Course unit details:
Twenty-first Century Literature and Literary Culture
| Unit code | ENGL71212 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 30 |
| Unit level | FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
This course focuses on twenty-first century literature not just as words on a page, but also as a constitutive feature of that wider cultural formation known as ‘contemporary literary culture’ (itself made up of a set of contingent and intersecting discourses, practices, coteries, markets, etc.). Alongside the set texts, we will consider the contexts of production and reception of contemporary literature and discuss questions of value and canonicity; we will consider the role of literary criticism, the construction of readership(s), and the impact of prize culture; and we will focus on questions of history, form and genre, including the notion of ‘literariness’ itself as it is constructed and understood in the twenty-first century.
Pre/co-requisites
Available on which programme(s)? | MA Modern and Contemporary Literature, MA Creative Writing, MA English and American Studies |
Available as Free Choice (UG) or to other programmes (PG)? | Subject to availability (the course is capped at 40 students), the module is open to MA GSC students. |
Teaching and learning methods
One three-hour seminar per week, plus optional essay tutorial, and guidance during published office hours.
Use of Canvas:
Class handouts, extracts from critical material, relevant journal articles, readings lists and information on assessment, plus other course materials will all be posted on Blackboard.
Knowledge and understanding
Show a developed knowledge and understanding of literature of the period 2000 to the present, its formal and stylistic diversity, its critical reception, and the contexts of its production and reception, along with some knowledge of critical/theoretical discourse of this period.
Intellectual skills
Demonstrate skills of close reading and analysis of literary texts, alongside skills of appropriate research and critical argument.
Practical skills
Locate and employ library and web-based materials in support of a developed critical argument, plan a project and meet a deadline.
Transferable skills and personal qualities
Demonstrate enhanced verbal and written communication skills, with a view to clarity, concision and reasoned argument, and work well both independently (in the preparation of the assessment) and in groups (in class-based discussion exercises).
Employability skills
- Written communication
- Demonstrate enhanced verbal and written communication skills, with a view to clarity, concision and reasoned argument, and work well both independently (in the preparation of the assessment) and in groups (in class-based discussion exercises).
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Written assignment (inc essay) | 100% |
Feedback methods
Feedback method | Formative or Summative |
Essay tutorial – feedback on essay plan | Formative |
Written essay feedback | Summative |
Recommended reading
A confirmed reading list will be provided in September 2025, but in previous years, primary texts have included:
• W. G. Sebald, Austerlitz (2001)
• Zadie Smith, On Beauty (2005)
• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah (2013)
• Ben Lerner, 10.04 (2014)
• Rachel Cusk, Outline (2014)
• Bernadine Evaristo, Girl, Woman, Other (2019)
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 33 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 267 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| John Roache | Unit coordinator |