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Discipline of English, National University of Ireland Galway 3BA/4BA Final Year Handbook 2020 – 2021 1
Discipline of English,National University of Ireland
Galway
3BA/4BA
Final YearHandbook2020 – 2021
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NUI Galway English 3BA/4BA Final YearHandbook 2020-21
Dear students, We hope this finds you well and that you have enjoyed some rest, recovery, and reading after what has been a challenging year. While the university is still working out the fine details about on-campus procedures. here is some information regarding the ways in which the Discipline of English will deliver its programmes. It is important to note that we must be bound by public health guidelines at all times. For a large discipline like English, the most important of these guidelines are the ones regarding social distancing. This necessitates restrictions on teaching and learning and will mean a significant component of online delivery for most courses.
Given the risks for staff and students who for health or other reasons may not be able to attend class on campus, we are working to make sure students in any situation do not miss out, and are therefore devising new ways to maintain regular contact with all students.
Owing to the need to ensure equality of access to all students and on-campus space restrictions, most of our courses are adapted in some way for online delivery. It may be possible to provide support classes or tutorials on a staggered basis, but this will depend on scheduling issues, classroom allocation, and availability of staff.
The course offerings for the academic year 2020-21 are listed in the 3BA Course Outline available on our website. As ever, this year the emphasis must be on your own reading, researching, and writing.
We ask for your patience and understanding – much of this is new to us too! But we hope also to help your learning experience where we can and provide an exciting and stimulating year. We look forward to welcoming you back!
All best wishes,
Dr Adrian PatersonDirector of Final Year English
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Further information and supportNUI Galway English is committed to the welfare and wellbeing of our students alongside academic excellence. Do please check all available sources of information and come forward if you need help.
NUI Galway English website should be your first port of call for all information about English, including government health updates and all general information.
NUI Galway Blackboard is an important source of information about courses and assessments. Students should be checking in on Blackboard regularly for important updates throughout the term. Individual courses will contain extra resources and information that may help you.
NUI Galway English Facebook page may also have sources of help and other links and updates.
NUI Galway College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies . The College office handles most queries about overall subject choices or clashes, repeats, assessment appeals and so on.
Registration . As a returning student to NUI, Galway, you must register online atwww.nuigalway.ie/registration . This facility opens on 17th September 2020. Queries regarding registration difficulties, particularly difficulty accessing Blackboard for all courses, should be addressed to [email protected]
Email . Periodic communications from English and the university are sent to registered students via their nuigalway.ie student email accounts. For this reason, students should check this email on a regular basis, and should use it when possible for contacting the university in any context (see email etiquette).
The English Staff-Student Committee meets each term and can be a good means of communicating with the department. Wider course feedback, general issues or particular student concerns can be recognised and dealt with quickly. Consider contacting your class representative, or even better putting yourself forward as a class rep.
The Academic Writing Centre exists to help students manage and complete assessments of all kinds. Staffed by experienced and understanding student tutors and aimed at students at all levels, it is there for all your research and writing needs. https://library.nuigalway.ie/awc/
Student Services provides counselling, financial advice, and career guidance to all students. See their website at: https://www.nuigalway.ie/student-services/ We all need help sometimes: do get in touch with them if you feel stressed, depressed, or not yourself in some way – or simply if you just need advice.
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Contacting English
We are here to help, and we enjoy hearing from you. However to avoid a significant volume of unnecessary queries (especially at crunch points in the semester) we ask you to stop, think, and seek out available information and help first. Before getting in touch do please first consult all the information in this handbook, and in the further sources listed above.
If you have checked through all these sources of information and need further help, you should consider contacting individuals in English.
All contact details are available on the NUI Galway English website at ‘People’ http://www.nuigalway.ie/colleges-and-schools/arts-social-sciences-and-celtic-studies/english-creative-arts/departments-centres/english/people/
In all email correspondence with academic and support staff, remember to address the recipient politely, formally, and properly, or your query may not get answered. Please include your student number as well as relevant course titles and codes.
All general enquiries that cannot be answered in this Handbook should be directed to the English Secretary Ms Irene O’Malley ([email protected])
If you have questions concerning the Third Year English academic programme that cannot be answered either by the Secretary or other sources detailed in this Handbook, the Director of Final Year English Dr Adrian Paterson can be contacted about academic concerns. His office is Room 502 of Tower 1. Given health restrictions the main point of contact this year is by email. Virtual office meetings may also be possible to arrange during semester. You may make an appointment by emailing Dr Paterson at [email protected].
For enquiries or concerns about individual courses, students are encouraged to email relevant members of our teaching staff. Academic staff may also hold virtual office hours online during the semester and students can make an appointment to discuss any issues during these times. See above: individual contact details can be found on our website.
If you are experiencing difficulty in dealing with the academic demands of a course you are enrolled in, please contact the individual lecturer in the first instance. With so many students in class, it is easy to feel lost; it is very important to us that you let us know if we can help.
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General Information on Final Year
Welcome to Final Year! For your Third or Final Year (sometimes called Third or Final Arts) you must have passed Second Year successfully: if so, congratulations! We hope you will find this upcoming year challenging, exciting, and enriching.
In Third or Final Year, you continue to pursue the two subjects taken at Second Year. Each subject makes up 30 ECTS over the course of the academic year: making a total of 60 ECTS for the year.
The correspondence of the full-time workload of an academic year to 60 ECTS credits is outlined by the formalised by the European Credit Transfer System and national legal provisions. In most cases, workload ranges from 1,500 to 1,800 hours for an academic year, which means that one credit corresponds to 25 to 30 hours of work. (It should be recognised that this represents the typical workload and that for individual students the actual time to achieve the learning outcomes will vary).
This means that beyond contact hours students should be devoting considerable time to their own study. For more details see https://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/education/ects/users-guide/index_en.htm
How to enter Final Year
Students must pass all courses in both subjects in order to progress into Third or Final Year (allowing one course to be passed by compensation). Students mustcomplete their Final Year within two academic years of having passed Second Year,except in the case of those in their Year Abroad of the BA (International), whomust complete Final Year within three academic years of having passed SecondArts.
Any student who passes in one subject while failing the other subject is exemptfrom further examination in the subject passed.
Any student who does not pass a subject at the Semester 1 or Semester 2 assessments must repeat those courses in which a fail grade has been awarded, though their mark may be capped. Where a student is repeating examinations in a subject, the results already attained from passing courses in that subject may be retained only within the time-limit for the completion of Third Year as stated above.
BA CONNECT P rogrammes
Students enter Third Year in BA Connect the same way. The two subjects chosen are studied full time. Students do not engage directly in study in their specialism, although they may choose relevant courses from those available to all students of their degree subjects.
Final Year English StructureAll students take six courses making up a total of 30 ECTS credits in English over the course of the academic year. Each course is worth 5 ECTS in weighting, corresponding roughly to at least 125-150 hours of work.
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Students in BA CONNECT programmes in Third Year English do the same as students studying for the denominated BA degree, as described above.
