School of English
Undergraduate Degree Programmes
Course structures,
module information
and pre-arrival reading lists
2016-17
The University of Nottingham has made every effort to ensure that the information in
this brochure was accurate when published. Please note, however, that the nature of the
content means that it is subject to change from time to time, and you should therefore
consider the information to be guiding rather than definitive. You should check the University’s website for any updates before you decide to accept a place on a course.
© The University of Nottingham 2016. All rights reserved. Please be aware that in any one year, the selection of modules may vary. However, the
School is delighted to confirm that there will always be a range of modules covering
a unique combination of English disciplines, including literature from the Anglo-Saxon
and medieval periods to the present day, English language from its origins to
contemporary and applied contexts, drama and performance, and creative writing on
offer within our School.
If you require further information please contact the School:
Contents
Course Structures BA English (Q300) ...................................................................................... 2
BA English Language and Literature (Q392) .................................................. 4
BA English with Creative Writing (Q3W8) ...................................................... 6
All Joint Honours degrees with English .......................................................... 8
Year One Module Information and Reading Lists Language and Context .............................................................................. 10
Studying Literature .................................................................................. 12
Beginnings of English ............................................................................... 13
Drama, Theatre, Performance .................................................................... 14
Academic Community ............................................................................... 15
Creative Writing Practice ........................................................................... 16
Shakespeare’s Histories: Critical Approaches ............................................... 17
Regional Writers ...................................................................................... 18
The Viking World ...................................................................................... 19
Further Pre-arrival Reading General Reading ...................................................................................... 20
Further Reading for English literature ......................................................... 20
Further Reading for English language ......................................................... 20
Further Reading for Drama and performance ............................................... 21
Course Structures
2
BA English (Q300)
Year 1
You take five year-long compulsory modules (all 20 credits), plus 20 credits of options.
Academic
Community
Beginnings
of English
Drama,
Theatre,
Performance
Language and
Context
Studying
Literature
Either Creative Writing Practice (20 credits, full year)
Or 20 credits
from
Shakespeare’s Histories (10 credits, Autumn)
The Viking World (10 credits, Autumn)
Regional Writers (10 credits, Spring)
Other subsidiary modules, for example, in History, Art History,
Philosophy, American Studies, Theology, Classics or Modern Languages
Year 2
You choose six options. Five options must be from at least three areas of English study:
Literature 1500 to the present; English language and applied linguistics; Medieval
languages and literatures; Drama and performance (groups A-D). You can choose up to
three choices from any one group. Your sixth option may include the Creative Writing
option if you have taken the pre-requisite creative writing module in Year One.
Group A: Literature 1500 to the present
From Talking Horses to Romantic
Revolutionaries: Literature 1700-
1830
Literature and Popular Culture
Modern and Contemporary Literature
Shakespeare and Contemporaries on
the Page
Victorian and Fin de Siècle Literature
Group B: English language and applied
linguistics
Language in Society
Language Development
Literary Linguistics
Second Language Learning
Group C: Medieval languages and literatures
Chaucer and His Contemporaries
Ice and Fire
Old English: Reflection and Lament
Group D: Drama and performance
From Stanislavski to Stelarc:
Performance Practice and Theory
Shakespeare and Contemporaries
on the Stage
Twentieth-century Plays
Group E: Creative Writing
Creative Writing: Craft
Only available to students who took Creative Writing Practice in their first year
All modules are 20 credits unless specified otherwise.
Students may substitute one 20 credit English module for 20 credits of Modern Foreign
Languages options at Level 2 or above. This means that students can continue
languages, but can’t take total beginner courses as these are Level 1. You will still need
to cover three out of the four areas of English if you do this.
Course Structures
3
Final Year
You choose six options from a wide range of topics, according to the criteria below:
Four options
From at least three areas of English
(Groups A-D)
A maximum of three choices from any
one group.
Two further options
From any of the groups below
Final Year Topics
You will be able to choose modules based on the indicative topics given below.
