Literature in English: Text Analysis

3 ECTS credits
90 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1023803ANR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester

2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

Enrolling for this course means that you simultaneously take ' English Proficiency I ' or have successfully passed ‘ English Proficiency I ’.

Taught in

English

Faculty

Faculty of Languages & Humanities

Department

Linguistics and Literary Studies

Educational team

Elisabeth Bekers (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

6 contact hours Lecture
20 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
32 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

This course offers an in-depth engagement with the development and diversity of literature in English through the interactive close reading of a selection of longer works that are representative of different periods, movements and genres.

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : VUB Writing Guide for Students of English Linguistics and Literary Studies, Bekers Elisabeth et al., updated annually, CANVAS
Handbook (Recommended) : Trees, Maps, and Theorems, Effective Communication for Rational Minds, Doumont, Jean-Luc., Principiæ, 9789081367707, 2021
Handbook (Recommended) : The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Gibaldi, Joseph, 9th ed., Modern Language Association, 9781603293518, 2021
Handbook (Recommended) : The Arden Introduction to Reading Shakespeare, Close Reading and Analysis., Lopez, Jeremy, The Arden Shakespeare, 9781472581020, 2019
Digital course material (Required) : Course slides, Bekers Elisabeth, updated annually, CANVAS
Handbook (Required) : The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors, Greenblatt, Stephen, et al., editors., Norton, 978-0393603118, 2018
Handbook (Required) : The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Levine, Robert S., et al., editors, Shorter 10th edition, Norton, 9780393892291, 2023
Handbook (Recommended) : The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, Baldick, Chris, Oxford UP, 9780198715443, 2015
Handbook (Recommended) : Literary Terms and Criticism, Peck, John & Martin Coyle, 3rd ed., Palgrave, 9780333962589, 2002
Handbook (Recommended) : A History of English Literature, Alexander, Michael, 3rd ed., Palgrave Macmillan, 9780230368316, 2016
Handbook (Recommended) : A Brief History of English Literature, Peck, John & Martin Coyle, 2nd ed., Palgrave, 9781137352668, 2023
Handbook (Recommended) : English Literature in Context, Poplawski, Paul, editor., 2nd ed., Cambridge UP, 9781316506639, 2017

Additional info

Students also develop their reading, listening, speaking and writing skills as well as their close reading skills by analysing and interpreting the selected literary texts and by reporting on their interpretations by means of the scholarship that is provided. The course consists of interactive introductory lectures and discussion seminars aimed at the detailed analysis (close reading) of selected texts. Active participation in the lectures and discussion seminars is essential. Students prepare for each discussion seminar by means of a detailed list of topics and/or additional reading assignments and may be invited to lead the seminar discussion of one of the assigned topics (under the supervision of the course instructor).

Students are assumed to have a good level of reading, listening, speaking and writing skills 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

General Competences

Students gain insight into the development and diversity of literature in English. They are able to situate literary texts within their literary-historical contexts. They can analyse and interpret longer literary texts and formulate their interpretations by means of the appropriate literary terms and concepts. They develop their communicative competence in English.

Grading

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

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

Oral exam 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:

Discussion,presentation,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