Semester OneStudents are required to take THREE out of the following four lecture courses:
ENG228 Old English Poetry
EN3123 Stage & Page: The Early Modern Imagination
EN387 Specialist Studies: 20th Century Literature
ENG238 Nineteenth Century British Literature
Semester TwoStudents are required to take THREE out of the following four lecture courses:
EN4112 Literature and Ecology
ENG304 Contemporary Literature
EN388 Studies in Modern Irish Literature
EN399 Extended Essay (places limited: subject to a separate application process requiring a detailed proposal and successful previous performance)
Each course may adapt to new modes of delivery and assessment differently. Because of space restrictions, staff availability, and health guidelines, not all students will be on campus each week. There are likely to be increased asynchronous learning opportunities and tasks, while each course has 2 hours open for possible synchronous learning, which may take the form of on-campus support sessions for small groups , online discussion sessions, or other activities.
All courses operate with 40% Continuous Assessment and 60% Final Assessment. Continuous Assessment can take many forms including a mid-term essay, Final Assessment more usually requires a final research essay.
See the Appendix to this Handbook or Course Outline document for detailed course descriptions.
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Registration
Students register online at www.nuigalway.ie/registration from 17 September 2020. Registration involves two stages: (1) Personal Information and (2) Course Selection.
Students must register for 60 ECTS credits between their two subjects (30 ECTS per semester, so 15 ECTS for each subject). Students studying English register for their lecture courses online, and may select Semester 2 courses in September (note separate process for EN399). There is chance to change registration again online in January/February.
Term Dates 2020-21
Semester 1 Teaching for all English lecture courses begins 28 September 2020
Midterm assessments for all English lecture courses due
9-13 November 2019
Teaching for all English lecture courses ends
Semester 1 exam/final assessment period
Final assessments due for all English lecture courses
Semester 2
18 December 2019
11-22 January 2021
11-15 January 2021
Teaching for all English lecture courses begins 8 February 2021
Midterm assessments for all English lecture courses due
15-19 March 2021
Teaching for all English lecture courses ends
Semester 2 assessment period
7 May 2021
18 May to 4 June 2021
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Email Etiquette
Email communications to lecturers should be formal, respectful, and relevant. Mostlecturers would prefer that students attend office hours in order to ask detailed questions about courses, or consider making an appointment. If you must send a query via email, make sure that you are writing to the right person, and consider whether you would say what you have written to the lecturer’s face.Include your student number with your query, and do not expect an instant reply.
Please ensure that you include the following in your email: A short subject line that identifies the topic of the email; A formal salutation such as “Dear X”; If you are going to use your lecturer’s title, make sure you use the correct
title (Dr, Prof., etc.); you’ll find the titles of the lecturer you’re addressing online with their contact details if you’re unsure;
Your student number, year, and course code if you’re emailing about a specific course;
As much information as you can to help your lecturer deal with your query; Language that is appropriate for a professional setting; An appropriate sign-off, such as “Best wishes,” “Kind regards,” “Many
thanks,” etc.
Please expect two working days for a response to your email; please do not resend your email within this time frame. If you email a lecturer on Friday, you can expect a response Tuesday. If your query is urgent, please indicate this in the subject line, but do not expect that this will speed up a response. Office hours are better for urgent queries.
Queries regarding registration difficulties, particularly with Blackboard, should beaddressed to [email protected]
Student Services
The Discipline of English is committed to the welfare of our students. If you areexperiencing difficulty in dealing with the demands of the courses you’re enrolled in,please speak to your lecturers in the first instance. With so many students in class, it is easy to feel lost; it is very important to us that you let us know if we can help.
For problems of a personal nature, Student Services provides counselling, financialadvice, and career guidance to all students. See their website at:https://www.nuigalway.ie/student-services/
Mark Grade Award Criteria used for assessment
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70+ A First ClassHonours
An essay that displays originality, and is writtenin excellent English. No major grammatical orfactual errors. A coherent argument supportedby convincing evidence. Proper citing ofsources (Bibliography or Works Cited) usingthe MLA Styleguide.
60-69 B Second ClassHonours (Grade1)
An essay that displays an honest attempt toengage with thesubject. Some minor grammatical errors. A coherent argument that is wide-ranging but not comprehensive.
50-59 C Second ClassHonours (Grade2)
Evidence of an attempt to engage with thesubject, but an overdependence on others’work (secondary sources, lecture notes), whichare deployed without evidence of being fullyunderstood. Grammatical errors (apostropheusage, fused sentences) reveal lack ofknowledge of rules of writing. The essay relieson plot summary and excess description ratherthan analysis.
45-49 D+ Third ClassHonours
Barely adequate, but shows some knowledge ofprimary texts and makes some attempt toprovide a substantial answer.
40-44 D Pass Completely inadequate, but displays someknowledge of text and attempts to provide ananswer but shows a lack of knowledge.
35-39 E Fail Inadequate but displays some knowledge ofText
0-34 F Fail Totally inadequate (no answer, plagiarism, etc.)5 G Fail Attended examination but no genuine attempt
English Department Grade Bands
Student Code of Conduct
The guidelines that follow have been drawn up with reference to Policies and Procedures established by the University
All students should familiarise themselves with these guidelines at:www.nuigalway.ie/current_students/university_code_conduct/index.php#7
Main points from the Student Code of Conduct:
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Any student who enrols for any course in the University in doing so accepts theobjectives of the University and is giving a commitment, as a responsible individual andas a member of the University community, to behave in an appropriate manner.
The Student Code of Conduct offers guidelines as to the norms of behaviour that accordwith the obligations of students, but where more specific requirements are in place, theyare available on the University’s web site. It should be noted that Students of theUniversity cannot claim any privileged position in regard to the general law of the land.
Rights and obligations of staff, students and others
* Every student and staff member has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
* Students are expected to acknowledge the authority of the staff of the University, bothacademic and support staff, in the performance of their duties.
Academic Conduct
* Every student is expected to approach his/her academic endeavours with honesty andintegrity.
* Each student shall comply with his/her academic programme requirements in terms oflectures, practicals, assignments and assessments and with all University registration, fees,library, use of computer facilities and examination regulations associated therewith.
* No student shall provide false or misleading information to or withhold relevantinformation from any party regarding his/her academic achievements
General
* Every student is required to behave in a manner which enables and encouragesparticipation in the educational activities of the University and does not disrupt thefunctioning of the University.
* The maintenance of the good name of the University is in the interests of all of theUniversity community and, as the standing of the University depends largely on thosewho represent it, it is the duty of its students at all times to behave, both inside andoutside of the University, in a way which does not bring discredit to the University.
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The observance of the Code, so far as it applies to the individual student, is his/herpersonal responsibility.
Breach of any of the regulations of the University will be dealt with either under theappropriate approved University procedure or the Disciplinary Procedure. (TheDisciplinary Procedure is laid out in Section 6.0 of the Code of Conduct)
Some Examples of Breaches of the Student Code of Conduct:
• Obstruction of members of the University staff or other students in theperformance of their duties.
• Any violence or threats of violence or any abuse, either physical or verbal.• Any behaviour that endangers the welfare of the individual or others.
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• Making derogatory comments or allegations against a member of staff or otherstudent either in person or utilising electronic media such as e-mail or socialnetworking sites.
• Cheating, plagiarism and circumstances where a student submits the work ofanother as his/her own or allows another person to undertake an assessment orassignment for him/her.