Group A: Literature 1500 to the present
D.H. Lawrence / Virginia Woolf
Eighteenth-century writers
Gothic literature
James Joyce / Oscar Wilde
Modern British fiction
Post-colonial literature
Romanticism
Slavery and black writers
Twentieth-century dystopias
Victorian literature
Group B: English Language and Applied
Linguistics
Cognitive poetics
Creativity and language
English language teaching
Health communication
Language and the mind
Reading and writing in global
English
Sociolinguistics
Stylistics
Texts in a digital world
Group C: Medieval Languages and Literatures
Anglo-Saxon literature
Arthurian literature
Chaucer and his legacy
English place names
Icelandic medieval literature
Poetry in the Middle Ages
Vikings in Britain
Group D: Drama and Performance
Contemporary performance
Language and performance
Shakespeare on screen
Theatre industry and art
Theatre-making
British drama since 1980
Group E: Creative Writing
Advanced Writing Practice
Only available to students who took
Creative Writing: Craft in their second year
Group F: Individual Research Project
All modules are 20 credits unless specified otherwise.
Course Structures
4
BA English Language and Literature (Q392)
Year 1 You take five year-long compulsory modules (all 20 credits), plus 20 credits of options:
Academic
Community
Beginnings
of English
Drama,
Theatre,
Performance
Language and
Context
Studying
Literature
Either Creative Writing Practice (20 credits, full year)
Or 20 credits
from
Shakespeare’s Histories (10 credits, Autumn)
The Viking World (10 credits, Autumn)
Regional Writers (10 credits, Spring)
Other subsidiary modules, for example, in History, Art History,
Philosophy, American Studies, Theology, Archaeology, Classics or
Modern Languages
Year 2 You take two compulsory modules:
Literary Linguistics Texts Across Time
You have three options in total to choose from literary and language studies modules
(with a maximum of two from one group) and one further option from any of the groups
below. (All modules are 20 credits unless specified otherwise.)
Literary studies
Chaucer and his Contemporaries
From Talking Horses to Romantic
Revolutionaries: Literature 1700-
1830
Ice and Fire
Literature and Popular Culture
Modern and Contemporary Literature
Old English: Reflection and Lament*
Shakespeare and Contemporaries on
the Page
Twentieth-Century Plays
Victorian and Fin de Siècle Literature
Language studies
Language in Society
Language Development
Old English: Reflection and
Lament*
Second Language Learning
Drama and performance
From Stanislavski to Stelarc:
Performance Practice and Theory
Shakespeare and Contemporaries on
the Stage
Creative Writing
Creative Writing: Craft
Only available to students who took
Creative Writing Practice in their first
year
* can be chosen as an option from either group
Course Structures
5
Students may substitute one 20 credit English module for 20 credits of Modern Foreign
Languages options at Level 2 or above. This means that students can continue
languages, but can’t take total beginner courses as these are Level 1. You will still need
to cover three out of the four areas of English if you do this.
Final Year
You choose six options from a wide range of topics, according to the criteria below:
Two literary studies
options
Two language studies
options
Two further options from
any of the groups
Final Year Topics
The lists of topics below are indicative of the range of topics available to choose from in
your final year.
Literary studies
Anglo-Saxon literature*
Arthurian literature
British drama since 1980
Chaucer and his legacy
D.H. Lawrence / Virginia Woolf
Eighteenth-century writers
Gothic literature
Icelandic medieval literature*
James Joyce / Oscar Wilde
Modern British fiction
Poetry in the Middle Ages
Post-colonial literature
Romanticism
Shakespeare on screen
Slavery and black writers
Twentieth-century dystopias
Victorian literature
Vikings in Britain
Language studies
Anglo-Saxon literature*
Cognitive poetics
Creativity and language
English language teaching
English place names
Health communication
Icelandic medieval literature*
Language and performance
Language and the mind
Reading and writing in global
English
Sociolinguistics
Stylistics
Texts in a digital world
Drama and Performance
Contemporary
performance
Theatre industry and art
Theatre-making
Creative Writing
Advanced Writing
Practice
Only available to students
who took Creative Writing:
Craft in their second year
Individual Research
Project
* can be chosen as an option from either group
All modules are 20 credits unless specified otherwise.
