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Introduction to English Literature

Code: 106282 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2504212 English Studies FB 1
2504380 English and Catalan Studies FB 1
2504386 English and Spanish Studies FB 1
2504393 English and French Studies FB 1
2504394 English and Classics Studies FB 1

Contact

Name:
Maria Cristina Pividori Gurgo
Email:
mariacristina.pividori@uab.cat

Teachers

Noelia Sánchez Campos
Laura Luque Brugué
Francesca Blanch Serrat
Bàrbara Hernández González

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

To make the most of this course, students are required to have a deep interest in reading literature. They should also remember and apply the knowledge they acquired in the first-year course, "Cultural History of the British Isles," if they have already taken it.

Additionally, students must read the assigned books for this course. If a student does not complete the assigned readings, it could negatively impact their evaluation.

Students are required to have initial level of English C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. This means they should be able to understand the main ideas of both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in their field of specialization, which in this case is literature.

Moreover, students should be able to interact with native speakers fluently and spontaneously without much effort. They should also produce clear and detailed argumentative texts expressing opinions. The expected final level for students to achieve is C1.


Objectives and Contextualisation

The goal of this course is to provide an introduction to the diverse genres and leading authors of modern and contemporary English literature. This will be achieved through the reading, analysis, and in-class discussion of a selection of literary texts and their associated criticism. The course primarily focuses on enhancing students' skills in reading, interpreting a variety of texts, and crafting critical essays. The knowledge and skills gained from this course are crucial for tackling subsequent subjects in English Literature.

Upon completion of this course, students will have developed the following abilities:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the key themes and concerns in twentieth and twenty first-century English literature.
  • Exhibit strong comprehension in reading contemporary English literary texts.
  • Craft basic literary criticism, such as writing thesis statements, integrating secondary sources into the paragraph and writing short essays.
  • Effectively utilize the resources of any university library for English Literature-related research.
  • Articulate an informed evaluation of any literary texts in English they may encounter in their reading.

Competences

    English Studies
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values. 
  • Demonstrate skills to work autonomously and in teams to fulfil the planned objectives.
  • Identify and analyse the main currents, genres, works and authors in English and comparative literature.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Understand and produce written and spoken academic texts in English at an advanced proficient-user level (C1).
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources for the collection and organisation of information.
  • Use written and spoken English for academic and professional purposes, related to the study of linguistics, the philosophy of language, history, English culture and literature.
    English and Catalan Studies
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams with the aim of attaining the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Make correct use of written and spoken English for academic or professional purposes, related to the study of language, history, culture and literature.
  • Recognise the most significant periods, traditions, tendencies, authors and works of literature in the Catalan and English languages in their socio-historical context.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
    English and Spanish Studies
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Correctly use written and oral English and Spanish for academic and professional purposes, related to the study of linguistics, history, culture and literature.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams in order to achieve the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Recognize the most significant periods, traditions, trends, authors and works of literature in English and Spanish languages in their historical and social context
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
    English and French Studies
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams with the aim of attaining the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Recognize the most significant periods, traditions, trends, authors and works of literature in English and French in their historical and social context.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
  • Use spoken English and French correctly for academic and professional purposes related to the study of linguistics, history, culture and literature.
    English and Classics Studies
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values. 
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams in order to achieve the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Recognize the most significant periods, traditions, trends, authors and works of Greek, Latin and English literatures in their historical and social context.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Understand and produce oral and written academic texts with appropriateness and fluency in distinct communicative contexts.
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
  • Use written and spoken English correctly for academic and professional purposes related to the study of English linguistics, history, culture, and literature.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse and interpret (in an introductory way) modern and contemporary literary texts in English.
  2. Applying the acquired scientific and work planning methodologies to the research in English.
  3. Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures governing English literature.
  4. Demonstrate knowledge of the topics related to the study of literature and its methods of analysis.
  5. Demonstrate knowledge of topics related to the study of literature and its methods of analysis.
  6. Develop effective written work and oral presentations and adapted to the appropriate register.
  7. Distinguish principal ideas from secondary ideas and synthesise their content in modern and contemporary literary texts in English.
  8. Express oneself in English, orally and in writing, in an academic register, using terminology appropriate to the study of distinct genres of modern and contemporary English literature.
  9. Give oral presentations in English at Advanced User level (C1) on topics related to nineteenth-and twentieth-century English literature.
  10. Give oral presentations in English at an advanced proficient-user level (C1), on topics related to nineteenth-and twentieth-century English literature.
  11. Give oral presentations in English on topics related to nineteenth-and twentieth-century English literature at an advanced proficient-user level (C1).
  12. Give oral presentations in English on topics related to nineteenth-and twentieth-century English literature.
  13. Locate and organise relevant English-language information available on the Internet, through databases and in libraries.
  14. Locate and organise relevant English-language information available on the internet, databases and libraries, and apply this to work and/or research environments.
  15. Participate in face-to-face and virtual debates in English at an advanced proficient-user level (C1), on topics related to modern and contemporary English literature.
  16. Participate in face-to-face and virtual debates in English on topics related to modern and contemporary English literature at an advanced proficient-user level (C1).
  17. Participate in face-to-face and virtual debates in English on topics related to modern and contemporary English literature.
  18. Participate in face-to-face and virtual debates in Englishat Advanced User level (C1) on topics related to modern and contemporary English literature.
  19. Preparing an oral and written discourse in the corresponding language in a proper and organized way.
  20. Substantiate, understand and explain the diversity of ethical and aesthetic values at different times in our history and culture.
  21. Use the English language with appropriate expression (correctness, fluency, pronunciation, communicative strategies) in both formal (presentations, debates, formal interactions) and informal (conversational) contexts, at proficient-user level C1.
  22. Write short argumentative essays or textual commentaries in English at Advanced User level (C1) on topics related to modern and contemporary English literature.
  23. Write short argumentative essays or textual commentaries in English at an advanced proficient-user level (C1) on topics related to modern and contemporary English literature.
  24. Write short argumentative essays or textual commentaries in English on topics related to modern and contemporary English literature at an advanced proficient-user level (C1).
  25. Write short argumentative essays or textual commentaries in English on topics related to modern and contemporary English literature.
  26. Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.