• Failure, without reasonable explanation, to carry out all or any of the following tothe satisfaction of the Academic Council: attend lectures; attend prescribedpractical classes, or laboratory, drawing-office or clinical sessions; attend tutorialclasses; meet requirements laid down for project-work, essay-writing, orany other prescribed course exercise.
• Conduct likely to disrupt teaching, examinations, study, research, oradministration of the University.
• Failure to abide by the regulations governing enrolment on the academicprogramme, attendance at lectures and other prescribed exercises and theconduct of examinations.
• Abuse of alcohol or other substances on the campus, including contravention ofthe regulations which may be made from time to time relating to theconsumption of alcohol or other substances on the campus.
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Is it Plagiarism?
A Quick Guide for Students
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EXAMPLE IS ITPLAGIARISM?
NOTES
SparkNotes says:
A university student whose studies are interrupted byhis father’s death, Hamlet is extremely philosophicaland contemplative.
Sam writes an essay that says:
A university student whose studies are interrupted byhis father’s death, Hamlet is extremely philosophicaland contemplative.
Yes!
It is never acceptable toincorporate online (or any other)materials in your essays withoutcrediting the original source.Even if Sam lists SparkNotes asa source on hisBibliography/Works Cited page,his failure to put this sentence inquotation marks still means thathe has plagiarised. Remember:just one sentence in your essaythat is uncredited could meanthat you risk failing the entireassignment.
SparkNotes says:
Faced with evidence that his uncle murdered hisfather, evidence that any other character in a playwould believe, Hamlet becomes obsessed withproving his uncle’s guilt before trying to act.
Sam writes an essay that says:
Hamlet is cautious when it comes to interpreting thisevidence, evidence that any other character in a playwould believe.
Yes!
It still counts as plagiarism ifSam has copied a unique phrase(i.e. less than an entire sentence,or, in this example: ‘evidencethat any other character in a playwould believe’) from a sourcewithout using quotation marksproperly crediting that source.How do you know if a phrase isunique? Try Googling ‘evidencethat any other character in a playwould believe’—it takes youstraight back to SparkNotes.
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EXAMPLE IS ITPLAGIARISM?
NOTES
In an article called ‘“Thy State Is the MoreGracious”: Courtly Space and Social Mobility inHamlet and Early Modern Culture’, Peter Sillitoeargues:
Hamlet (1601) depicts hierarchy and social mobilitybecause the play focuses its attention onto a royalcourt. Clearly, this approach could be applied tomany plays but Hamlet takes things much furtherwith its emphasis on role-play and confused socialidentities. Crucially, the major characters are eithernobles or the socially mobile, and the play highlightsthe workings of courtly power and the socialchallenge of the revenger in light of this.
Sam writes an essay that says:
Hamlet portrays chains of command and socialmovement because the drama focuses itsconcentration onto an imperial court. Evidently, thisapproach could be useful to numerous plays butHamlet takes belongings much further with itshighlighting on role-play and perplexedcommunity-based identities. Vitally, the chiefcharacters are either aristocracy or the sociallyitinerant, and the drama showcases the machinery ofcourtly authority and the social test of the revenger inillumination of this.
Yes!
This phenomenon has recentlybecome known as ‘Rogeting’ (infact, you can read a humorousarticle about this phenomenonhere:http://www.theguardian.com/edu cation/shortcuts/2014/aug/08/rog eting-sinister-buttocks-students- essays-plagiarising-thesaurus). Itis not acceptable to cut and pastefrom a source and then use athesaurus to simply insertsynonyms for the words.Moreover, the results are oftennonsensical when students dothis!
A blog post found online athttp://warustudiotk.blogspot.ie/2011/04/political- and-social-themes-in-hamlet.html says:
The men throughout the play fall into two categories.There are those like Claudius and Polonius, asHamlet states about Polonius, which is true also forClaudius, “A man of words.” And then there arethose like Hamlet, Fortinbras and Laertes who aremen of action. Claudius is more of a politician king,he has a way with words. This is vastly apparantthrough out the play, but more so at the beginningand also near the end.[Note that this blog post contains words that arespelled incorrectly and that Sam inadvertentlyimproves the quality of the writing.]
Sam writes an essay that says:
There are two categories of men in Hamlet: men ofwords (as Hamlet describes Polonius) and men ofaction. Claudius and Polonius fall into the firstgroup, whereas Hamlet, Fortinbras and Laertes allfall into the second. It is apparent throughout theplay—particularly at the beginning and near theend—that Claudius is a political creature who has away with words.
Yes!
It is never acceptable to cut,paste and then slightly rewordonline (or any other) materials inyour essays—even if it is ‘just’plot summary that you are using.Even if Sam lists blog post as asource on hisBibliography/Works Cited page,his failure to cite this materialcorrectly in the body of his essaystill means that he hasplagiarised.
EXAMPLE IS ITPLAGIARISM?
NOTES
Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor’s introduction to theAdren edition of Hamlet says:
Unsurprisingly, feminist critics have expresseddifficulties with the play, deploring both thestereotypes of women depicted in it and the readinessof earlier critics to accept Hamlet’s view of theQueen and Ophelia without questioning whether theoverall view taken by the play (or its author) mightbe different.
Sam writes an essay that says:
Unsurprisingly, feminist critics have expresseddifficulties with the play, deploring both thestereotypes of women depicted in it and the readinessof earlier critics to accept Hamlet’s view of theQueen and Ophelia without questioning whether theoverall view taken by the play (or its author) mightbe different (Thompson and Taylor 35).
Yes!
Whenever you take sentencesand phrases directly from asource, you must indicate thatthe words are not your own byusing quotation marks. Even ifSam includes a parentheticalcitation at the end of a sentenceor paragraph that he hasreproduced from another source(as in this example), this is notenough on its own!
Sam is a good student who has high marks in all ofhis other courses, but was found plagiarising justthree sentences in one essay that he submitted thisyear.
Yes!
When plagiarism cases are beingconsidered, it is impossible forlecturers to take into account astudent’s overall academicperformance or marks in othercourses.
Sam and Charlie are good friends who are taking thesame course. They submit two copies of the sameessay, on which they collaborated. Yes!
This is a type of plagiarismcalled ‘collusion’, which meansthat students are collaborating inan unauthorised manner on workthat they are both submitting forcredit.
Sam and Charlie are good friends who are taking thesame course. They submit essays that have distinctarguments, yet incorporate many of the samesentences, phrases, or paragraphs.
Yes!
This is still collusion, even if theentire essay is not identical (seethe example above).
Sam hires Charlie to write his essay for him. Yes! Any essays you submit must beyour own work.
Charlie writes an essay for his English seminar andreuses portions that he earlier wrote for an essay duein one of his lecture courses. Yes!
This is called ‘self-plagiarism’ or‘auto-plagiarism’. It is forbiddento reuse materials that you havealready (or simultaneously)submitted for credit in anothercourse.
Last year, Charlie submitted a number of essays thatincorporated passages of reworded information thathe’d cut and pasted from online sources, but he’snever been accused of ‘plagiarising’ before.
Yes!
If you have been doing this sortof thing habitually but never lostpoints for it, count yourself luckythat you haven’t been caught yet,and change your writing habitsimmediately!
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EXAMPLE IS ITPLAGIARISM?
NOTES
Turnitin says that Charlie’s essay is only 3%‘unoriginal’.
Maybe, maybe not!