Course Structures
6
BA English with Creative Writing (Q3W8)
Year 1
You take six year-long foundational modules (all 20 credits):
Academic
Community
Beginnings
of English
Creative
Writing
Practice
Drama,
Theatre,
Performance
Language
and
Context
Studying
Literature
Year 2
You take two compulsory specialist creative writing modules:
Creative Writing: Craft Creative Writing: Pages and Stages
You then have four optional modules to choose, covering at least three areas of English.
Group A: Literature 1500 to the present
From Talking Horses to Romantic
Revolutionaries: Literature 1700-
1830
Literature and Popular Culture
Modern and Contemporary Literature
Shakespeare and Contemporaries on
the Page
Victorian and Fin de Siècle Literature
Group B: English language and applied
linguistics
Language in Society
Language Development
Literary Linguistics
Second Language Learning
Group C: Medieval languages and literatures
Chaucer and His Contemporaries
Ice and Fire
Old English: Reflection and Lament
Group D: Drama and performance
From Stanislavski to Stelarc:
Performance Practice and Theory
Shakespeare and Contemporaries
on the Stage
Twentieth-century Plays
* can be chosen as an option from either group
All modules are 20 credits unless specified otherwise.
Students may substitute one 20 credit English module for 20 credits of Modern Foreign
Languages options at Level 2 or above. This means that students can continue
languages, but can’t take total beginner courses as these are Level 1. You will still need
to cover three out of the four areas of English if you do this.
Course Structures
7
Final Year
You take the following modules:
Advanced Writing
Practice
Creative Writing
Dissertation
Creativity and Language
OR
Digital Story: Craft and
Technique
You also have three options to choose from at least two of the groups below.
Final Year Module Topics
The lists of topics below are indicative of the range of topics available to choose from in
your final year.
Group A: Literature 1500 to the present
D.H. Lawrence / Virginia Woolf
Eighteenth-century writers
Gothic literature
James Joyce / Oscar Wilde
Modern British fiction
Post-colonial literature
Romanticism
Slavery and black writers
Twentieth-century dystopias
Victorian literature
Group B: English Language and Applied
Linguistics
Cognitive poetics
Creativity and language
English language teaching
Health communication
Language and the mind
Reading and writing in global
English
Sociolinguistics
Stylistics
Texts in a digital world
Group C: Medieval Languages and
Literatures
Anglo-Saxon literature
Arthurian literature
Chaucer and his legacy
English place names
Icelandic medieval literature
Poetry in the Middle Ages
Vikings in Britain
Group D: Drama and Performance
Contemporary performance
Language and performance
Shakespeare on screen
Theatre industry and art
Theatre-making
British drama since 1980
All modules are 20 credits unless specified otherwise.
Course Structures
8
All Joint Honours degrees with English
Year 1
You take three out of the four year-long foundational modules (all 20 credits) in English:
Language
and Context
Beginnings
of English
Studying
Literature
Drama, Theatre,
Performance
You also take 60 credits of modules from the partner School/Department.
Academic Community
You are given online access to the Academic Community module materials to help
deepen your understanding of English as a broad discipline.
Year 2
You choose three options from at least two of the groups below (along with 60 credits
from the partner School/Department):
Group A: Literature 1500 to the present
From Talking Horses to Romantic
Revolutionaries: Literature 1700-
1830
Literature and Popular Culture
Modern and Contemporary Literature
Shakespeare and Contemporaries on
the Page
Victorian and Fin de Siècle Literature
Group B: English language and applied
linguistics
Language in Society
Language Development
Literary Linguistics
Second Language Learning
Group C: Medieval languages and literatures
Chaucer and His Contemporaries
Ice and Fire
Old English: Reflection and Lament
Group D: Drama and performance
From Stanislavski to Stelarc:
Performance Practices
Shakespeare and Contemporaries
on the Stage
Twentieth Century Plays
All modules are 20 credits unless specified otherwise.
Final Year
You choose three options from a wide range of topics according to the criteria below
(along with 60 credits from the partner School/Department):
Two options
to be chosen from two of the groups
A – D.