Content

  • UNIT 1. The Short Story: This unit introduces literary theory and focuses on the basic features of the short story genre. We will analyse three representative short stories from the Modernist era, providing an understanding of the early 20th-century Modernist movement.
  • UNIT 2. Drama and Theatre: This unit examines the genre of drama, with an emphasis on theatre. We will analyze a play from the war and post-war period  (1940s to 1960s), highlighting the sociocultural aspects of this era.
  • UNIT 3. The Novel: In this unit, we explore the novel genre, focusing on an analysis of one novel representative of Postmodernism from the 1980s. This will provide a perspective on the cultural and literary shift towards the end of the 20th century.
  • UNIT 4. Poetry: This unit explores the basic features of poetry. We will analyze a selection of 20th and 21st century poems that contribute to an understanding of the evolution and development of poetic forms and themes over these two centuries. This analysis will provide insights into how social changes, cultural shifts, and differing literary movements have influenced the content and style of poetry. 

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures, text-commentary and class debate 45 1.8 1, 3, 7, 8, 12, 17, 21, 25
Type: Supervised      
Class assessment, clearing up doubts, feedback on exercises 5 0.2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25
Type: Autonomous      
Homework, reading, studying 60 2.4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26

  • Lectures
  • Commentary on Texts
  • Class Debates
  • Crafting Thesis Statements
  • Integration of Critical Sources into Texts
  • Composition of Analytical Critical Essays
  • Delivering Effective Oral Presentations
  • Thorough Reading and Interpretation of Critical Sources
  • Completion of an Online Library Course on Handling Secondary Sources and Style Formals
  • Personalized Tutorials

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Crafting thesis statements (short stories) 15% 6 0.24 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 14, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25
Group Poetry Presentation (poetry) 20% 8 0.32 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21
Integrating critical sources into a literary commentary (play) 20% 8 0.32 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 21, 22, 23, 25
Online library course 5% 2 0.08 13, 14
Writing a critical essay (novel) 40% 16 0.64 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26

1) CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT IS BASED ON:

  • 5 Evaluated items  = 100% of total course mark
    • Item 1 (15%)= Thesis Statements (short stories)  
    • Item 2 (20%)= Integratiing Secondary Sources into a Literary Commentary (play)
    • Item 3 (40%)= Critical Essay (novel) 
    • Item 4 (20%)= Group Poetry Presentation (poems) 
    • Item 5 (5%)= Online Library Course

Please, note:

