SML4008 : Memory and Storytelling Across Borders
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Catherine Gilbert
- Lecturer: Dr Teresa Ludden, Dr Philippa Page, Professor Sabrina Qiong Yu
- 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: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
This interdisciplinary module addresses contemporary issues of social and environmental injustice through the critical lens of Memory Studies. Its aim is to explore how our engagement with the memory of difficult and controversial pasts is key to understanding society’s most pressing contemporary challenges and for imagining a more equitable and accountable future. Transnational in its approach, this module works comparatively across contexts, exploring dialogues between the locally specific and the global.
This module is developed in partnership with Newcastle University’s spotlight partner, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC). As part of the module, we will explore the notion of conscience for different communities and memory sites. Members of the Coalition will contribute to the skills training for this module. Students will have a chance to learn directly from the Coalition about working in the NGO sector and working in a global network of sites of conscience.
Outline Of Syllabus
The syllabus may be subject to changes but may typically include:
Current debates - memory in different global contexts.
Dialogue in situations of conflict.
In-depth exploration of three sites of conscience, each in a different context.
Memory and intangible heritage – alternative forms of archiving and working through the past.
Migrant literature and racial capitalism.
Post-Holocaust memory culture and multidirectional memory.
Intercultural communication and language diversity.
Art and the cultural dimensions of memory.
Storytelling as practice and method.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 50 | 1:00 | 50:00 | Preparation and completion of all summative and formative assessments. |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | Guided preparation for in-person seminar activities. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | Guided reading of primary and secondary materials. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 10 | 3:00 | 30:00 | PIP on campus. Interactive, participation expected. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 1 | 3:00 | 3:00 | Skills-based training on dialogue in situations of conflict, led by the ICSC. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 77 | 1:00 | 77:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
This module is delivered through a small-group working format to enable student-led critical discussion and creative engagement with the topic. This format will also best support the production of the multimodal portfolio assessment. This module will be delivered via a team-teaching approach whereby each staff member not only delivers the part of the module that corresponds to their area of expertise, but the module co-leaders will also work together to deliver key sessions in dialogue.
All knowledge outcomes are addressed by the mix of synchronous interactive and non-synchronous guided learning formats. The module is taught and assessed in English. All primary materials and secondary materials will be available in English or English translation. All primary materials, and where relevant secondary materials, will also be available in their original languages. This module offers tutorial slots to support learning.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 1 | A | 100 | 4,000 words in total (one larger and two smaller pieces) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case study | 1 | M | Presentation of a case study of a site of conscience selected by the student, based on their area of interest. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The portfolio approach ensures that the continuous assessment is both formative and summative. It enables students to receive feedback on a wide range of forms of critical engagement that encompass the full skill set being developed throughout the module. The assignments reflect the diversity of modes and media used across organisations dealing with the memory of difficult pasts allowing students to tailor their work to different audiences and target publications.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- SML4008's Timetable