Turnitin is merely a guide thatyour lecturers use to helpidentify problematic essays. Thenumber that it produces is notreally meaningful in and of itself.It is possible to have a lownumber returned for an essaythat does, in fact, plagiarisesources.
Turnitin says that Charlie’s essay is 46%‘unoriginal’.
Maybe, maybe not!
It is possible to have a highnumber returned on Turnitin foran essay that does not, in fact,plagiarise any sources and hasproperly credited all quotations.
Charlie writes an essay in which he uses quotationmarks appropriately and cites everythingparenthetically. However, he does not attach aBibliography/Works Cited page, as required in MLAformat.
Perhaps not exactly,but it’s not a good
idea!
Attaching a Bibliography/WorksCited is never optional (even inthose cases where you may onlyhave used one primary source inyour essay and no secondarysources at all). You will losemarks on your essay for failingto attach a Bibliography/WorksCited page.
Charlie writes an essay and attaches aBibliography/Works Cited page listing all of thesecondary sources that he consulted. He putseverything that he has quoted directly from thesesecondary sources in quotation marks to indicate it’snot his own words, but he doesn’t bother putting anyparenthetical citations in the body of his essay toshow the source of each individual quotation.
Perhaps not exactly,but it’s not a good
idea!
Even if you put quoted materialin quotation marks, if you fail togive your reader an indication ofwhere each quotation is from,it’s still not properly cited. Youwill lose marks on your essay forfailing to cite your sourcesparenthetically.
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EXAMPLE IS ITPLAGIARISM?
NOTES
Sam writes an essay that uses his secondary readingto help him position his own argument. He writes:
Hamlet can be interpreted as a play that is focused onsocial class and that reinforces the patriarchal viewsof its time. Peter Sillitoe, for example, argues that theplay ‘highlights the workings of courtly power andthe social challenge of the revenger’ (Sillitoe 208).Thompson and Taylor, on the other hand, considerfeminist approaches to the play, which havechallenged ‘the stereotypes of women depicted in itand the readiness of earlier critics to accept Hamlet’sview of the Queen and Ophelia’ (Thompson andTaylor 35). What unites these interpretations is theirattention to the play’s social dimensions. This essayargues that Shakespeare’s play explores socialstructures – both class and gender – in order tocritique Elizabethan society.
BibliographyShakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Ann Thompsonand Neil Taylor. London: Arden Shakespeare, 2010.Print.Sillitoe, Peter. “ ‘Thy State Is the More Gracious’:Courtly Space and Social Mobility in Hamlet andEarly Modern Culture.” Shakespeare 9 (2013): 204-19. Print.
No!
Sam has used his reading ofcriticism about the play in orderto develop his ideas about itsrepresentation of society. He hasengaged with this reading inorder to formulate a newargument. He acknowledges thefact that these sources haveinformed his argument byquoting from them directly andciting them correctly. He hasalso cited them in hisBibliography/Works Cited page.
Category of plagiarism Maximum points awarded
More than two sentences plagiarised froma single source OR evidence ofplagiarism from multiple sources
5%
Sentence(s) taken directly from a sourcewithout quotation marks employed norattribution in parentheses, but with thesource cited in Bibliography/Works Cited
20% with stern warning in feedback
One or two sentences plagiarised 40% with stern warning in feedback
Sentence(s) taken directly from a sourcewithout quotation marks employed, butwith subsequent attribution/reference inparentheses
40% with stern warning in feedback
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Fails to attach a Bibliography/WorksCited
Discretionary penalty with stern warningin feedback
Discipline of English Grading Guidelines for Plagiarism A good English essay should take into consideration a range of possibleinterpretations of the primary text, using these to develop an argument that showsindependent critical thinking. When citing interpretations made by other authors, youmust credit them accurately. Use other authors/sources to inform and develop yourown thinking about the primary text(s).
Plagiarism occurs when these sources are not correctly acknowledged. The following outlines typical penalties applied in English. The department follows the university’s plagiarism code, which means any instances of plagiarism are kept on permanent record and can result in severe sanctions. http://www.nuigalway.ie/plagiarism/
. If you are unclear about what constitutes plagiarism, do consider also taking the quick referencing course on the James Hardiman Library Website: http://www.allaboardhe.ie/referencing/
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NUI Galway Plagiarism Code of Practice
The department follows the university’s plagiarism code, which means any instances of plagiarism are kept on permanent record and can result in severe sanctions. http://www.nuigalway.ie/plagiarism/. Select extracts follow:
Plagiarism is the act of copying, including or directly quoting from the work of another without adequate acknowledgement, in order to obtain benefit, credit or gain. Plagiarism can apply to many materials, such as words, ideas, images, information, data, approaches or methods. Sources of Plagiarism can include books, journals, reports, websites, essay mills, another student, or another person.
Self-Plagiarism, or auto-Plagiarism, is where a student re-uses work previously submitted to another course within the University or in another Institution.
All work submitted by students for assessment, for publication or for (public) presentation, is accepted on the understanding that it is their own work and contains their own original contribution, except where explicitly referenced using the accepted norms and formats of the appropriate academic discipline.
Plagiarism can arise through poor academic practice or ignorance of accepted norms of the academic discipline. Schools should ensure that resources and education around good academic practice is available to students at all levels. Cases in which students facilitate others to copy their work shall also be subject to the procedures outlined here
The university’s Plagiarism Code of Practice awards an agreed series of points based on the type and severity of plagiarism infringements.
For Summative work, ie formal assessments, in all cases a formal warning is given and a record made contributing to the student’s previous history.
Summative Work
Points Available Penalties (select one)
280-329 No further action beyond formal warning Assignment awarded 0% - resubmission required, with no penalty on mark
330-379 No further action beyond formal warning Assignment awarded 0% - resubmission required, with no penalty on mark Assignment awarded 0% - resubmission required but mark capped or reduced*
380-479 Assignment awarded 0% - resubmission required but mark capped or reduced Assignment awarded 0% - no opportunity to resubmit
480-524 Assignment awarded 0% - no opportunity to resubmit
525+ Case referred to Discipline Committee
Formative Work
280-379 Informal warning
380+ Formal warning, with record made contributing to the student’s previous history
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MLA referencing guidelines
References & Documentation
The discipline of English at NUI Galway adopts the Modern Language Association (MLA) referencing guidelines. In MLA style, you acknowledge your sources by including parenthetical citations withinyour text. These refer the reader to the alphabetical list of works cited, or bibliography,that appears at the end of the document. For example:
The close of the millennium was marked by a deep suspicion of the natural world and anincreasing reliance “upon the pronouncements of soothsayers and visionaries, whocaused hysteria with their doom-laden forecasts of the end of humanity” (Mulligan 234).
The citation “(Mulligan 234)” informs the reader that the quotation originates on page234 of a document by an author named Mulligan. Consulting the bibliography, the readerwould find the following information under the name Mulligan:
Mulligan, Grant V. The Religions of Medieval Europe: Fear and the Masses. London: Secker,1977. Print.
The bibliography might list a second work by this author, which, in accordance withMLA style, would appear in the list with three hyphens substituting for the author’sname:
---, The Tudor World. London: Macmillan, 1981. Print.
