realism, and issues such as race, class and gender.
Indicative reading: Defoe, Robinson Crusoe; Richardson, Pamela; Fielding, Tom
Jones; Radcliffe, The Italian; Austen, Pride and Prejudice; Collins, The Woman in
White; Dickens, Hard Times; Eliot, Silas Marner; Shelley, Frankenstein; Wordsworth
and Coleridge, Lyrical Ballads
Assessed by two essays and an exam
CC5304 Danger and Desire
Urbansiation, empire, decadence, deviance, questions about established ideas in
religion and science: the end of the nineteenth century is a significant period in
European culture and literature. We look at the way some of the key concerns of the
fin-de-siecle – including science, sex, religion and doubt – were represented in
various literary movements in the later nineteenth century. Danger and Desire
focuses on the British tradition, but opens debate out to include continental
European literature as well. Among the movements and genres we will study are
aestheticism, decadence, science fiction and imperial adventure.
Indicative reading: Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray; Stoker, Dracula; Wells, The
Island of Dr Moreau; Conrad, Heart of Darkness; Haggard, She; Strindberg, Miss
Julie; Schnitzler, Round Dance; Luckhurst, Late Victorian Gothic Tales; Romer,
French Decadent Tales
Assessed by one group presentation, one research project and employability portfolio
OPTION/STRAND MODULES – YEAR 2/LEVEL 5
CC5307 American Literature
In 1941, Time publisher Henry Luce described the twentieth century as ‘the
American century.’ One of the most interesting ways to understand the continuing
impact and significance of American culture is through the study of literature. This
module explores literature from the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries in
order to understand some significant issues in US culture. These include the
American dream, the frontier, individualism, place and space, and the literary
legacies of the Atlantic slave trade. We also examine the emergence of regional and
ethnic literatures as part of the continually shifting landscape of the American
imagination.
Indicative reading: Melville, ‘Bartleby, the Scrivener;’ Crane, ‘The Blue Hotel;’ Didion,
‘Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream;’ Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf;
Faulkner, ‘A Rose for Emily;’ O’Connor, ‘Good Country People;’ Alvarez, ‘Yo!;’
Jackson, ‘The Lottery;’ Lardner, ‘Haircut;’ Moore, ‘You’re Ugly, Too;’ Rash, ‘Back of
Beyond;’ Cheever, ‘The Swimmer,’ selected poems by Cullen, Hughes, Baraka,
Clifton, Jordan, Giovanni, Snyder
Assessed by one textual analysis portfolio and one essay
CC5101 Creative Writing: Creative Practice II
This Creative Writing module builds on approaches developed in the first year of
study. Students will engage with the processes of writing poetry, short prose and
extended prose fiction.
Assessment: portfolio, critical reflection
Pre-requisite: Creative Practice I
MS5204 Film: Critical Theory
This Film module draws on different cinematic genres to examine the relationship
between films, audiences and various theoretical/interpretive frameworks.
Assessment: three essays
Pre-requisite: Film Analysis
CC5407 History: Reformation to Revolution
This History module charts the sweeping changes across a fascinating historical
period, identifying the key issues the structure the move from the English reformation
to the French Revolution.
Assessment: portfolio and two essays
Pre-requisite: Britain and Europe in the Long 19C