Vår 2024

ENG-3108 Colonial and Postcolonial Discourses in English Literature - 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 teacher education year 8-13 (lektorutdanning trinn 8-13, studieretning engelsk). This course may be taken as a single course by students who meet the admission requirements for the MA programme in English Literature.

Course overlap

ENG-3108 Colonial Discourses in British Nineteenth-Century Literature 10 ects

Course contents

"Rather than simply being the writing which 'came after' empire, postcolonial literature is that which critically scrutinizes the colonial relationship. It is writing that sets out in one way or another to resist colonialist perspectives." (Elleke Boehmer in Colonial & Postcolonial Literature, 3) Starting with a couple of texts from the period around the turn of the 20th century, a time which was the heyday of British imperialism, this course moves on to texts giving expression to a growing sense of opposition, of "writing back", to ruling classes as well as nations and ideas. The texts selected for the course are intended to display some of the enormous variety in thematic focus and narrative strategies, as well as some of the wide geographical distribution of postcolonial literature.

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 English coursework (80 ECTS) is required.

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

Objective of the course

Knowledge:

understanding of the various social, historical, political and cultural forces which make up the "postcolonial condition"
insight into the main formal and thematic characteristics of fiction as well as some of the major trends in postcolonial literary and cultural theory
in-depth knowledge of the individual texts studied

Skills:

familiarity with a diversity of texts and textual strategies in postcolonial writing
proficiency in close reading, analysis, and interpretation of literature
to be able to write and talk persuasively and effectively in English

Language of instruction

Language of instruction and examination: English.

Teaching methods

Lectures and seminars (26 hours). 2 hours of teaching for 13 weeks.