  • All the exercises are COMPULSORY. 
  • The submission of any exercise invalidates the student to get a final mark of "No Avaluable".
  • The minimum pass mark for the whole subject is 5.
  • The student’s command of English will be taken into account when marking all exercises and for the final mark. It will count as 25% of this mark for all the exercises and will be assessed as follows: Grammar (morphology and syntax): 30%; Vocabulary (accuracy and variety): 15%; Consistency (among sentences and paragraphs): 15%; Organization (sound argumentation of ideas): 20%; Style (expression and register): 15%; Spelling: 5%.
  • EXACT DATES FOR ALL EVALUATION ACTIVITIES WILL BE CONFIRMED AT THE START OF THE COURSE THROUGH A COURSE CALENDAR PUBLISHED ON THE CLASS MOODLE. 
  • Reviewing procedure: Students have a right to review their exercises with the teacher in a personal tutorial. On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle)of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place. The student loses this right if s/he fails to collect the exercise/exam within the period announced by the teacher.
  • Re-assessment conditions: Only students who have completed the continuous assessment and passed at least TWO of the assignments given throughout the course (excluding the library course) may take reassessment. 
  • Students who are eligible for reassessment have got a final average exam mark between 3,5 and 4,9. If the final average mark is lower than 3,5 or they haven't passed at least 2 of items done throughout the course (items 1 to 4), the student will have failed the subject.
  • The reassessment consists of a two-hour written exam on matters related to the subject. The exam is awarded a Pass/Fail mark and the maximum possible final mark is a 5. 
  • Evaluation Activities Excluded from Reassessment: Online Library Course and Group Poetry Presentation.

2) THE PROCEDURE FOR SINGLE ASSESSMENT IS BASED ON: 

  • 3 Evaluated items to be done in a single in-class exam: 
  • Item 1: Crafiting thesis statements (25%)
  • Item 2: integrating critical sources into a literary commentary (30%)
  • Item 3: Writing a critical essay (45%).

THE SAME REASSESSMENT METHOD AS CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT WILL BE USED FOR THOSE WHO OPT FOR THE SINGLE-ASSESSMENT OPTION.

  • VERY IMPORTANT! 
  • In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place.
  • Irregularities refer, for instance, to copying in an exam, copying from sources without indicating authorship, or a misuse of AI such as presenting work as original that has been generated by an AI tool or programme. These evaluation activities will not be re-assessed.

Bibliography

We strongly recommend students to purchase the play and the novel prior to the commencement of the course.

UNIT 1: Short Story

The short stories for this unit will be posted on Moodle at the beginning of the course. They include: Katherine Mansfield's “Bliss” (1918);  James Joyce's “The Sisters”  (1914); and Virginia Woolf, “Kew Gardens” (1919). 

UNIT 2: The Play

Osborne John. Look Back in Anger. London: Faber & Faber, 2015. ASIN: B00VYOBTYC

Recommended Guide:

Aleks Sierz, John Osborne's Look Back in Anger (Modern Theatre Guides). London: Continnuum, 2008. ISBN-10: 0826492010. ISBN-13: 978-0826492012

UNIT 3: The Novel

Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day. London: Faber and Faber, 2010. ISBN-10: 9780571258246. ISBN-13‏ : 978-0571258246

UNIT 4: Poetry

A collection of poems will be uploaded in Moodle at the beginning of the course.

Recommended Reading:

Caserio, R. (Ed.). (2009). The Cambridge Companion to the Twentieth-Century English Novel (Cambridge Companions to Literature). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CCOL9780521884167

Cavanagh, Dermot; Alan Gillis, Michelle Keown, James Loxley, Randall Stevenson (eds.),  The Edinburgh Introduction to Studying English Literature. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2010. 248 pages, ISBN 13: 9780748640256 ISBN 10: 0748640258.

Furniss, Tom & Michael Bath, Reading Poetry: An Introduction. Longman Inc., 1996. ISBN-13: 978-0133552980. ISBN-10: 0133552985

Owen David and Cristina Pividori. Theoretically Speaking About Literature Understanding Theory in the Study of Literary Works. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars 2021. 

Thody, Phillip, Twentieth-century Literature: Critical Issues and Themes. MacMillan Press, 1996. ISBN-13: 978-0333615348 ISBN-10: 0333615344 

Thomas, C. Foster, How to Read Literature like a Professor Revised Edition: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines.  HarperCollins Publishers Inc; Edition: Revised ed (13 de octubre de 2017).ISBN-13: 978-0062301673 ISBN-10: 9780062301673 

Webs:

 Recommended dictionaries:

 

IMPORTANT: Wikipedia, SparkNotes and similar webs are not academic sources. 

Citation and Formatting a Bibliography: https://www.uab.cat/web/study-and-research/how-to-cite-and-create-your-bibliography-1345738248581.html


Software

Moodle, Wiki. 


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 English second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 2 English second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 3 English second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 4 English second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 English second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 2 English second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 3 English second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 4 English second semester morning-mixed