EN3QS-Queer Subcultures from Oscar Wilde to Paris is Burning

Module Provider: English Literature
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Autumn term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites: English Part 1 or A-Level (A*, A or B)
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2020/1

Module Convenor: Prof Peter Stoneley

Email: p.stoneley@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module moves from an Oscar Wilde short story through the poetry, fiction, and memoirs of the “women of the left bank,” to the portrait photography of Del LaGrace Volcano and Leigh Bowery, to the documentary film on the African-American ball scene, Paris is Burning.  Along the way, we will ask: What are queer subcultures?  Why and how have they come into existence?  Why and how do they change or disappear?  Are they an expression of gender identity, or of sexual preference?  How do other factors such as race and class intersect with queerness in these subcultures?  What are the strengths, the dangers or the limits of a queer culture being defined as a subculture?

Aims:

The module aims to introduce students to a range of texts and artifacts – poetry, plays, fiction, memoir, portraiture, archival materials, and a film documentary – as a way into exploring how these cultural forms have been used to signal queer community.   This is a tracing out of the way in which proscribed people have used culture to share ideas and values.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of the module, students will be expected to:

• Give detailed and persuasive readings of a range of cultural forms.


• Develop discussion of the relations between form/format and non-normative identities.


• Show awareness of other critical voices within the field of study.


• Discuss theories and histories of subcultural forms.


• Reflect on the political opportunities and limitations of queer subcul tural expression.


• Articulate the intersection between gender and sexual identity, and between these and other social categories, including race and class.


• Reflect on how queer subcultures of the past might inform current debates on diversity and inclusion.

Additional outcomes:

Outline content:

Texts for study may vary from year to year, but the module will typically include: excerpted texts which will provide a grounding in queer theory and theories of subculture; Oscar Wilde, “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.,” The Importance of Being Earnest, Salomé; short works and excerpts by “women of the left bank” (writers living in Paris in the early to mid-twentieth century), such as Colette, Gertrude Stein, and Djuna Barnes; portraiture by Romaine Brooks, Del LaGrace Volcano, and Leigh Bowery; Jennie Livingston, Paris is Burning.  One of the seminars will be held at the University’s Special Collections, and will focus on rare archival materials relating to Oscar Wilde and his associates.                                       & nbsp;                                                                                   &n bsp;                                                           

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Seminars

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Seminars		27
Tutorials		1
Project Supervision		1
External visits		3
Guided independent study:
Wider reading (directed)		168
Total hours by term	0		0
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written assignment including essay	100

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

One 2,500-word essay, due on the final Friday of the term in which the module is taught.  The essay will focus on an artefact, an archive, or  two texts to be chosen by the student in discussion with the seminar leader.  The essay will include a description of the chosen material, and an analysis of how it relates to one or more of the following: sub-cultural forms or modes; sub-cultural politics; sub-culture and context.

One two-hour, two-question exam essay, with a total word-count of 2,500 words, submitted in the summer term, requiring discussion of  two of the set texts, and with no repetition of primary texts from the coursework essay.  The exam essay paper will be released on the Monday of week 1 the summer term, and the submission point will be the Friday of week 2 of the summer term.

 

Formative assessment methods:

A 1,500-word essay due in week 7 of the term in which the module is taught.  The formative essay will require students to address one conceptual or contextual idea, and one text.

Penalties for late submission:

The Module Convenor will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day[1] (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

40% overall.

Reassessment arrangements:

Re-examination in August. Coursework will be carried forward if it bears a confirmed mark of 40% or more. Otherwise it must be resubmitted in August.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

Cost	Amount
Required text books	£25
Specialist equipment or materials
Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear
Printing and binding
Computers and devices with a particular specification
Travel, accommodation and subsistence

Last updated: 25 September 2020