EN2CF-Contemporary Fiction

Module Provider: English Literature
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:5
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2021/2

Module Convenor: Dr Mark Nixon
Email: m.nixon@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:
This module will provide the opportunity to study a selection of fiction in English from the 1980s to the present day. It will highlight the formal, thematic and cultural diversity of Anglophone fiction produced in this period. Students will encounter a range of authors, including but not limited to African-American, Irish-American, Anglo-Indian, Anglo-Japanese, Canadian-Trinidadian, black British and Nigerian £ though the use of such identity categories will be subject to critical scrutiny.

Texts will be studied in and against a number of social, political and historical contexts, including multiculturalism, feminism and globalisation. The module will also engage with many of the key critical/theoretical paradigms of the past four decades, such as post-colonialism, post-modernism, transnationalism and intersectionality.

Aims:
This module has three broad aims: to promote students£ knowledge and understanding of selected works of contemporary fiction; to equip students to recognise some of the principal concerns that have informed debates around contemporary fiction; and to provide a critical framework for analysing some of the ways in which the authors and texts on the module have been shaped by, and helped to shape, the landscape of contemporary fiction.

Assessable learning outcomes:
This module has three broad aims: to promote students£ knowledge and understanding of selected works of contemporary fiction; to equip students to recognise some of the principal concerns that have informed debates around contemporary fiction; and to provide a critical framework for analysing some of the ways in which the authors and texts on the module have been shaped by, and helped to shape, the landscape of contemporary fiction.

Additional outcomes:
Oral and written communication skills will be developed, together with critical, interpretative and analytical abilities. Students will also enhance their IT competence through the use of relevant web resources in a critically informed manner. Study groups will promote peer learning and team work.

Outline content:
The lectures on the module will offer a range of different methodological approaches to reading the set texts while situating them in a number of social, historical and cultural contexts. Texts studied may include works by Salman Rushdie, Kazuo Ishiguro, Zadie Smith and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. These will be regularly reviewed, in order to ensure that there is a good representation of recent fiction.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
A combination of lectures, guided study groups, and structured seminar discussion, for which students are required to do preparatory reading. Students are also entitled to a half-hour tutorial on their formative essay. With the consent of the module convenor, students may also undertake a placement, through which they will learn how to apply the knowledge and skills gained in studying for this module in a professional context outside the University.

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures		20	1
Seminars		10
Tutorials		0.5
Practicals classes and workshops			2
Guided independent study:		129.5	37
Total hours by term	0	160	40
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written exam	50
Written assignment including essay	50

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Written examination (50%), to be sat in the Summer Term.

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Assessed essay (50%), to be submitted at the end of week 11, Autumn Term.

Formative assessment methods:

Students write one formative essay, of approximately 1500 words, on which written and verbal feedback will be given. Feedback will also be provided on the summative written assignment of 2000 words. Feedback on written exams will be available on request from the Director of Teaching and Learning.

Penalties for late submission:

The Support Centres 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 (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:
A mark of at least 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):

1) Required text books: 

2) Specialist equipment or materials: 

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: 

4) Printing and binding: 

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: 

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: 

Last updated: 10 March 2022