SML1118 : Introduction to Literature - Part 1
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
- Module Leader(s): Dr Kathryn Robson
- Lecturer: Dr Richard McClelland, Mrs Marcela Reyes Otaiza, Professor Shirley Jordan
- Owning School: Modern Languages
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
- To introduce you to two different types of text: the short story and the play.
- To show and enable you to practise critical approaches to these different types of text.
- To equip you with tools for close reading and textual analysis.
- To enable you to develop critical, widely contextualised, and theoretically informed approaches to the subject.
The course assumes no prior knowledge of the texts to be studied and no previous experience of studying literature to Advanced level is necessary.
This module is for Exchange students studying at Newcastle University for Semester 1 only.
Outline Of Syllabus
There are 18 contact hours in the module, all of them obligatory:
- Each week there is a one hour seminar in language groups (i.e. 12 hours of seminars).
- In semester 1 in weeks 1–3 and 5–6, there are additional one hour plenary lectures (i.e. 9 hours of lectures).
- There are additional individual "surgery hours" (i.e. 2 hours of surgery).
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 8 | 0:30 | 4:00 | Recorded lecture videos each teaching week for students to listen to and respond to before each PIP |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 15 | 1:00 | 15:00 | N/A |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 12 | 0:30 | 6:00 | Key reading tasks with questions to prepare each week. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | PIP seminars |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | Drop in surgery offered both PIP or on Zoom |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 50 | 1:00 | 50:00 | Free reading on topic with peers. Student-led discussion. Other independent research and study |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Guided independent study themed to the week’s lecture and seminar topic. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Module talk | 1 | 1:00 | 1:00 | Introductory recorded module talk |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lecture materials (in the form of recordings) will provide essential introductions to the set
texts and their authors and to their literary genres (short story, play, novel, poetry) more widely. They will also offer guides to the use of literary terms. Students will be expected to work through the lecture materials and accompanying directed reading/viewing which will be clearly signposted on Canvas.
Evaluation from last year showed that a majority of students appreciated the online elements as part of the module contact hours and the blended learning mode of teaching showed to be very effective as it allowed students time to reflect in their own time.
In seminars, students will analyse the chosen texts in detail, working through specific questions and specific extracts; emphasis will be placed on close literary analysis, and they will be given support to develop and practise their skills.
Students will be expected to carry out guided independent reading and to prepare questions – of a simple but also more extensive nature – in advance of seminars.
The module talk will provide an introduction to and benchmark of the module and its teaching methods (that students can refer back to) and the Q&A will facilitate debate around the key topics and issues in the module.
The drop-in sessions will be mainly to go through assessment queries in person.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 1 | M | 100 | 2000 word essay on the play, in English |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | A practice essay in English of 600 words (optional) |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The essay in semester 1 allows students to practise and develop their close reading skills and textual analysis.
The students will be expected to analyse the text(s) in detail and in depth and to use detailed examples.
The formative essay on the short story allows students to develop and test out their close reading skills and receive feedback before going on to write the longer summative essay. They will be given guidance on essay writing before the formative essay is written and be given individual and full-cohort feedback on the formative essay that will support them to write the summative essays.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- SML1118's Timetable