3 ECTS credits
90 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 1024021BNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.
This course examines literature’s relation to the city and society at large by means of a variety of literary texts belonging to various literary movements and genres and produced in different historical, geographical and sociocultural contexts. Special attention is paid to cultural and sociological approaches to literature, authors belonging to minoritised groups and trends such as modernisation, urbanisation, the rise of capitalism, globalisation, diversity, human rights and climate change.
Interactive lectures are accompanied by reading assignments that guide the students’ home preparation as well as the discussion in class. Active participation in the course is essential.
Students are assumed to have intermediate skills in literary analysis (including a solid knowledge of literary terms and concepts) and a good level of reading, listening, speaking and writing skills in English. Students in the preparatory programme are advised to take/audit Foundations of Literary Analysis (BA1).
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.
The students deepen their insight into the relation of literature to the city and society at large and into cultural and sociological literary studies. They broaden their awareness of the interconnectedness of literary trends and broader societal evolutions. They are able to use a range of cultural and sociological approaches to literature to interpret literary texts and can report on their interpretations. They advance their communicative competence as well as their intermediary skills in analysing literary texts.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Written exam in January. The evaluation may include some assignments that contribute to up to 10% of your final result. Students who do not submit these assignments can be excluded from participating the written exam in January.
In the second session the format of the exam may differ.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: German-French (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: French-Italian (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: French-Spanish (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Dutch-English (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Dutch-French (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Dutch-Italian (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Dutch-Spanish (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Dutch-German (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Spanish-Italian (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: Italian-German (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: German-Spanish (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: English-German (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: English-French (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: English-Italian (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies: English-Spanish (only offered in Dutch)