LT249-5-SP-CO:
Postmodernism
PLEASE NOTE: This module is inactive. Visit the Module Directory to view modules and variants offered during the current academic year.
2023/24
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 5
Inactive
Monday 15 January 2024
Friday 22 March 2024
15
11 January 2023
Requisites for this module
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This module explores the practice and theory of translating literary texts in a global context.
We will discuss issues related to literary form and genre, analysing translations of epic and lyric poetry, prose fiction, and classical and modern drama. We will examine the changes in the cultural status of translation from the ancient times to the present, analysing ways in which translations have contributed to the dissemination and reception of texts.
The module considers literary translation as an act of crossing national borders and linguistic and cultural boundaries and an activity that allows diverse literary cultures to come into contact. We will explore literary translation in a global context, discussing historical moments in which literary texts and their translations originate, and focusing on the questions of power and ideology, feminism and gender, and cultural hegemony and postcolonialism. We will also focus on the political and philosophical debates that literary translations have provoked.
The module has no foreign language requirement. It is taught and assessed in English, and all texts are read in English translation. The module is open to students interested in literary translation, world literature, comparative literature, and exchanges between diverse literatures and cultures.
Module content note: topics may include violence, rape, racism, homophobia. Please contact the module supervisor if you have any questions.
This module aims to foster students’ cultural awareness and critical thinking by inviting them to consider the complex set of literary, philosophical, and political currents often grouped together under the heading ‘postmodernism’. The module focuses on nine key texts which, taken together, provide an overview of the phenomenon of postmodernism as it unfolds between the mid-1940s and early 2000s. Students will acquire or deepen their knowledge of a range of cultural texts, encompassing short stories, novels, poetry, and art history, each of which has been chosen as representative of one or more tendencies within postmodernism. Students will also develop an understanding and appreciation of the cultural and historical context in which postmodernism arose.
After successful completion of the module, students should be able to:
1. display a detailed knowledge of a representative range of key postmodern authors and texts;
2. analyse and theorize the cultural and historical context in which postmodern literature emerged;
3. evaluate both the immediate impact and longer-term cultural implications of postmodernism;
4. demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to engage in intellectual debates around postmodern literature;
5. plan, research, and write a critical essay.
Please check Talis for the reading list and Moodle for additional course materials.
Anticipated teaching delivery:
Weekly two-hour seminars
Module materials will be available on Moodle
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Joanna Rzepa, email: joanna.rzepa@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Joanna Rzepa
LiFTS General Office – email liftstt@essex.ac.uk
Tel 01206 87 2626
Yes
No
Yes
Dr Doug Haynes
University of Sussex
Reader in American Literature and Visual Culture
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 20 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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