In this case, the parenthetical reference above would include more information in orderto make it clear which of the two books contains the quoted passage. Usually, ashortened form of the title is sufficient: (Mulligan, Religions 234). Parenthetical referencesshould be kept as brief as clarity will permit. If the context in which the quotationappears makes it clear which document in the bibliography the quoted text comes from,then no further identification is needed:
Reva Basch reports that the Georgetown Center for Text and Technology, which hasbeen compiling a catalogue of electronic text projects, lists “over 300 such projects inalmost 30 countries” (14).
The parenthetical reference “(14),” in combination with the mention of Reva Basch atthe beginning of the passage, makes it clear to the reader that the quoted text comesfrom page 14 of the following document listed in the bibliography:
Basch, Reva. “Books Online: Visions, Plans, and Perspectives for Electronic Text.”Online 15.4 (1991): 13-23. Print.
The information on this guidesheet is adapted from a stylesheet produced by theKillam Library at Dalhousie University, Canada. Copies of the MLA Style Guideare in the Humanities Reference section of the Library. For more visit MLA Style
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http://style.mla.org/
Endnotes & Footnotes
The style of documentation required by the Discipline of English makes most footnotes/endnotes unnecessary, except for information that is not essential to yourargument but that might indicate the wider implications of what you’d like to say. Forinstance:
Elizabeth Gaskell’s biography of Charlotte Brontë makes reference to the juvenilia of thefamily, but does not detail the importance of the texts to the later writings of the sisters.
1
A footnote (at the bottom of the page) or an endnote (at the end of the essay) willinclude the following information:1 See Evans (1999) and Wright (2006) for attention to these early attempts at fiction
The books by Evans and Wright then appear in the Bibliography.
Bibliography
Books
One author :
Hillman, Richard. Shakespeare, Marlowe, and the Politics of France. New York: Palgrave, 2002. Print.
Two authors :Hand, Richard J. and Michael Wilson. Grand-Guignol: the French Theatre of Horror.Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2002. Print.
Three authors :
Cargill, Oscar, William Charvat, and Donald D. Walsh. The Publication of Academic Writing.New York: Modern Language Association, 1966. Print.
More than three authors :
Howe, Louise, et al. How to Stay Younger while Growing Older: Aging for all Ages. London:Macmillan, 1982. Print.
No author given :
The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2003. Print.
An organization or institution as “author” :
American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American PsychologicalAssociation. 5th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2001. Print.
An editor or compiler as “author” :
20
Updike, John, comp. and ed. The Best American Short Stories of the Century. Boston:Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Print.
An edition of an author’s work :
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Robert P. Irvine. Peterborough, ON: Broadview P,2002. Print.
Milne, A. A. When We Were Very Young. New ed. New York: Dutton, 1948. Print.
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Ed. R.A. Foakes. Cambridge:Cambridge UP, 2003. Print.
A translation :
García Márquez, Gabriel. Living to Tell the Tale. Trans. Edith Grossman. New York:Knopf, 2003. Print.
A work in a series :
Renwick, William Lindsay. English Literature, 1789-1815. Oxford: Clarendon P, 1963.Print. The Oxford History of English Literature 9.
A work in several volumes :
Gardner, Stanley E. The Artifice of Design. New York: Hill & Wang, 1962. Print. Vol. 2 ofA History of American Architecture. 5 vols. 1960-64.
Parker, Hershel. Herman Melville: A Biography. 2 vols. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1996-2002. Print.
Conference proceedings :
Kartiganer, Donald M. and Ann J. Abadie, eds. Proceedings of the 24th Faulkner andYoknapatawpha Conference, 1997, U of Mississippi: Faulkner at 100: Retrospect and Prospect: Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha, 1997. Jackson: Univ Press of Mississippi, 2000. Print.
Articles
In a periodical: Issues paginated continuously throughout the volume :
Loesberg, Jonathan. “Dickensian Deformed Children and the Hegelian Sublime.”Victorian Studies 40 (1997): 625-54. Print.
York, Lorraine M. “Rival bards: Alice Munro’s Lives of Girls and Women and Victorianpoetry.” Canadian Literature 112 (1987): 211-16. Print.
Each issue starts with page 1 :
Wilkin, Karen. “A Degas Doubleheader.” New Criterion 17.1 (Sept. 1998): 35-41. Print.
In a newspaper or magazine :
Funicello, Dori. “Portugal’s Reign of Terror.” National Review 19 Aug. 1999: 34-37. Print.
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Jonas, Jack. “A Visit to a Land of Many Facets.” The Irish Times 5 Mar. 1961, sec. F: 4.Print.
In a review :
Burt, Struthers. “John Cheever’s Sense of Drama.” Rev. of The Way Some People Live, byJohn Cheever. Saturday Review 24 April 1943: 9. Print.
Koehler, Robert. Rev. of The Emperor’s Club, dir. Michael Hoffman. Variety 388.5 (2002):30-1. Print.
An article in a reference book or encyclopaedia — signed and unsigned :
Haseloff, Arthur. “Illuminated Manuscripts.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1967 ed. Print.
“Painting, The History of Western.” Encyclopaedia Americana. 13th ed. 1998. Print.
“Parsimony.” The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. Print.
A work in a collection or anthology :
Davidson, Cynthia A. “Alyson Hagy.” American Short-Story Writers Since World War II.Fourth Series. Dictionary of Literary Biography 244. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 164-169. Print.
Arnold, Matthew. “Dover Beach.” Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. N.H. Abramset al. 4
th ed. Vol 2. New York: Norton, 1979. 1378-79. Print.
Shapcott, Tom. “Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing.” Commonwealth Literature in the Curriculum.Ed. K. L. Goodwin. St. Lucia: South Pacific Association for Common-wealth Literaturesand Languages Studies, 1980. 86-96. Print.
A paper published as part of the proceedings of a conference :
Aytür, Necla. “Faulkner in Turkish.” William Faulkner: Prevailing Verities and WorldLiterature. Proceedings of the 6th Comparative Literature Symposium, January 24-26, 1973. Ed.Wolodymyr T. Zyla and Wendell M. Aycock. Lubbock, TX: Interdepartmental Committee on Comparative Literature, Texas Tech U, 1973. 25-39. Print.
Electronic Texts
The practice of citing electronic texts, especially those only available at remote sitesaccessible through the Internet, is still evolving. The Internet tends to be changeable, andURLs are often not stable over time. A number of style sheets and style manuals containsections on electronic sources and recommend formats for citations. However, as yetthere are no universally recognized standards.
A citation to material published electronically should accomplish the same task as acitation to material published in print form: it should make it possible for a reader tofollow the trail the writer provides in order to locate the item being cited. However,because of the fluid nature of the Internet, citations to electronic resources often requireadditional information, such as the date on which the electronic work was accessed orthe name of a database.
IMPORTANT: In many cases, books and articles published in HTML format lack
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traditional markers, such as page numbers, that make it possible for scholars to directreaders to the precise location where a quotation or idea originated. Some onlinepublishers (notably Johns Hopkins University in Project Muse) have attempted to provide afix by inserting page break indicators directly within the HTML text, and other publisherswill number a text’s paragraphs. The advent of page imaging in PDF and other formatsalleviates the problem to the extent that readers have in hand an exact replica of theoriginal document. However, despite the efforts of publishers to make citing their textseasier, there will be instances in which precise information is simply not available. MLAstyle acknowledges these difficulties by recommending that scholars make do with theinformation available to them and only include in citations information such as paragraphnumbers and pagination when it is provided.