One option
from any of the groups below
Course Structures
9
Final Year Topics
You will be able to choose modules based on the indicative topics given below.
Group A: Literature 1500 to the present
D.H. Lawrence / Virginia Woolf
Eighteenth-century writers
Gothic literature
James Joyce / Oscar Wilde
Modern British fiction
Post-colonial literature
Romanticism
Slavery and black writers
Twentieth-century dystopias
Victorian literature
Group B: English Language and Applied
Linguistics
Cognitive poetics
Creativity and language
English language teaching
Health communication
Language and the mind
Reading and writing in global
English
Sociolinguistics
Stylistics
Texts in a digital world
Group C: Medieval Languages and Literatures
Anglo-Saxon literature
Arthurian literature
Chaucer and his legacy
English place names
Icelandic medieval literature
Poetry in the Middle Ages
Vikings in Britain
Group D: Drama and Performance
Contemporary performance
Language and performance
Shakespeare on screen
Theatre industry and art
Theatre-making
British drama since 1980
Individual Research Project
All modules are 20 credits unless specified otherwise.
Year One Module Information
10
Language and Context 20 credits Full Year Q31103
Summary
This module is concerned with investigating the main forms and functions of English
vocabulary, grammar and discourse; showing how that are used in real social and
cultural psychological contexts. The module explores how language varies according to
different communicative purposes and how people learn, understand and use language
to reveal and conceal social and psychological realities. These linguistic issues are
explored through a variety of different texts; spoken and written, literary and non-
literary. Additional general issues involve consideration of the relationship between
language and broader issues such as language acquisition and development, gender and
ideology. These multiple foci function as an introduction to core topics in linguistics
covered in subsequent years of the degree (for example, discourse analysis and
sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, literary linguistics).
Aims / Learning Objectives
To introduce you to, and explore, the theory and applications of language study
within a broad applied linguistic framework.
To enable you to analyse linguistic data for structural units and to make links
between language forms and functions, patterns and meanings.
Teaching and learning methods
Each week, there is a one-hour lecture which is delivered by a different member of staff
in order to represent the diversity of research interests within the School. The material in
the lecture is followed up with a weekly one-hour seminar with a regular seminar tutor.
Each week, your tutor will guide you through material that gives you a chance to gain a
practical understanding of the theoretical concerns covered in the lectures. In addition,
there is a weekly one-hour workshop which focuses on improving your understanding of
language structures.
Assessment
Autumn exam: 1-hour computer-based, multiple-choice exam (weighted at 20%)
Spring coursework: 500-word reflective piece on psycholinguistic experiment
(weighted at 5%)
Spring exam: 1-hour computer-based, multiple-choice exam (weighted at 20%)
Spring project: 2000-word project (weighted at 55%)
Reading
The core textbook will be:
Fasold, R. W., & Connor-Linton, J. (Eds.). (2014). An introduction to language
and linguistics. Cambridge University Press.
For students without A-level English Language, you might like to start thinking about
English language study by reading:
Crystal, D. The English Language: A Guided Tour of the Language, revised 2nd
edition (London: Penguin, 2002. ISBN 978-0141003962)
Even if you did A-level English Language, you may not have looked much language
structure, so one or both of the following will provide useful grounding:
Crystal, D. Rediscover Grammar, 2nd edition (Harlow: Longman, 2004. ISBN 978-
0582848627)
On the module the following title offers useful additional information on the areas we
cover. It is available in the library in hard copy and e-copy.
Year One Module Information
11
Mullany, L. and Stockwell, P. Introducing English Language: A Resource Book for
Students (Abingdon: Routledge, 2010)
Year One Module Information
12
Studying Literature 20 credits Full Year Q31314
Summary
This module introduces you to some of the core skills for literary studies, including skills
in reading, writing, researching and presentation. The module addresses topics including
close reading, constructing an argument, and handling critical material, as well as
introducing you to key critical questions about literary form, production and reception.
These elements are linked to readings of specific literary texts, focused on poetry and
prose selected from the full range of the modern literary period (1500 to the present).
The first semester will mainly be concerned with interpretive approaches and concepts;
the second semester will examine literary-historical movements and transitions.
