Identities in Literature in English

6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1020958AER for all students in the 1st semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Possible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

Students must have taken ‘Literature in English: Older Period’, before they can enroll in this course. If you are enrolled in a preparatory programme you can register this course without restrictions.

Taught in

English

Faculty

Faculty of Languages & Humanities

Department

Linguistics and Literary Studies

Educational team

Elisabeth Bekers (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

13 contact hours Lecture
13 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
90 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

This course studies the complex relation between literature and identity by means of a selection of literary texts in English belonging to various literary movements and genres and produced in different historical, geographical and sociocultural contexts. It examines how literature in English has affirmed, reinforced and challenged constructions of identity on a variety of levels (individual, community, region, nation, language, religion, class, gender, ethnicity, race, etc.). It also considers how, in turn, issues of identity have been a driving force for literary creation, the establishment and the confirmation of literary conventions, but also for the questioning of the canon (canon controversy) and the development of new approaches to the writing and reading of literature. By studying how literature in English and issues pertaining to identity and its formation influence one another, the course offers deeper insight into some of the major literary debates and (ongoing) developments in (approaches to the study of) literature in English.

Course material

Handbook (Required) : The Norton Anthology of English Literature. The Major Authors, Vols. A & B, Greenblatt, Stephen, ed., 10de, Norton, 9780393603118, 2018
Digital course material (Required) : Course slides, Bekers, Elisabeth, updated annually
Handbook (Recommended) : The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, Baldick, Chris, 4de, Oxford University Press, 9780198715443, 2015
Handbook (Required) : The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vols. 1 & 2, Baym, Nina, ed., Shorter 9th, Norton, 9780393892291, 2023
Handbook (Recommended) : A History of English Literature, Alexander, Michael, 3de, Palgrave Macmillan, 9780230368316, 2013
Handbook (Recommended) : A Short History of English Literature, Barnard, Robert, 2de, Blackwell, 9780631190882, 1994
Handbook (Recommended) : The Short Oxford History of English Literature, Sanders, Andrew, 3de, Oxford University Press, 9780199263387, 2004
Handbook (Recommended) : A Brief History of English Literature, Peck, John and Martin Coyle, 2de, Palgrave, 9781137352668, 2013
Handbook (Recommended) : MLA Handbook, The Modern Language Association of America, 9de, The Modern Language Association of America, 9781603293518, 2021
Digital course material (Required) : Writing Guide for Students of Literature in English, Bekers, Elisabeth, et al., updated annually
Handbook (Recommended) : Literary Terms and Criticism, Peck, John, and Martin Coyle, 3de, Palgrave Macmillan, 9780333962589, 2002

Additional info

Interactive introductory lectures are combined with discussion seminars aimed at the detailed analysis (close reading) of selected texts. Active participation in both is essential. Academic reading material and reading assignments guide the students’ home preparation as well as the discussion in class. Students prepare for each discussion seminar by means of a list of suggested topics and/or additional reading assignments and may be invited to lead the seminar discussion of on one or more of the suggested topics. They are encouraged to adopt a critical attitude towards the scholarly sources they consult to develop their discussion and to confer with their instructor when preparing for their presentations.

Students are assumed to have a good level of reading, listening, speaking and writing skills in English, intermediate skills in literary analysis, and a solid understanding of the historical development and the variety in literature in English.

See Canvas for more detailed information.

In order to take this class, compulsory additional costs may be charged in addition to the invoice sent to you as a student by the Student Administration Centre: for participation in literary events off campus a minimum contribution of €5 and a maximum contribution of €15 will be required. The costs are borne by the student and can neither be passed on to fellow students nor recovered from the lecturer or faculty. The amounts stated are approximately correct. If you experience payment difficulties as a result of these additional costs, you can contact Student Social Services via sociale.dienst.studenten@vub.ac.be or + 32 2 629 23 15. More information can also be found on https://my.vub.ac.be/en/social-services.

Learning Outcomes

Algemene competenties

The students have an understanding of the mutual influence literature in English and identity formation exert on one another. They have deeper insight into some of the major literary debates and (ongoing) developments in literature in English and an awareness of how these are grounded in identity issues and how, conversely, the latter drive literary developments (incl. canon formation and canon controversy). They can analyse and interpret longer literary texts and can report on their interpretations by means of the appropriate literary terms and concepts and in critical conversation with relevant literary scholarship. They advance their communicative competence in English as well as their close reading skills.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 70% of the final mark.
LEC Practical Assignment determines 30% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Written examination with a relative weight of 70 which comprises 70% of the final mark.

Within the LEC Practical Assignment category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Presentation,discussion,tests with a relative weight of 30 which comprises 30% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Students who do not engage with the practical assignments (30%) receive 0 for this component of the evaluation; marks for these assignments are not carried over to the second exam session. In the second exam session, the format and weight of the evaluation components may differ.

NB: The description of the evaluation is provisional and subject to changes depending on the size and composition of the class. Any changes in the evaluation procedure will be communicated to the students via Canvas at the beginning of the course.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context