All students will acquire an understanding of the cultural contexts of all major periods of Scottish literature from the late middle-ages to the present, and a detailed knowledge of a specific topic or set of texts within each period. Students will also study a set of specific research-led subjects offered by staff and selected by students on the basis of their own interests. Over the degree programme, students acquire knowledge and understanding of:
- the ways in which language is used in literary texts and deployed in critical discourse;
- a wide variety of literary genres in English, and a critical understanding of their formal structures;
- the significance of issues such as class, nation and gender in the production and understanding of literary texts;
- the significance of historical and cultural contexts to our understanding of literary works;
- the rhetoric of critical and theoretical debates;
- the activity of the interpretation of literary works.
- Understanding of a range of viewpoints on problems of interpretation and evaluation of the past
- Understanding the role of the past and its study in the shaping of class, ethnic, gender, national and other identities with current, sometimes sensitive relevance
These abilities are acquired by attending lectures, and in preparing for and participating in tutorials and seminars.
First and second year students attend lecture programmes which address both general and theoretical issues, and specific topics and texts. Individual development of knowledge is enhanced by tutorials in which students engage in active learning on key topics with their tutor and their peers. The acquisition and consolidation of this knowledge base is tested by assessed course work (primarily essays) and end of year examinations.
In third and fourth year students’ knowledge in these areas is developed by taking a core course in each semester which covers a particular period (pre-1600; 1660-1760; Victorian; Contemporary). At the same time, students also choose an option course in each semester on a wide range of topics which enables them to choose to focus on particular topics and develop their individual areas of interest (for example, language, creative writing, post-colonialism, Shakespeare). These courses are taught by weekly two-hour seminars, supported by weekly small group peer-learning groups (autonomous learning groups), and are assessed by course essays and end of year examinations (either sit down or take-home papers). Essay questions are designed to extend knowledge and understanding by research and independent study; exam questions are designed to test the students’ understanding of specific areas of knowledge.
In addition, in third year, students also follow two lecture-based critical practice courses in each semester which explore a generic aspect of literary studies (S1: criticism; poetry; S2: prose; performance). Apart from the performance course (which is assessed by a portfolio of coursework material), these courses are assessed at the end of each semester.
In fourth year, these courses are replaced by intensive work on a 10,000 word dissertation. While students are primarily encouraged to work independently, their research is supported by a dissertation supervisor and peer-learning sessions. While this project will enable students to deepen their knowledge and understanding of a specific aspect of literary studies, it will also crucially enhance their skills and abilities in Research and Enquiry, and in Personal and Intellectual Autonomy.