Aims / Learning Objectives
To introduce you to selected literary texts at a level of imaginative engagement
and analytic response appropriate to university study
To provide you with a basis of knowledge, working methods and appropriate
terminology for subsequent work at university level
To provide you with knowledge and understanding of the literary, cultural and
historical contexts for literature from the period 1500 to the present, and the
relationship between period and genre
Teaching and learning methods
One 2-hour lecture each week and one 1-hour seminar each week; directed research
towards the essay.
Assessment
Autumn coursework: 2500-word essay submitted with a portfolio (weighted at
50%)
Spring exam: A 2-hour exam (weighted at 50%)
Reading
You will be studying a range of genres over the whole year: novels, poetry, prose and
drama. Given their length, it would be extremely helpful to read some of the novels
before you join us in September.
The principal work to read ahead of time is the following book which will be studied upon
your arrival in the first few weeks of the Autumn semester. Milton’s epic poem is best
not left until the actual week of study, so do try to read it before your arrival.
John Milton’s Paradise Lost (if you don’t already own a copy, the Penguin is a fine
edition and readily available).
If you want to be prepared for the rest of the module, other novels you could read are:
Aphra Behn's Oroonoko (Penguin or Oxford World's Classics are good editions)
William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (Arden or Oxford edition)
William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Lyrical Ballads (Routledge
Classics) – An excellent digital edition can be found at
www.rc.umd.edu/editions/LB
Thomas Wyatt’s (selected) poems (Good electronic editions are available online,
or look for his poetry in anthologies) Charlotte Bronte Jane Eyre (any edition will do)
Year One Module Information
13
Beginnings of English 20 credits Full Year Q31207
Summary
This module introduces you to the language, literature and culture of medieval England.
You will read a variety of medieval texts from Old and Middle English, as well as
comparative texts from Old Norse sources, and will discuss ideas of Englishness and
identity. You will become familiar with the philological knowledge necessary for the
reading and understanding of medieval texts, and will be introduced to the basics of
grammar and spelling conventions.
Aims / Learning Objectives
To introduce you to linguistic vocabulary and terminology
To enable you to become proficient in reading Old English and Middle English
To give you an understanding of the complexities of English grammar, past and
present
To give you an understanding of the origins of English, and its development over
the medieval period
To familiarise you with the themes and genre of medieval English literature.
Teaching and learning methods
Two 1-hour lectures each week and one 1-hour seminar each week.
Assessment
Autumn mid-semester exam: 1 hour online exam (weighted at 25%)
Autumn end of semester exam: 1 hour exam (weighted at 25%)
Spring coursework 1: One 1000-word essay (weighted at 25%)
Spring coursework 2: One 1000-word commentary (weighted at 25%)
Reading
You will be given a handbook with readings on arrival. It is recommended that you also
buy the following books which will be the basis of the first year module and will also be
used in some second- and third-year module options:
Peter S. Baker, Introduction to Old English (Blackwell, 2003)
Stephen Greenblatt, et al. eds, The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The
Middle Ages, Volume A (W.W. Norton and Co., 2012)
You may also wish to consult or purchase a copy of:
John Burrow and Thorlac Turville-Petre, A Book of Middle English (Blackwell,
2005)
Hugh Magennis, The Cambridge Introduction to Anglo-Saxon Literature.
(Cambridge University Press, 2011)
Thorlac Turville-Petre, Reading Middle English Literature (Blackwell, 2006)
Heather O'Donoghue, Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Short Introduction
(Blackwell, 2004)
Year One Module Information
14
Drama, Theatre, Performance 20 credits Full Year Q31501
Summary
This module explores the extraordinary variety of drama in the Western dramatic
tradition. You will examine dramatic texts in relation to their historical context, moving
from the theatre of ancient Greece, English medieval drama, the theatre of Shakespeare
and his contemporaries, the Restoration stage, to nineteenth-century naturalism. In
addition to texts produced by writers from Sophocles to Ibsen, you will also consider a
variety of extra-textual features of drama, including the performance styles of actors,
the significance of performance space and place, and the composition of various
audiences.
