2024/2025

Современная англоязычная литература (20-21 вв.)

Статус: Маго-лего

Кто читает: Школа иностранных языков

Когда читается: 3, 4 модуль

Охват аудитории: для всех кампусов НИУ ВШЭ

Преподаватели: Колыхалова Ольга Алексеевна

Язык: английский

Кредиты: 6

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This course on twentieth- and twenty-first-century English literature offers an opportunity to study writing and writers in the English language, and to learn about cultural nuances, linguistic habits, and historical contexts. Literature serves as a gateway for students to comprehend the intricacies of different social, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds, which have contributed to the development of literature in English. Many writers from this robust period of literary production influenced the development not only of their national literature but also established their literary reputation in other countries and cultures. Students who decide to join this course will explore English literature in all its major forms — prose, poetry and drama — and relate it to key social and historical contexts. Through guided discussion and independent research, this course will enable students to study English literature in depth, strengthen their ability to read and write critically about literary texts and help them develop a deeper appreciation of the country's entwined literary history. To fulfill the course requirements, students need to have a good command of written and spoken English (required CEFR language proficiency level is B2 / C1).

Learning Objectives

• To broaden one’s knowledge about the body of written works produced by the UK in the 20th and 21st centuries, putting it in the larger theoretical perspective of the history of ideas.
• To increase one’s proficiency in reading, reflecting, analyzing critically, and interpreting a range of assigned Key Texts in the three main forms (prose, poetry, and drama) from a historical and contextual perspective, both orally and in writing.
• To hone one’s Critical Reading, Critical Thinking, and Critical Writing skills necessary for advancing clear and compelling arguments in the interpretation of a text, which in its turn will enable students to communicate their own and other scholars’ interpretations of trends in the history of ideas and literary texts, showing intercultural understanding and ethical awareness.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• To know key historical events, cultural developments, and artistic movements related to British and American literature at the turn of the 20th century; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s); to formulate - both orally and in writing - arguable claims and react to others’ ideas about the assigned Key Text(s).
• To know key historical events, cultural developments, and artistic movements related to British and American literature between World War I and World War II; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s); to formulate - both orally and in writing - arguable claims and react to others’ ideas about the assigned Key Text(s).
• To know key historical events, cultural developments, and artistic movements related to British and American literature from the late 1940s onwards; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s); to formulate - both orally and in writing - arguable claims and react to others’ ideas about the assigned Key Text(s).
• • To know key historical events, cultural developments, and artistic movements related to British literature from the beginning of the century to Post War I (1900 – 1945); to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s); to formulate - both orally and in writing - arguable claims and react to others’ ideas about the assigned Key Text(s).
• • To know key historical events, cultural developments, and artistic movements related to British literature from the beginning of the century to Post War I; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s); to formulate - both orally and in writing - arguable claims and react to others’ ideas about the assigned Key Text(s).
• • To know key historical events, cultural developments, and artistic movements related to British literature from Post-War I to Post War II (1920 – 1945); to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s); to formulate - both orally and in writing - arguable claims and react to others’ ideas about the assigned Key Text(s).
• • To know key historical events, cultural developments, and artistic movements related to British literature from Post-War I to Post War II (1920 – 1945); to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s); to formulate - both orally and in writing.
• • To know key historical events, cultural developments, and artistic movements related to British literature from Post-War I to Post War II; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s); to formulate - both orally and in writing - arguable claims and react to others’ ideas about the assigned Key Text(s).
• • To know key historical events, cultural developments, and artistic movements related to British literature from the late 1940s onwards; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s); to formulate - both orally and in writing - arguable claims and react to others’ ideas about the assigned Key Text(s).
• • To know key historical events, cultural developments, and artistic movements related to British literature; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s); to formulate - both orally and in writing - arguable claims and react to others’ ideas about the assigned Key Text(s).
• • To know key historical events, cultural developments, and artistic movements related to British literature from the late 1940s onwards; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s); to formulate - both orally and in writing.
• • To know key historical events, cultural developments, and artistic movements related to British literature from the late 1940s onwards; to read critically, comprehend, and produce independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s); to formulate - both orally and in writing - arguable claims and react to others’ ideas about the assigned Key Text(s).
• • To know key historical events, cultural developments, and artistic movements related to British literature at the turn of the 20th – 21st century; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s); to formulate - both orally and in writing - arguable claims and react to others’ ideas about the assigned Key Text(s).

Course Contents

• Course introduction. Edwardian Realists.
• Works after World War
• Principles of Realism, influenced by Naturalism, Neo-romanticism, Modernism
• Modernism
• Modernism, the stream-of-consciousness method
• Non-modernism
• Non-modernism Fairy Tales
• Dystopian fiction
• The Post-War and Postmodern English Campus Novel. From an Angry Young Man to a Tory satirist
• Post-Arthurian, Pre-Norman Magic Realism

