EN3RRR-Romanticism: Revolt and Reaction

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 or A-Level (A*, A or B)
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Dr Matthew Scott
Email: t.m.l.scott@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:
This module will trace the political ideas of English Romanticism through some of the most important texts of the period 1790-1850. In particular, it will focus on responses to the French Revolution from both radicals and conservatives, and will go on to examine the ways in which these debates conditioned literary and political culture in the years leading up to the important reforms of the nineteenth century. We will read texts in a number of different genres: political essays; short lyric and long meditative poems; novels; theoretical and philosophical texts.

Aims:
The module will aim to provide a sense of the constitution of Romanticism as an intellectual and cultural phenomenon, as well as inviting students to reflect more generally on ways in which works of literature grow out of and illuminate the political climate of their time.

Assessable learning outcomes:
By the end of the module students will be expected to:
' Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key texts (literary, political & philosophical) of the
Romantic period
' Situate these texts within their political, historical, and intellectual contexts
' Demonstrate a sensitivity to the role of genre
' Perform close, literary analysis of these texts that is informed by an understanding of their contexts
' Engage critically with ideas presented in seminars and secondary materials

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.

Outline content:
Authors to be considered may include Edmund Burke, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sir Walter Scott, William Hazlitt, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Jane Austen, and Benjamin Disraeli.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
Three seminar hours weekly, which may take the form of a single 3 hour block or two blocks of 1 and 2 hours respectively, 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:	139.5		29
Total hours by term	171		30
Total hours for module

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written exam	50
Written assignment including essay	50

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Formative assessment methods:

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 mark of 40% or more. Otherwise it must be resubmitted by 25 August 2017

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

Last updated: 25 May 2023