EN2WPS-Writing in the Public Sphere

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

Module Convenor: Dr Mary Morrissey
Email: m.e.morrissey@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

On this module, we study the literature written in order to prompt social and political change. We examine speeches, pamphlets, tracts, and political posters from the early modern period to the present, and we consider how they continue to shape debates about class, race, religion, nationality, and women’s rights across the four nations of Britain and Ireland. We study ideas of a ‘public sphere’ in which political and cultural debate are conducted, and we analyse the techniques used in political literature. We use our study of these texts to identify the rhetorical strategies necessary for successful political campaigning today.

Aims:

The aim of this module is to enable students to analyse the literature of political campaigning in a historically informed way. Students will be asked to consider the ways in which political literature responds to the immediate circumstances of the debate with which it engages, so that the ‘key messages’ in the campaign can be uncovered and their effectiveness examined. We will research the ways in which particular arguments (over women’s rights, or nationalism, for example) gained broad social support at certain times, or lost it at others. We will study a wide range of controversies in which political literature had an important impact, from Irish nationalism to the anti-slavery movement; the continued relevance of many of these campaigns will be considered.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of the module it is expected that the student will be able to:

• understand some of the rhetorical techniques used in political literature


• understand the importance of ‘key arguments’ to political campaigning


• be able to analyse set texts using the rhetorical techniques we have studied

conduct independent research into the use of rhetoric in contemporary political debates.

Additional outcomes:

Oral and written communication skills will be developed, together with critical, interpretative and analytical abilities. Students will be encouraged to develop skills of oral communication and effective participation in group work.  Research skills will be developed through the research report.

Outline content:

We will study a wide range of short texts (pamphlets, speeches, and short tracts) which may include: Nancy Astor’s maiden speech in the House of Commons, William Wilberforce’s 1789 speech on the abolition of the slave trade, Marx and Engels The Communist Manifesto (1848), and the ‘Declaration of Support’ to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Where possible, access to texts will be provided online. Students are asked to purchase Robert Cockcroft and Susan Cockcrof t, Persuading People: An Introduction to Rhetoric (Palgrave, 1992, 2005, 2014) as a guide to rhetorical analysis.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures	5		1
Seminars	13.5
Tutorials	0.5
Guided independent study:
Exam revision/preparation	70
Preparation for tutorials	40
Completion of formative assessment tasks	5
Carry-out research project	65
Total hours by term	199	0	1
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written exam	50
Written assignment including essay	50

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Two-hour hour examination (50%), to be sat in the summer term.

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Two-hour hour examination (50%), to be sat in the summer term.

Formative assessment methods:

1x poster. Students are asked to design a A3-size political poster on a subject of their choosing identifying the ‘key messages’ for the campaign.

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:

40%

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: Approx.. £20

2) Specialist equipment or materials: 

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: 

4) Printing and binding: Approx.. £10

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: 

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: 

Last updated: 24 November 2021