The following are examples of some commonly cited types of electronic sources:
Books
An entire book converted to electronic form :
Connolly, James. Labour in Irish History. Dublin, 1910. CELT: The Corpus of Electronic Texts.Web. 16 Jan. 2002.
Holder, William. Elements of Speech: An Essay of Inquiry into the Natural Production of Letters.London, 1669. Early English Books Online. Web. 19 Apr. 2003.
Articles
Irving, Washington. Wolfert’s Roost, and Other Papers, Now First Collected. New York:Putnam, 1855. 20 March 2003. Wright American Fiction 1851-1875. Web. 15 May 2008.
An article or chapter in an electronic book :
Lernout, Geert. “Reception Theory.” The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory andCriticism. Ed. Michael Groden and Martin Kreiswirth. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP,1997. Web. 13 June 2004.
A work that has no print equivalent :
Shute, Sarah, ed. “The Canterbury Tales: The Miller’s Tale.” KnowledgeNotesTM StudentGuides. Cambridge: Proquest Information and Learning Company, 2002. Web. 22 May2003.
A n article in a journal accessed through an online database :
Aird, John S. “Fertility Decline and Birth Control in the People’s Republic of China.”Population and Development Review 4.2 (1978): 225-54. JSTOR. Web. 12 Nov. 2002.
Haskins, Rob. “Four Musical Minimalists.” American Record Guide 64.1 (2001): 281.Research Library. Web. 10 Dec. 2003.
Streeby, Shelley. “American Sensations: Empire, Amnesia, and the US-Mexican War.”American Literary History 13.1 (2001): 1-40. Project Muse. Web. 31 Jan. 2003.
An article in a journal accessed directly from the publisher :
Boyd, Alex. “Comfort and Canadian Poetry.” The Danforth Review: n. pag. Web. 14 June23
2004.
Kuntz, Lucía Iglesias. “Pirates and the paper chase.” UNESCO Courier: n. pag. March2001. Web. 11 June 2003.
A review or article in a newspaper accessed through an online database :
“Ford plans job cuts.” The Guardian 19 July 2003: B7. Canadian Newsstand Atlantic. Web. 6 Aug. 2003.
A review or article in a newspaper accessed directly from the publisher :
Scott, A.O. “Flower Children Grown Up: Somber, Wiser and Still Talking Dirty.” Rev. ofThe Barbarian Invasions, dir. Denys Arcand. New York Times: n. pag. 17 Oct. 2003. Web. 3Nov. 2003.
An article posted on an open-access or personal website :
Berardinelli, James. Rev. of Return to Paradise, dir. Joseph Ruben. Reelviews. 1998. Web. 20 Nov. 2000.
Dyer, John. “John Cheever: Parody and the Suburban Aesthetic.” Web. 3 March 2002.<http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA95/dyer/cheever4.html>.(URL only included if retrieval might be difficult otherwise)
Other Electronic Resources:
An internet site :
Literature Online. ProQuest Information and Learning Company, June 2004. Web 5 July2004.
A single page from a larger internet site :
“Northern Ireland Timeline: Early ChristianIreland.” BBC.co.uk. British Broadcast Corp, 2004. Web. 20 May 2004.
A personal email message :
Howard, Teresa. “Feedback on Electronic Writing.” Message to Lily Briscoe. 23 May1999. E-mail.
A posting to an online discussion group or listserv:
Romney, Paul. “Most Important Elections.” Online posting. H-Canada: Canadian Historyand Studies. 19 May 2004. Web. 1 July 2004.
A personal homepage :
Bernholdt, David E. David Bernholdt’s Personal Homepage. 8 Oct. 2001. Web. 23 Aug. 2003
A CD -ROM publication :
The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 1992. CD-ROM.
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An online video :
Wesch, Mike. “Information R/evolution”. YouTube. YouTube. 12 Oct.2007. Web. 20Aug. 2009.
A blog posting :
Steeleworthy, Michael. “Copyright and the Abuse of User Rights – a CanadianPerspective”. the zeds. WordPress. 6 Aug. 2009. Web. 20 Aug. 2009.
HOW TO ASK FOR A LETTER OF REFERENCE
Straightforward advice for students in search of an academic letter of reference
It is one of the most critical steps in a student’s path to permanent employment orfurther academic work, yet ironically it’s also one of the most mysterious. Asking alecturer for a letter, or more likely many letters, of reference can be stressful, and rarelyare students instructed on proper etiquette. Fortunately, the process doesn’t have to beintimidating.
The first thing to keep in mind is that the vast majority of lecturers understand thatwriting letters of reference is part of their job. Even better, most take pride in being ableto help their students succeed in their academic careers and understand that studentsmight not know how to best approach them.
Who to choose and when to approach them
Not every lecturer will make the best referee, and some are better for certain applicationsthan others. Although there is little specific research on this issue, anecdotal evidencefrom academics who have experience on selection committees suggests that you shouldchoose referees based on three criteria (in order of importance):
• How well did I do in the lecturer’s course(s)?• How well does the lecturer know me and/or my work and how up-to-date is that
knowledge?• Will the lecturer’s reputation carry weight with the selection committee?
Since lecturers are often asked to rank their students’ past and future abilities in any letterof reference, it makes little sense to solicit a recommendation from someone who cannotsay that your work stands out. Convincing letters also give the reader a sense that thelecturer knows the student well. More recent knowledge is therefore more credible. Aimto create a list of potential referees five to six weeks before the letter is due and makesure that your list includes at least one or two more names than you need, in case one issimply not available to write.
Please ensure that you contact your lecturer to seek their permission before adding them as referee on your application.
What to say and what to give them
In your initial approach, make sure that each lecturer
• knows who you are;25
• understands that you are seeking a strong reference;• knows why you would like a letter from them specifically;• understands that you face a deadline.Full disclosure up front should prevent a reluctant yes. And when it comes to letters ofreference, an unenthusiastic recommendation can be worse than no letter at all.
Be prepared to provide any referee with a package of information about you immediately
It should include:
• an unofficial copy of your academic history (transcripts) along with an explanation ofany aberrations (low grades, missing years, etc.). The Discipline has aReference Form that you will be asked to fill out;
• an updated resumé or CV (including mention of any special skills: IT, languages, etc,and participation in student clubs or societies);
• a draft of any personal statement or research proposal that will be included in yourapplication;
• any forms that the referee will be asked to complete;• all of your relevant personal information added to the form, along with as much of the lecturer’s as possible;• an additional sheet with your personal contact details;• a covering letter that reiterates who you are, the program that interests you and why,
when the letter is due, what the Lecturer should do with it once it’s finished (willyou pick it up? Should it be mailed to you in a supplied, stamped, self-addressedenvelope? Should it be mailed directly to the institution at the address you haveincluded on an address label? Should it be uploaded to a website?), and anyadditional instructions.
Ask your referees if they would also like:
• a writing sample and/or copy of their comments on your work;• a reminder note or phone call a week before the letter is due.
Thank you etiquette
Always let your lecturer know whether the application has been successful. If youanticipate asking for additional letters, send yearly updates about your progress.
