Vår 2024

ENG-3153 Literary History - 10 stp

The course is administrated by

Institutt for språk og kultur

Type of course

This course is intended for students in the master's programme in English literature and students in the master's programme in education year 8-13 (lektorutdanninga, studieretning engelsk, jf. progresjonskrav for år 4).

This course may be taken as a single course by students who meet the admission requirements for the master's programme in English Literature. Please see the admission requirements section.

This course fulfils the Period-Based Studies requirement for the master's programme in English Literature.

Course contents

This course explores the relationships between literature and history and connects the theorization of these relationships to important societal shifts portrayed in literature. We will ask, as Geoffrey Hartman puts it, "How do we ground art in history without denying its autonomy?" and examine the many ways that authors and scholars have approached this question. Particular emphasis will be placed on literature´s ability to challenge a period´s socio-cultural norms, with thematic foci including the representations of oppressed cultures, the portrayal of outsider or criminal characters, and the representation of effective social change.

Admission requirements

Bachelor's degree (180 ECTS), or equivalent qualification, in English literature, or a degree combining English literature and a closely-related discipline (minimum 80 ECTS in English). An average grade equivalent to C or better (in the Norwegian grading system) is required.

Application code: 9371 - Enkeltemner på masternivå (Nordic applicants).

Objective of the course

Knowledge

The student has:

a comprehensive grasp of the historical relationships among primary texts of the course and between each text and its historical context
strong theoretical understanding of approaches to literature that attend to cultural and political contexts and socio-economic conditions
a thorough knowledge of the social functions that literature has been seen to fulfill, focusing particularly on its ability to challenge social norms

Skills

The student can:

analyze primary and secondary texts and discern connections among them
think critically about literature´s representation of social change
use relevant theoretical approaches to achieve independent insights about individual texts
communicate effectively both orally and in writing about the literature and criticism they have read

Language of instruction

Language of instruction and examination: English.

Teaching methods

The course meets once a week for 13 weeks for two hours of lecture and discussion.