Assessment Elements

• Final Project
  The final project includes two parts:  submitting a research paper (0.1)  making a presentation (0.1) Students are to find, read, analyze, and comment on a book from the list compiled by the course instructor. Next, they are to prepare a compulsory presentation and a research paper summarizing their thoughts. The books are chosen on a “first come, first served” basis. Further instructions will be given via Smart LMS. Thus, the project includes a research paper and an oral presentation. In reporting on the project, students should show that they can: identify a meaningful issue relevant to the theme of the chosen book; collect up-to-date information about the issue; analyse, interpret and discuss the information; draw conclusions; and write and present a paper in accordance with academic standards at the graduate level. Students must prepare and present their project together as a team of two people. Group projects can improve student learning, retention, and overall academic success. Properly structured, group projects can reinforce skills that are relevant to both group and individual work, including the ability to:  break complex tasks into parts and steps;  plan and manage time;  refine understanding through discussion and explanation;  develop stronger communication skills. Group projects can also help students develop skills specific to collaborative efforts, allowing students to:  tackle more complex problems;  delegate roles and responsibilities;  pool knowledge and skills;  establish a shared identity with other group members
• Reading Journals
  There will be four compulsory written home assignments in the format of journal writing (analyzing selected poems of a given period: students might focus, for instance, on matters related to genre, on social issues and moral concerns, or on how language (imagery, rhythm, diction, syntax) generates meaning within a single poem). The Reading Journal entries should be typed and follow basic academic style conventions and formatting rules. Instructions will be given via Smart LMS per assignment. Even if a student’s absence is excused, they are still responsible for turning in their Reading Journal entries on time; because they will have at least a week’s lead time, the due date for these remains the same regardless of one’s absence. Thus, students should meet assignment deadlines by all means. In case one’s assignment is 1-2 days late, they lose 50% of their grade. In case one’s assignment is 3 or more days late, it is not accepted or assessed – the grade is a zero.
• Presentations
  There will be two compulsory presentations as a way for students to demonstrate understanding and mastery of the Key Texts in their own unique way. Instructions and scoring rubrics will be given via Smart LMS per task. The tasks are chosen on a “first come, first served” basis. The mean grade for all these tasks is not rounded.
• Midterm Essay
  The purpose of this literary analysis essay (3-5 A4 pages long PLUS a References page) is to carefully examine an aspect of a Key Text discussed during seminars (module 3) and to present an argument / claim about it. The list of topics and guidelines will be given via Smart LMS two weeks before the deadline. Each student must choose a topic from the list provided and write their essay during hours of self-guided work. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. For each plagiarized sentence, the student loses one point (for example, 8 → 7). If there are more than three plagiarized sentences in one’s work, the grade for the essay is a zero. This paper should incorporate at least two additional sources. These sources may include critical perspectives, authorial commentaries, and / or historical assessments. The essay should be uploaded before the deadline. If one’s essay is late, it is not accepted or assessed – the grade is a zero.
• Seminar Attendance
  Active participation in group discussions and in-class assignments is required at every seminar. If a student actively participates in class discussions during 15 classes or more, they will get a +1 bonus point added to their scaled grade (масштабированная оценка). Students should inform their instructor about their excused absences before the class (not after) by email, and provide the doctor’s notes and other documents about them. An excused absence is an absence due to a number of accepted reasons such as a medical or personal issue beyond one’s control, participation in a significant extracurricular university event, conference etc. If the absence is excused, the grade for seminar attendance will not be reduced.
• Tests
  During seminars, ongoing tests will evaluate students’ understanding of required topics, content of required reading and/or videos. It is up to the instructor to decide whether to give a test; students may not be warned about it in advance. The grade depends on the percentage points a student gets for the test (see below). Tests are compulsory and final and cannot be retaken. If the absence is excused, the grade for the test is not taken into account. The grade for tests is the average grade of all the tests and tests taken by the student during the course.
• Written tasks
  There will be two compulsory written tasks as a way for students to demonstrate understanding and mastery of the Key Texts in their own unique way. Instructions and scoring rubrics will be given via Smart LMS per task. The tasks are chosen on a “first come, first served” basis. The mean grade for all these tasks is not rounded. Students must submit their papers on time. Otherwise, they will get a zero regardless of any excuses.
• Exam essay
  The written examination consists of a literary analysis essay (3–5 A4 pages long PLUS a References page), the purpose of which is to carefully examine an aspect of a Key Text discussed during seminars (module 4) and to present an argument / claim about it. The list of topics and guidelines will be given via Smart LMS two weeks before the deadline. Each student taking the exam must choose a topic from the list provided and write their essay during hours of self-guided work. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. For each plagiarized sentence, the student loses one point (for example, 8 → 7). If there are more than three plagiarized sentences in one’s work, the grade for the essay is a zero. This paper should incorporate at least two additional sources. These sources may include critical perspectives, authorial commentaries, and / or historical assessments.
• MOOC
  MOOC – minimum of four weeks. As part of the course, students can take a free online course on a topic related to literature, world literary history, culture, and intercultural studies. The list of recommended MOOCs is given at the beginning of the term. Students are required to give one compulsory presentation to demonstrate understanding and mastery of the key themes of one of the MOOCs topics in their own unique manner. Instructions and grading rubrics will be provided through the Smart LMS for the assignments. Students must give presentations on time. Otherwise, they will get a zero regardless of any excuses.

Interim Assessment

• 2024/2025 4th module
  0.1 * Exam essay + 0.2 * Final Project + 0.1 * MOOC + 0.1 * Midterm Essay + 0.1 * Presentations + 0.1 * Reading Journals + 0.1 * Seminar Attendance + 0.1 * Tests + 0.1 * Written tasks

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Ashley Maher. (2020). Reconstructing Modernism : British Literature, Modern Architecture, and the State: Vol. First edition. OUP Oxford.
• MacPhee, G. (2011). Postwar British Literature and Postcolonial Studies. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=386096

Authors

• Volkonskaia Mariia ANDREEVNA
• BAKULEV Aleksey VALENTINOVICH
• Kolykhalova Olga Alekseevna