You will study selected plays in workshops, seminars and lectures, during which we will
explore adaptation and interpretation of the texts through DVD extracts. You will also
have the opportunity to engage in practical theatre-making, exploring extracts from the
selected play-texts in short, student-directed scenes in response to key questions about
performance.
Aims / Learning Objectives
To provide you with an understanding of drama as a performance medium, in
which real people and objects are presented to other people in real, shared space
To introduce you to a range of historical performance conventions, including
Ancient Greek tragedy and nineteenth century naturalism.
To enable you to recognise and analyse the varied elements which constitute
performance.
To provide you with knowledge and understanding of the social, historical and
cultural contexts of various play-texts.
Teaching and learning methods
A one-hour lecture per week and a two-hour workshop/seminar every fortnight.
Assessment
Autumn coursework: 5 minute practical workshop assignment, followed by a 500-
word reflection (weighted at 40%)
Spring exam: 2.5 hour performance analysis exam (weighted at 60%)
Reading
Over the course of the year on the module, you will study 10 plays, including Medea
(Euripides), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare), The Rover (Behn) and A Doll’s
House (Ibsen).
When you arrive we will give you the primary texts (either in a reader or via access to
online resources), along with suggestions for a key theoretical reading each week.
You will find it useful to have a copy of the following book for reference:
Lennard, J & Luckhurst, M, The Drama Handbook: A Guide to Reading Plays
(Oxford University Press, 2003)
Year One Module Information
15
Academic Community 20 credits Full Year Q31401
Summary
This module offers an introduction to key issues and skills in English for those making
the transition to university-level study and emphasises points of intersection between
the diverse disciplines contained within the study of English at Nottingham. Taught in
small groups, you are encouraged to explore – critically and reflexively – what it means
to be a student of English, and will be supported in developing a toolkit of study,
research and communication skills which can be transferred to other modules.
Aims / Learning Objectives
To introduce key issues of university study in general and the discipline of English
in particular to students making the transition from school to university.
To enable you to develop your understanding of the intersections between
different branches of the discipline of English.
To enable you to reflect on and begin to develop effective skills for study and
research, reflective writing, and oral presentation.
To provide knowledge and understanding of elements of the literary, cultural and
historical contexts for literature, language and drama
Teaching and learning methods
One 1-hour lecture per fortnight and one 1-hour tutorial with your personal tutor per
fortnight, involving student-led discussion and presentation; set reading and preparation
in intervening weeks.
Assessment
Autumn presentation: 7 minute presentation (weighted at 25%)
Spring coursework: Reflective portfolio of 5 x 700 word pieces (weighted at 75%)
Reading
There is no specific reading in preparation for this module, but it would be helpful to look
at the University resources on Studying Effectively which will introduce you to a range of
key skills: www.nottingham.ac.uk/studyingeffectively
Year One Module Information
16
Creative Writing Practice 20 credits Full Year Q31701
Summary
The module introduces you to the process of writing drama, poetry and fiction by
engaging in a variety of forms of reading, writing and performance practice. Activities
include creative and analytical responses to published writing, writing exercises in
poetry, drama and fiction, and revision of work written over the course of the module.
The poetry content includes imagery, line and metre, and poetic form; the fiction content
includes character, narrative, and point of view; the drama content includes scene,
dialogue and character. The module also includes material on the contexts of writing,
including: publication, performance and literary interviews.
Aims / Learning Objectives
To guide you in the practice of the process of writing, including using notebooks
and making revisions
To develop your skills in writing and reading to develop an awareness of literary
contexts and creative and aesthetic possibilities
To provide knowledge and understanding of elements of poetry (rhythm,
imagery, and poetic form), fiction (character, narrative and point of view) and
drama (scene, dialogue, character).
Teaching and learning methods
One 1-hour lecture each week and one 1-hour seminar each week.
Assessment
Autumn coursework 1: Portfolio comprised of responses to exercises on the
themes of creativity and context (weighted at 10%)
Autumn coursework 2: Portfolio of poetry (weighted at 30%)
Spring coursework 1: Portfolio of writing for performance (weighted at 30%)
Spring coursework 2: Portfolio of fiction (weighted at 30%)
Required Reading (please buy)
May, Steve. Doing Creative Writing. London: Routledge, 2007.