(adapted from an article for University Affairs by Adam Chapnick, 2011)
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Request for Letter of ReferenceDiscipline of English, NUI Galway
Name:_________________________________________________________________________________Student Number: _______________________________________________________________________ Home Address: __________________________________________________________________________ Mobile__________________________________________________________________________________ E-mail Address: _________________________________________________________________________
Courses at NUI Galway
Degree Title: _______ Start Date: __________ Complete Date: _________ Degree Title: _______ Start Date: __________ Complete Date: _________ If you have a postgraduate degree, or have completed qualifications elsewhere, please give further details on a separate page.
BA Degree Information
1BA Subjects: _________________________________________________ 2 & 3 BA Subjects: _____________________________________________ BA Degree Final Results_____________ Date of Conferring: __________
Discipline of English Information re BA
Seminars 2BA: 1 Title: _______________ Seminar Leader____________Grade_______ 2 Title: _______________ Seminar Leader ___________Grade_______
Seminars 3BA: 1 Title: ______________ Seminar Leader _____________Grade_______
2 Title: ______________ Seminar Leader _____________Grade_______ Other Course Information: _____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ PERSONAL INFORMATION: In order to write a strong reference, it is necessary to comment on relevant experience of the candidate beyond the academic. If you have experience relevant to your job or course application, please provide details on a separate page. Relevant information might include: academic prizes or scholarships, computer qualifications, sporting achievements, involvement in university clubs or societies, pertinent work experience. Course/Job applied for: ________________________________________ Name and address of the person to whom the reference should be addressed: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Is the reference to be uploaded to an external website? If yes, give the address: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Date by which the reference is required: _______________________________________________
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Note that it is in your interest to give your referee as much time as possible to write the reference, especially towards the end of term when Lecturers are especially busy.
Appendix: Course OutlinesFinal Year English Semester One, 2020-2021
Students choose THREE from the following four courses:
ENG228 OLD ENGLISH POETRYThis course is an introduction to the earliest literature in English, studied in translation. We’ll explore and analyse texts that have been classed as wisdom poems, battle poems, riddles, elegies, and even charms, and we’ll consider how useful or appropriate these designations are. We’ll examine style, function, and effect, as well as some of the major themes. We’ll consider our own scholarly practices and the tradition that has shaped (and misshaped) the field of study. In doing so, we’ll engage with critical race theory, feminist scholarship, queer theory, disability studies, and many other critical perspectives to deepen our engagement with Old English literature and society.
Venue: Wednesday 10-11 BLE-1006 Lecture Room, Block E and Thursday 11-12 AMB-1021 O’hEocha Theatre. (*open for a mixture of online sessions and/or on-campus support sessions. Core material will be delivered online. Not all students will be on campus each week*)
Lecturers: Dr Frances McCormack
Texts: Texts will be available online
Assessment: Continuous Assessment (40%); End-of-Semester Assignment (60%)
EN3123 STAGE AND PAGE: THE EARLY MODERN IMAGINATIONMuch of the English literature produced in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was inspired by classical (i.e. Greek and Roman) texts and traditions. This module examines how poets and dramatists of this era adapted ancient narratives to new ends. Since the mythological stories collected in Ovid’s Metamorphoses served as crucial sources for many early modern authors, we will consider (in modern English translation) a number of tales from this ancient Roman text side-by-side with relevant sixteenth- and seventeenth-century works. Readings for this module include poetry by authors including Edmund Spenser, Hester Pulter, and Mary Wroth, as well as three stage plays: Midas by John Lyly, Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare, and The Bird in a Cage by James Shirley. Module content note: please be forewarned that Ovid’s mythological poetry includes tales of sexual violation and violence. Venue: Wednesday 9-10 AC002, Anderson Theatre and Monday 4-5 O’Flaherty
Theatre (*open for a mixture of online sessions and/or on-campus support sessions. Core material will be delivered online. Not all students will be on campus each week*)
Lecturer: Dr Lindsay Reid and Ms Kirry O’Brien
Texts: 1. John Lyly, Midas [available online at http://elizabethandrama.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Midas-Annotated.pdf ]2. William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus [edition TBC]3. James Shirley, The Bird in a Cage [available via the Library Reading List]4. Edmund Spenser, Muiopotmos [available online at http://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/muiopotmos.html]5. Selection of mythological tales from Ovid, Metamorphoses, trans. Charles Martin
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6. Selection of short poems by Petrarch, Hester Pulter, Edmund Spenser, Mary Wroth, and Barnabe Barnes [to be distributed on Blackboard]
Assessment: Continuous Assessment (40%); End-of-Semester Assignment (60%)
EN387 SPECIALIST STUDIES: 20 TH CENTURY LITERATURE This lecture course will provide an overview of the development of modern English fiction through the lens of literary architecture. It will examine the changing materiality and metaphorics of the ‘house of fiction’ over the course of the twentieth century in line with the disruptions, intrusions and mobilisations of modernity, the decline of empire and two world wars. We will trace a chronological course from turn-of-the-century anxieties about literary architectural legacy, as exemplified in the works of Henry James and E. M. Forster, through visions of domestic vulnerability, destruction and reconstruction in the modernist and wartime works of Elizabeth Bowen and Rose Macaulay, to the proprietorial aspirations of postcolonial and diasporic subjects, as depicted by V.S. Naipaul and Jhumpa Lahiri, and concluding with the ergodic and postmodernist structures of writers like Muriel Spark, John Barth and Mark Z. Danielewski. The course will investigate the extent to which the changing face of English literature across the twentieth century is reflected in its architectural representations. It will offer a critical framework for approaching such representations, touching on the following subjects, amongst others: the house as an analogue for fictional form; phenomenology and the poetics of space; modern gothic; home and the ‘unhomely’; and the concepts of interiority and privacy.
Venue: Tuesday 5-6 IT250 and Friday 9-10 AMB-1021 O’hEocha Theatre(*open for a mixture of online sessions and/or on-campus support sessions. Core material will be delivered online. Not all students will be on campus each week*)
Lecturer: Dr Emily Ridge and Dr Coralline Dupuy
Texts: Henry James, 1908 Preface to A Portrait of A Lady, (to be circulated)Edward Morgan Forster Howards End, (1910) Penguin [ISBN: 9780141182131]Elizabeth Bowen The House in Paris, (1935) Random House [ISBN: 9780099276487]Rose Macaulay, ‘Miss Anstruther’s Letters’, (1942) (to be circulated)Muriel Spark, ‘The House of the Famous Poet’, (1959) (to be circulated)V.S. Naipaul A House for Mr Biswas (1961) [ISBN: 9781509803507]John Barth, ‘Lost in the Funhouse’ (1968) (to be circulated) Jhumpa Lahiri ‘This Blessed House’ (1999) (to be circulated)Extracts from Mark Z. Danielewski House of Leaves (2000) (to be circulated)
Assessment: Continuous Assessment (40%); End-of-Semester Assignment (60%)
ENG238: NINETEENTH CENTURY BRITISH LITERATUREThis course investigates selected British Victorian prose, poetry, fiction, and drama, from 1832 until the turn of the century. It discusses how class conflict, gendered ideologies, religious controversies, scientific discoveries and imperial ambitions shaped (and were in turn shaped by) the literature of this tumultuous period.
