Bachelor
2019/2020
Tales of the Turn of the 20th century. Advanced English
Type:
Elective course (HSE/NES Programme in Economics)
Area of studies:
Economics
Delivered by:
HSE/NES Undergraduate Programmes Curriculum Support
Where:
Faculty of Economic Sciences
When:
2 year, 3, 4 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
6
Contact hours:
64
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The turn of the 20th century is probably one of the most interesting periods in world literature and art, characterized by numerous shifts taking place in social, political, artistic, and technological spheres of life, as well as by the diversity of movements it generated. In this class, we will read some of the most celebrated texts of modernist fiction, composed in English around 1900s -1920s and explore what “turns” these texts focus upon. In particular, we will analyze how the literature of the period reflects on individual consciousness and the loss of shared values; on the crisis of language and the sensitivity of the artist in a culture increasingly compromised by technology, urbanization, and mass media. The readings will include texts by James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, D. H. Lawrence, Joseph Conrad, Virginia Woolf and other. Besides literary works, student will also have a chance to discuss some of the famous paintings and films from the period. During the last few weeks of the course, students will participate in a research project, devoted to the turn of the twenty-first century. This project will have to analyze and reflect on the current “turns” that shape the society of the millennium and its artistic productions.
Learning Objectives
- Explore aesthetic preoccupations of each author and historical and cultural contexts of each story; compare and contrast the ways in which authors from different cultures and historical periods handle similar themes • Learn effective close reading strategies ranging from initial observations of striking moments in the text to construction of thematic patterns to formulation of sophisticated interpretation; observe how different elements of fiction – plot, character, setting, narrative perspective, style, and theme – work together to produce meaning • Learn to distinguish between summary and analysis; acquire strategies to develop a strong interpretive stance and support it with relevant sources • Engage in informal and formal writing and communication assignments, including thesis-driven analytical essays • Engage in peer reviews of essays and oral presentations • Expand English vocabulary and enhance sentence structure; work on eliminating major patterns of error
Expected Learning Outcomes
- By the end of the course will have participated in a research project, devoted to the turn of the twenty-first century. This project will help them to analyze and reflect on the current “turns” that shape the society of the millennium and its artistic productions. Students will be able to understand, break down, and critique someone else’s argument and to constructing and presenting their own ideas in a persuasive form.
Assessment Elements
- Class discussion and participation
- Oral presentation
- Quiz
- 3 Response papers (10% each)
- Research Project
- Final Paper
Interim Assessment
- Interim assessment (4 module)0.3 * 3 Response papers (10% each) + 0.15 * Class discussion and participation + 0.15 * Final Paper + 0.15 * Oral presentation + 0.1 * Quiz + 0.15 * Research Project
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Gale Research Inc. (2018). Short Stories for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context & Criticism on Commonly Studied Short Stories. [N.p.]: Gale, Cengage Learning. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1866822
- Virginia Woolf. (2019). Collected Short Stories. [N.p.]: Otbebookpublishing. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2042565
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Developing Short Story Writing Technique Book Based on Reader Response to Literature. (2019). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.BADCFAEB
- W. Patterson Atkinson, Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Francis Bret Harte, Robert Louis Stevenson, & Rudyard Kipling. (2018). The Short Story. [N.p.]: Otbebookpublishing. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2234458