Royle, Nicholas. (ed). Best British Short Stories 2016. Cromer: Salt Publishing,
2016.
(Ed. Anon.), The Forward Book of Poetry 2017, London: Forward Foundation/
Faber, 2017.
Further Reading (these will be really useful)
Jauss, David. On Writing Fiction: Rethinking Conventional Wisdom About the
Craft. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest, 2011.
Wainwright, Jeffrey. Poetry The Basics (2nd edition). London: Routledge, 2011.
Spencer, Stuart. The Playwright's Guidebook. London: Faber & Faber. 2003.
Year One Module Information
17
Shakespeare’s Histories: Critical Approaches 10 credits Autumn Semester Q3109S
Summary
Shakespeare is a cultural and literary icon. This module seeks to explore some of the
many reasons behind that fact by focussing on one particular genre of drama ─ the
history plays ─ which was hugely popular in England’s commercial playhouses in the late
sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Looking in detail at a sequence of four plays
– Richard II, Henry IV parts 1 and 2, and Henry V – the module will consider key
themes, including kingship, power and authority, national and regional identities, sexual
politics, war, and ideas of community. In addition, we will use these plays as a lens
through which to examine Shakespeare’s engagement with the linguistic, performative,
and socio-political contexts of his time.
Bringing matters up to the present day, the module will deploy a range of media
resources, including film and performance archives, to consider the ways in which these
plays continue to resonate and reverberate in the modern era. The relevance of the
history plays within new social and political contexts and in new eras of war and conflict
will be the focus of analysis, allowing us to think about Shakespeare in performance, on
the screen, and in various forms of adaptation.
Aims / Learning Objectives
to provide you with an understanding of key issues related to the production and
reception of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets
to consider Shakespeare’s position as cultural and literary icon
To provide you with knowledge and understanding of the genre of early modern
history plays with specific reference to Shakespeare
Teaching and Learning Methods
1½ hour lecture each week.
Assessment
One 2500-word essay (weighted at 100%)
Reading
Students interested in taking this module may wish to get a head-start by reading the
four Shakespeare plays we are studying:
Richard II
Henry IV Part 1
Henry IV Part 2
Henry V
Good editions include the Arden Shakespeare, Oxford Shakespeare or New Cambridge
Shakespeare.
Year One Module Information
18
Regional Writers 10 credits Spring Semester Q3108S
Summary
This module introduces you to the work of selected regional writers, including
Nottinghamshire writers (e.g. DH Lawrence), considering how their work engages with
regional landscapes, the literary and industrial heritage of their area, and other
distinctive cultural elements such as dialect. The module will allow you to reflect on
recent theoretical developments in the field of literary geography, while also equipping
you to read and appreciate literary works through a focus on their tangible social and
historical contexts.
Aims / Learning Objectives
To provide you with knowledge of a range of literary works by notable regional
writers;
To provide an introduction to the study of literary geography, place and space in
literary works.
Teaching and Learning Methods
1½ hour lecture each week
Assessment
One 2-hour exam (weighted at 100%)
Reading
Please purchase and read the following texts::
Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D’Urbervilles (any edition)
Alan Sillitoe, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner (any edition)
Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting (any edition)
Other texts studied on this module will be available in a module reader that will be given
to all students opting to take this module.
Year One Module Information
19
The Viking World 10 credits Autumn Semester Q3107S
Summary
More than any other group, the Vikings shaped the history of Europe. Their stories and
myths are still the subject of fiction, poetry, film and art. This interdisciplinary module
introduces you to the impact of the Viking Age and of the Viking Expansion. You will be
made familiar with concepts such as diasporic settlements and identity, as well as being
introduced to the various ways of evaluating sources from the Viking Age and beyond
(such as historical sources, material culture etc.). You will also learn about the myths
and the language, as well as the culture of the Viking Age and beyond.
This module is specifically designed as an introduction to Viking Studies. No previous
knowledge of history or archaeology is necessary.
