Delivered at:: School of Foreign Languages

Course type:: Elective course

When:: 1 year, 3, 4 module

Instructors

Bilmes, Leonid

Volkonskaya, Maria A.

Зуева Екатерина Владимировна

Full Syllabus

Abstract

Literature of Great Britain is a rigorous two-module course designed for the undergraduate students who are interested in the development of British literature from its beginnings to the present in relation to its historical, linguistic, and cultural contexts. To fulfill the requirements of the course students need to have a good command of written and spoken English (required CEFR language proficiency level is B2). Through a wide range of selected readings in prose, poetry, and drama from the Old English period to the 21st century, this course introduces students to British literature and examines its development in the context of stylistic, cultural, historical, and linguistic changes and influences. It increases one’s understanding of literary conventions, enhances the enjoyment of various forms of literature, and encourages personal exploration and interpretation of the diversity of human experience, which British literature affords. Students will critically read and evaluate a number of assigned Key Texts (significant examples of the given period representing a diversity of British writers) as well as engage in independent reading outside of class. They will both develop skills of literary analysis and acquire knowledge of British cultural history. The course combines activities of a traditional (quizzes, essays, discussions etc.) and a nontraditional (debates, presentations, journal writing etc.) nature. Designed to emphasize independent thought, it also envisages various research projects conducted individually or in small groups on a wide range of topics related to its subject matter.

Learning Objectives

To broaden one’s knowledge about the body of written works produced in the English language by the inhabitants of the British Isles from the 7th century to the present day, putting it in the larger context of the thematic concerns of the writers, as well as the specific historical events and cultural influences to which these writers responded.
To engage with, close read, reflect upon, and respond to a range of assigned Key Texts in the three main forms (prose, poetry, and drama), noticing such features as tropes and figures of speech, structural elements, oppositions and correspondences, themes, motifs, symbols, allusions, and cultural or historical references, as well as to discuss the reception and present-day relevance of these texts.
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 further apply the knowledge gained in professional, scholarly, and interpersonal communication in the multicultural world of today.

Expected Learning Outcomes

To know key terms and personalities related to British 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 know key terms and personalities related to British literature from the 1930s onwards; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s).
To know key terms and personalities related to British literature in the 17th century; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s).
To know key terms and personalities related to British literature of the Enlightenment; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s).
To know key terms and personalities related to British Romanticism; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s).
To know key terms and personalities related to English poetry and drama in the 16th century; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s).
To know key terms and personalities related to Middle English literature; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s).
To know key terms and personalities related to Old English literature; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s).
To know key terms and personalities related to Victorian literature; to read critically, comprehend, and produce clear, informed, independent opinions and judgements on the assigned Key Text(s).

Course Contents

Old English literature
Middle English literature
English poetry and drama in the 16th century
British literature in the 17th century
The Enlightenment (Neoclassical period)
Romanticism and the major Romantic poets
The Victorian period
British literature at the turn of the 20th century
British literature from the 1930s onwards

Assessment Elements

Lecture Attendance
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 7 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.
Reading Journals
There will be two compulsory and one optional written home assignments in the format of journal writing (analyzing selected poems of a given period). 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.
Presentations and Creative Writing
Several presentations and creative writing tasks will be given throughout the course as a way for students to demonstrate understanding and mastery of the Key Texts in their own unique way.
Written examination
The written examination consists of a literary analysis essay (2.5–3 A4 pages long), the purpose of which is to carefully examine an aspect of a Key Text discussed in the course 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. 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.
Module 3 Essay
The purpose of this literary analysis essay (2 A4 pages long) is to carefully examine an aspect of a Key Text discussed during seminars 1-9 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. If one’s essay is late, it is not accepted or assessed – the grade is a zero. 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.

Interim Assessment

2021/2022 4th module
0.2 * Reading Journals + 0.25 * Written examination + 0.15 * Module 3 Essay + 0.1 * Lecture Attendance + 0.2 * Presentations and Creative Writing + 0.1 * Seminar Attendance

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Cavanagh, D., Gillis, A., & Keown, M. (2014). The Edinburgh Introduction to Studying English Literature: Vol. 2nd ed. Edinburgh University Press.

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Lambdin, L. C., & Lambdin, R. T. (2002). A Companion to Old and Middle English Literature. Greenwood Publishing Group.
Patrick Parrinder. (2006). Nation and Novel : The English Novel From Its Origins to the Present Day. OUP Oxford.
Paula R. Backscheider, & Catherine Ingrassia. (2005). A Companion to the Eighteenth-Century English Novel and Culture. Wiley-Blackwell.
The Cambridge History of Early Modern English Literature. (2003). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/chol9780521631563

Bachelor’s Programme 'Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication'

Literature of Great Britain