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EN3214   The Country and the City in Scottish Literature

Academic year(s): 2023-2024

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 30

ECTS credits : 15

Level : SCQF level 9

Semester: 2

Planned timetable: 2-4pm Thursday

What and where is Scotland? How have the cities and the countryside of Scotland been created over the last 200 years? And what are the internal and external borders of Scottish literature - psychologically, geographically and formally? By exploring Scottish novels - and poetry - from the early 19th century to the present day we examine the literary construction and deconstruction of Scotland through depictions of its rural and urban spaces. In particular, we analyse dystopian and utopian fantasies, green and gothic tendencies, and nostalgia both for the lost idyllic countryside and for gritty, urban 'reality', to ask if Scotland as a literary construction makes sense - and if it needs to. (Group E)

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisite(s): Before taking this module you must pass EN2003 and pass EN2004

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: 2 x 1-hour seminar, and 2 optional consultative hours.

Scheduled learning hours: 22

Guided independent study hours: 278

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: Coursework = 100%

As defined by QAA
Written examinations : 50%
Practical examinations : 0%
Coursework: 50%

Re-assessment: exam = 100%

Personnel

Module coordinator: Dr P Mackay
Module teaching staff: Dr P Mackay

Intended learning outcomes

  • Analyse and discuss literary texts from different periods in formal and thematic terms
  • Show evidence of wider reading and an understanding of the historical and literary contexts of texts' production
  • Display an awareness of the critical issues surrounding the discussion of Scottish literature, and in particular how they are applied to constructions of the city or rural spaces, especially in terms of class and gender
  • Deploy a critical vocabulary for discussing Scottish literature
  • Demonstrate the transferrable skills of textual analysis and the ability to construct and deliver logical arguments.