MODULE SPECIFICATION
Code: UPGPFS-30-3 Title: Gothic Literature Version: 5
Level: 3 UWE credit rating: 30 ECTS credit rating: 15
Module type: Standard
Owning Faculty: Social Sciences and Humanities Field: English
Faculty Committee approval: QSC Date: 16 June 2010
Approved for Delivery by:
Valid from: September 2010 Discontinued from:
Contributes towards: Awards up to BA
Pre-requisites: None
Co-requisites: None
Entry requirements: N/A
Excluded combinations: None
Learning outcomes:
On successful completion of this module students will be able to:
1. apply their knowledge of the origins and development of the Gothic as a distinct literary genre from the 18th to the 20 century to their reading of literary texts; (Components A and B.)
2. consider how issues relating to gender, sexuality, class and race are reflected within Gothic writing and how these function as a mirror for cultural anxiety; (Components A and B.)
3. read Gothic texts from a number of theoretical positions; (Components A and B).
4. navigate the inter-disciplinarity of the Gothic from a literary starting point; (Components A and B.)
Syllabus outline:
This module will approach the Gothic as a distinct fictional genre through a survey of literature and history, landmarked by key texts and literary movements. It will map the evolution of the genre from the origins of the Gothic novel in the mid eighteenth century up to the late twentieth century. Mainly through the prescribed novels and short stories, the module will demonstrate how Gothic literature reflects, provokes and negotiates cultural anxieties, particularly in relation to gender, race and class. Other considerations include what constitutes being human through an exploration of monstrosity (eg. bodily horror), the concept of the ghostly and dysfunctional family relationships. Theoretical approaches to the texts will include feminist theory and psycho-analysis.
Teaching and learning methods:
The module is organised thematically within a roughly chronological framework. It will be delivered through weekly lectures, seminars and tutorials. Students will be assessed on seminar presentations on topics of their choice, in consultation with their tutor.
Reading Strategy
Students will be required to purchase the proscribed primary texts. They will also be provided with a module reader with additional primary and secondary material. Detailed advice on recommended secondary reading will be provided in a module handbook, which will also list the best websites for accessing information and resources. Links to these websites will also be provided on Blackboard. Students will be constantly reminded that the Library’s stock of relevant material is valuably supplemented by thousands of full-text articles downloadable from databases such as LION, JSTOR, and Project Muse, and specialist online journals.
Indicative Reading List:
The following list is offered to provide validation panels/accrediting bodies with an indication of the type and level of information students may be expected to consult. As such, its currency may wane during the life span of the module specification. However, as indicated above, CURRENT advice on readings will be available via other more frequently updated mechanisms.
Primary
Carter, Angela. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories. London: Vintage Classics, 2006. ISBN 978-0099588115
Süskind, Patrick. Perfume. Trans from the German by John E. Woods. London, Penguin, 1989. ISBN 978-0140120837
Wells, H.G. The Island of Dr Moreau. Ed. Patrick Parrinder. London: Penguin, 2005. ISBN 978-0141441023
Jackson, Shirley. The Haunting of Hill House. Ed. Laura Miller. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2006. ISBN 978-0143039983
King, Stephen. Carrie. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2007. ISBN 978-0340951415
Secondary
Freud, Sigmund. The Uncanny. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 2003.
Hurley, Kelly. The Gothic Body: Sexuality, Materialism, and Degeneration at the Fin de Siècle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
Assessment
Weighting between components A and B (standard modules only) A: 40% B: 60%
ATTEMPT 1
First Assessment Opportunity (Sit)
Component A
Description of each element Element weighting
1 Unseen Examination (2 hours) 40%
Component B
Description of each element Element weighting
1 Extended Essay (4,000 words) FINAL 45%
2 Seminar Presentation 15%
Second Assessment Opportunity (Resit) (further attendance at taught classes is not required)
Component A
Description of each element Element weighting
1 Unseen Examination (2 hours) 40%
Component B
Description of each element Element weighting
1 Extended Essay (4,500 words) 60%
EXCEPTIONAL SECOND ATTEMPT (Retake): Attendance at taught classes is required.
Specification confirmed by …………………………………………………Date ……………………………
(Associate Dean/Programme Director)