MA English Literature and American Studies / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
Space, Place and Text

Course unit fact file
Unit code ENGL60781
Credit rating 30
Unit level FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

Over the last few decades, literary scholars have focused increasingly on questions of space, and the ways in which representations of space link literary texts to such diverse social practices as cartography, architecture and the construction of political borders. In recent years, the envirornmental crisis has also become a focus of concern. This ‘spatial turn’ was catalysed by Michel Foucault, who noted in 1967 that ‘the present epoch will perhaps be above all the epoch of space’, and it has been a highly productive aspect of other theoretical developments concerned with  (for example) issues of identity, aesthetics, and the effects of climate change. As Foucault also acknowledged, questions of space have a long and fascinating history; in this course we will think about literature in relation to the spatial theories and the kinds of places in which texts have been produced. We will think about questions such as the following: How has a spatial imaginary been central to literary theory? What intellectual and emotional movements are encouraged or stymied by the spaces in which they are housed (or from which they are excluded)? What identities become possible in what kinds of spaces? How are changes in and differences between literary forms related to particular spatial imaginaries?

 

Pre/co-requisites

Students taking this course unit must also take The Times of Literature OR American Studies: Theory, Methods, Practice

Aims

  • Introduce students to key critical aesthetic and political concepts through the topic of space;
  • Examine the ways in which space is configured within literary genres (as a formal aspect);
  • Consider ways in which literary forms are produced within social, geographic, environmental and cultural spaces;
  • Enable students to develop and use a critical and aesthetic vocabulary relevant to literary and cultural studies

 

Teaching and learning methods

 

Knowledge and understanding

  • demonstrate an advanced understanding of ‘the spatial turn’ in recent critical debates;
  • Understanding of the multiple ways in which literary change is shaped by ‘space’ - figuratively and literally;
  • Knowledge of the relationships between literature and other cultural practices related to spatial imaginaries;
  • Familiarity with a range of spatial theories, from premodern to contemporary;

Intellectual skills

  • Develop independently (in discussion with course director) an essay topic based on material covered on the course;
  • Familiarity with key theoretical debates and concepts in literary studies;
  • Ability to analyse literary and theoretical texts;
  • Demonstrate enhanced skills of written and verbal communication, analysis, and argument

Practical skills

  • develop a clear, coherent academic writing style
  • concisely summarise complex arguments
  • good research skills
  • good critical thinking
  • ability to articulate ideas clearly, in oral and written form

Transferable skills and personal qualities

  • contribute effectively to  discussions;
  • develop listening skills through group work;
  • develop confidence in written communication, by researching and constructing strong and well-founded arguments
  • carry out independent research
  • time management skills
  • Use library resources effectively

Assessment methods

Written assignment (inc essay) 100%

 

Feedback methods

Formative feedback via development of appropriate research question by individual students through dedicated group discussions (1 hour per week in the final 4-5 weeks of course). Question must be finalised by week 10.

Summative feedback on essays

Recommended reading

Indicative Texts:

•       Michel De Certeau,The Practice of Everyday Life, trans. by Steve Rendell (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984), esp. Ch 9: ‘Spatial Stories’.

  • Amitav Ghosh, The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016).

•       Henri Lefebvre,The Production of Space, trans by Donald Nicholson-Smith (Oxford: Blackwell, 1991), esp. Ch. 2: Social Space

•       • Gaston Bachelard, Introduction toThe Poetics of Space, trans. by Maria Jolas (Massachussetts: Beacon Press, 1994), pp. xv-xxxix.

This course will include the study of primary texts covering range of literary forms (such as, for example: poetry, essay, travel writing, novel). These vary from year to year.

 

 

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 33
Independent study hours
Independent study 267

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Clara Dawson Unit coordinator

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