Aims / Learning Objectives
To introduce you to the culture of medieval Scandinavia and the Viking-settled
areas
To introduce you to the study of different source types (text, language and
material culture) and to interdisciplinary research, including an awareness of the
sources of medieval literature.
To provide you with knowledge and understanding of the history and culture of
Northern Europe and the North Atlantic around the first millennium
To explore concepts of migration and identity in the early Middle Ages
To provide you with understanding of the relationships between texts and
historical contexts.
Teaching and Learning Methods
1½ hour interactive lecture each week.
Assessment
A 1.5 hour multiple choice question paper (weighted at 100%)
Reading:
Core texts
Julian D. Richards, The Vikings. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University
Press, 2005
Jayne Carroll, Stephen H. Harrison and Gareth Williams, The Vikings in Britain
and Ireland, British Museum Press, 2014.
Recommended texts
Brink, S. (ed), The Viking World (Routledge 2012) - available as an e-book or as
a paperback
Further Pre-arrival Reading
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Works that will help you to prepare for studying English at university level are listed
below. Please note that it is not essential to buy these books, but they will provide
helpful context.
General Reading E. Chambers and A. Northledge, The Arts Good Study Guide, 2nd edition (Milton
Keynes: Open University Worldwide, 2008).
This contains useful advice on reading, note-taking and writing essays.
Further Reading for English literature To prepare for studying literature at university level, you might find ONE of the following
useful:
R. Eaglestone, Doing English: A Guide for Literature Students (London:
Routledge, 2002)
A. Bennett and N. Royle, An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory
(Harlow: Pearson, 2004)
You should read at least ONE general history of English literature. For example, you
might consider reading one of the following:
M. Alexander, A History of English Literature (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2000)
R. Carter and J. McRae, The Routledge History of Literature in English: Britain and
Ireland, 2nd edition (London: Routledge, 2001). This text also focuses on
language issues.
P. Poplawski, ed. English Literature in Context (Cambridge, 2007)
A. Sanders, The Short Oxford History of English Literature, 2nd edition (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2000)
You might find it helpful to read an introduction to literary theory. For example:
J. Culler, Literary Theory: a Very Short Introduction, 2nd edition (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2011)
OR
T. Eagleton, Literary Theory: An Introduction, 25th anniversary edition (Oxford:
Blackwell, 2008)
Further Reading for English language To prepare for studying English language at university level, you might find one of the
following useful:
D. Crystal, Making Sense of Grammar (Harlow: Longman, 2004. ISBN 978-
0582848634)
G. Yule, The Study of Language, 5th edition (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2014)
R.L. Trask, (2004) Language: The Basics. 2nd edition. Abingdon: Routledge.
D. Crystal, How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning
and Languages Live or Die (London: Penguin, 2007. ISBN 978-0141015521)
Further Pre-arrival Reading
21
Further Reading for Drama and performance You will find it useful to have an understanding of some of the key ideas for drama and
performance. The following is a good text to refer to beyond the reading you will be
given on the modules:
M. Wallis & S. Shepherd, Studying Plays, 3rd edition (London: Bloomsbury
Academic;, 2010)
Although the following are not studied on any particular module, reading them and
making yourself familiar with their contents will make your study of English literature
and language much more rewarding.
Academic staff will assume that you are familiar with this material, and it will be your
responsibility to chase up references that you don't understand.
The Bible, eds. R. Carroll and S. Prickett (Oxford World's Classics, 2008). Begin
with the Gospel of Mark, Genesis, Exodus, and Revelation
R.L. Green (ed), Tales of Greek Heroes (Harmondsworth: Puffin, 2010)
R. L. Green (ed), The Tale of Troy (Harmondsworth: Puffin, 1994)
N. Davies, The Isles: A History (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2000)
You would also find it useful to have a copy of:
G. Taylor, J. Jowett et al (eds), William Shakespeare: The Complete Works, 2nd
edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005)
You might also find it useful to own a map of Great Britain and Ireland.
To request this information in an alternative format, please contact us: t: +44 (0)115 951 4591 e: [email protected]