Venue: Wednesday 2-3 IT250 IT Building and Friday 1-2 Fottrell Theatre (*open for a mixture of online sessions and/or on-campus support sessions. Core material will be delivered online. Not all students will be on campus each week*)
Lecturer: Dr Elizabeth Tilley
Texts: Carol T. Christ and Catherine Robson, eds., The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume E, The Victorian Age (New York and London, 2018)Mary Braddon, Lady Audley’s Secret (1862) (Pref. OUP edition, ed. Lyn Pykett)Charles Dickens, Great Expectations (1860) (Pref. OUP edition eds. Cardwell and Robert Douglas-Fairhurst or Penguin ed. Mitchell)
29
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1899; 1902) (OUP) or use online edition at http://covecollective.org
Students wishing to read ahead should begin with Lady Audley’s Secret.
Assessment: Continuous Assessment (40%); End-of-Semester Assignment (60%)
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Final Year English Semester Two, 2020-2021Students choose THREE from the following four courses:
EN4112 ECOLOGY AND LITERATUREUsing an “ecocritical” approach, this course examines how literary texts have represented the relation of humans to “nature” and to environmental change from early mythological writings to present-day fiction. Among the texts to be studied are the Epic of Gilgamesh, Greek and Roman pastoral poems, Romantic landscape poetry, American environmental writing, Irish nature poetry, and contemporary ecological dystopic fiction
Venue: Wednesday 2-3 IT250 IT Building and Thursday 11-12 IT250 IT Building(*open for a mixture of online sessions and/or on-campus support sessions. Core material will be delivered online. Not all students will be on campus each week*)
Lecturer: Prof. Sean Ryder
Texts: Required texts:Margaret Atwood, Oryx & Crake (London: Virago, 2013) [ISBN 9780349004068]Richard Powers, Overstory (London: Norton, 2018) [ISBN 9781784708245]All other reading material will be available for download from Blackboard or via online access from the Library.Useful secondary reading:Greg Gerrard 2011, Ecocriticism, 2nd ed., Routledge [ISBN 0415667860]
Assessment: Continuous Assessment (40%) and a Final Assignment/Examination (tbc) (60%)
ENG304 CONTEMPORARY LITERATUREThis course will explore new and recent literature and is structured into two interconnected sections: one focusing on ‘international’ literature and one focusing on Irish Literature. Together, the two sections will compromise novels, short stories, non-fiction, poetry and genre-bending works by writers from Ireland and across several continents. We will explore how these voices and the artistic experiments they undertake illumine our present world in specific and sometimes unexpected ways. We will study carefully the language, structure and techniques employed by these writers and how they achieve their striking effects. While our investigations will concentrate primarily on close readings of these books we will also use supplementary critical and biographical material to broaden out our potential understanding of the worlds from which they speak.
Venue: Tuesday 5-6 AMB-1021 O’hEocha Theatre and Wednesday 9-10 Kirwan Theatre(*open for a mixture of online sessions and/or on-campus support sessions. Core material will be delivered online. Not all students will be on campus each week*)
Lecturers: Dr John Kenny and Mr Mike McCormack
Texts: Section A. International Literature. Lecturer: Mike McCormack Assessment: Mid-term essay (40%) Daniel Woodrell, Winter’s Bone (2006) Olivia Laing, The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking (2013) Max Porter, Grief is the Thing with Feathers (2015) Maylis de Kerangal, Mend the Living (2017; trans. from French) Section B. Irish Literature. Lecturer: Dr John Kenny Assessment: End-of-term assignment (60%) John McGahern, That They May Face the Rising Sun (2002)Patrick McCabe, Winterwood (2006)Eimear McBride, A Girl is a Half-formed Thing (2013)Mike McCormack, Solar Bones (2016)Mary Costello, The River Capture (2019)
Assessment: Continuous Assessment (40%) and a Final Assignment/Examination (tbc) (60%)
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EN388 STUDIES IN MODERN IRISH LITERATURE This course introduces students to the rich, diverse, and innovative field of Irish writing in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In particular it investigates the experimental fiction in all genres that grew out of and in reaction to the era's many cultural changes. Pioneering prose by James Joyce, Elizabeth Bowen, Flann O’Brien, and Samuel Beckett considers selfhood as much as expressions of Irishness by way of explorations into language, self-consciousness, madness, myth, and history: in addressing the constrictions and liberations of foreignness and Irish identity through new forms and ways of telling, these writers take modern fiction to new places. Twenty-first century fiction responds to – and reacts against – these traditions, offering us ways to imagine an Ireland that is aware of the past but not constrained by it. Contemporary authors show an understanding that new ways of living demand new approaches to writing; we therefore consider how authors such as Sally Rooney, Eimear McBride, and Paul Murray draw on the work of their predecessors while also developing innovative approaches to form, language and storytelling. The course demands a considerable commitment to primary reading but this also encourages careful close readings as students analyze and compare a range of texts conceived in a variety of styles. This draws focus on how prose fiction works in detail, how it develops common and contrasting approaches, and how it might relate to wider issues in society and culture throughout the period
Venue: Monday 4-5 O’Flaherty Theatre, and Friday 1-2 AC002 Anderson Lecture Theatre(*open for a mixture of online sessions and/or on-campus support sessions. Core material will be delivered online. Not all students will be on campus each week*)
Lecturers: Dr Adrian Paterson and Prof. Patrick Lonergan Texts: James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) (Oxford, Penguin, or
Norton) and Dubliners (1914)Elizabeth Bowen, The Last September (1929) (Vintage)Flann O’Brien, At Swim-Two-Birds (1939) (Penguin)Samuel Beckett, Six Residua (1978) (John Calder or see Blackboard)Sally Rooney, Normal People (Faber, 2019)Eimear McBride, A Girl is a half-formed thing (Faber, 2014) Paul Murray, Skippy Dies (Penguin, 2011)Selected stories from Lucy Caldwell, Being Various (Faber, 2019)Anna Burns, Milkman (Faber, 2018)
Assessment: Continuous Assessment (40%) and a Final Assignment/Examination TBC (60%)
EN399 EXTENDED ESSAYThe option of writing an extended research essay is available to a select group of third-year students of English whose grade average in second year was 60% (2:1) or higher and who can put forward a clear, rigorous, and well-conceived project proposal. The number of places available is strictly limited, and acceptance is based on a combination of strength of proposal and grade average. You should consider this course if you enjoy active independent research and the challenge of intellectual thinking, conceive an exciting project and have the capacity to manage your time well. The deadline for submitted proposals arrives before the end of semester one. For this course, with consultation and guidance from lecturers, students conceive and conduct an independent research project culminating in a thoughtful and well-written final extended essay. Guidance with research and writing techniques includes reflections on skills such as study methodologies, library research, creating a bibliography, micro and macro writing skills, crafting an argument, introductions and conclusions, redrafting, referencing, and so on. This is not a typical lecture course, and requires your own input and drive; however it includes chances to discuss your own and others’ work, and involves an element of individual consultation.
Venue: TBC (Sem 2 only) (*open for a mixture of online sessions and/or on-campus support sessions. Core material will be delivered online. Not all students will
32
be on campus each week*)
Supervisor: Dr Adrian Paterson and Dr Ira Ruppo
Assessment: End-of-Semester 4-5,000 word Essay (100%)
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