EN3CF-Contemporary American Fiction

Module Provider: English Literature
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites: English Part 1
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Prof David Brauner
Email: d.brauner@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

The module is concerned with American fiction published in the last two decades of the twentieth century and first two decades of the twenty-first, focusing on some of the ways in which contemporary American novelists deconstruct and reconstruct traditional ideas of what the novel can and should be and do. Exploring key terms such as realism, postmodernism, metafiction and irony, the module will examine both the diversity of contemporary American voices and the emergence of common preoccupations among these writers, alongside the different socio-historical contexts in which they work.

Aims:
The module has three broad aims: to provide students with knowledge and understanding of a range of fiction produced by American novelists in the contemporary period; to introduce students to the key critical debates concerning the production and reception of the (post)modern novel; and to develop an informed awareness of some of the major developments in the theory and practice of American fiction in the contemporary period.

Assessable learning outcomes:
By the end of the module students will be expected to:

' employ skills of textual analysis to demonstrate understanding of the materials they have studied
' identify and discuss key issues in the discourses of contemporary American fiction
' explore and interrogate some of the ways in which the selected fictions express and respond to social, cultural and historical developments in contemporary America
' research, organize and articulate a scholarly critical argument in written form.

Additional outcomes:
Oral and written communication skills will be developed, together with critical, interpretative and analytical abilities. Students will enhance their IT competence through the use of relevant web resources in a critically informed manner. Students will also be encouraged to develop a critical sense of the role that literary texts play in the formation and renegotiation of national, ethnic and gender identities.

Outline content:

The module examines some of the prevailing trends in the theory and practice of contemporary American fiction. Texts for study may vary from year to year, but are likely to include some of the following: Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49, Don DeLillo’s White Noise, Paul Auster’s The New York Trilogy, Philip Roth’s The Counterlife, Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, Carol Shields’ The Stone Diaries, Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad, Julie Otsuka’s The Buddha in the Attic and Michael Chabon’s Moonglow.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
Three seminar hours weekly, for which students are required to do preparatory reading. Students are also entitled to a half-hour tutorial on their formative written work. 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
Seminars		30	1
Tutorials		0.5
Guided independent study:		129.5	39
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:

Two-hour examination (50%), to be sat during the Summer Term.

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Assessed essay of 2500 words (50%), to be submitted on Wednesday 20 March.

Formative assessment methods:

Formative Assessment Methods - work which provides opportunities to improve performance (e.g. through feedback provided) but which does not necessarily always contribute towards the overall module mark: Students write one formative essay, of between 1500 and 2000 words. Feedback will also be provided on the assessed essay of 2500 words, or the equivalent placement report.

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: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/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: 3 October 2023