Identifying Data 2019/20
Subject (*) Literary Discourse and Society in the English-Speaking Countries Code 613505103
Study programme
Mestrado Universitario en Estudos Ingleses Avanzados e as súas Aplicacións (2019)
Descriptors Cycle Period Year Type Credits
Official Master's Degree 1st four-month period
 First Obligatory 3
Language
English
Teaching method Face-to-face
Prerequisites
Department Letras
Coordinador
Barros Grela, Eduardo
 E-mail
eduardo.barros@udc.es
Lecturers
Barros Grela, Eduardo
 E-mail
eduardo.barros@udc.es
Web http://www.imaes.eu/?page_id=31
General description Toda a información relativa tanto a esta materia como ao resto do Mestrado pódese atopar no enderezo Web arriba sinalado.

Study programme competencies
Code Study programme competences
A7 E07 – Ability to analyse different types of discourse and discursive genres, both oral and written, in the English language
A9 E09 – Familiarity with the main models and resources in literary/cultural research in the English-speaking domain.
A10 E10 –Ability to use appropriate techniques for the analysis of artistic and cultural texts in the English-speaking domain.
A12 E12 – Understanding of different theoretical and critical approaches, as well as their application to the analysis of literary and cultural texts in the English-speaking domain.
A13 E13 – Familiarity with the relationship between the main artistic and literary manifestations in the English-speaking domain.
B1 CB6 – Students should have the knowledge and understanding necessary to provide a basis or opportunity for originality in the development and/or application of ideas, often in a research context.
B2 CB7 - Students should be able to apply the knowledge acquired and a problem-solving capacity to new or lesser known areas within wider contexts (or multidisciplinary contexts) related to the study area.
B3 CB8 - Students must be able to integrate knowledge and to deal with the complexity of judgement formulation starting with information, which might be incomplete or limited, and which includes reflections on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgement.
B4 CB9 – Students must be able to communicate their conclusions, as well as the knowledge and reasoning behind them, to both specialized and general audiences in a clear and unambiguous way
B7 G02 – Students must be capable of applying the knowledge acquired in the multidisciplinary and multifaceted area of English Studies
B9 G04 – Students must be able to publicly present their ideas, reports or experiences, as well as give informed opinions based on criteria, external norms or personal reflection. All of this implies having sufficient command of both oral and written academic and scientific language
B10 G05 – Skills related to research and the handling of new knowledge and information in the context of English Studies are to be acquired by students
B11 G06 – Students should be able to develop a critical sense in order to assess the relevance of both existing research in the fields of English Studies, and their own research.

Learning aims
Learning outcomes Study programme competences
Recoñecer as características particulares de textos de tipo diverso e resolver as dificultades de interpretación crítica e análise que son pertinentes en cada caso AR7
AR9
AR10
 BR1
Ser capaz de situar a relevancia dos discursos literarios dentro do ámbito da sociedade contemporánea AR7
 BR2
BR3
BR4
Ser capaz de situar a relevancia dos discursos fílmicos dentro do ámbito da sociedade contemporánea AR7
 BR2
BR3
BR4
Coñecer as diferentes correntes críticas relacionadas coa teoría cultural contemporánea. AR7
AR12
 BR7
BR10
Participar activamente nas explicacións presentadas polo profesorado AR12
 BR9
BR11
Producir liñas de pensamento crítico sobre a sociedade contemporánea a partir de lecturas de discursos fílmicos e literarios AR7
AR13
 BR11

Contents
Topic Sub-topic
The course tackles the relations between literature and society, placing special emphasis on the political and socio-historical contexts. Likewise, the more relevant ideological and inter-textual
relations—and also the main aesthetic aspects—will be considered when analysing and/or discussing literary (con)texts of the English-speaking world.
1. Introduction: “Narratives of the Body” • Chuck Palahniuk: “Guts”
• Coco Fusco: Only Skin Deep. Changing Visions of the American Self
• Sean Baker: Tangerine
• Chuck Palahniuk: Invisible Monsters (Ch. 1-3)
2. “Narratives of Space” • Junot Díaz: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Episode One, in Part I: “Ghetto Nerd at the End of the World”).
• Fredric Jameson: The Cultures of Globalization (3-21: “Beyond Eurocentrism”).
• Jessica Abel: La Perdida (3-61).
• Ryan Murphy: Pose (Episode 1).
3. “Discourses of Gender” • Kathy Acker: Great Expectations (5-36)
• Julia Kristeva: Powers of Horror (1-31)
• David Benioff: Game of Thrones (episode TBA)
• Judith Butler: Bodies that Matter (“Critically Queer” and/or “Gender is Burning”)
4. “Discourses of Violence” • Donna Haraway: A Cyborg Manifesto
• Bruce Miller: The Handmaid's Tale (episode TBA)
• Hannah Arendt: On Violence (selection)
• Guillermo Gómez-Peña: Dangerous Border-Crossers (22-47)
5. “Pre-Trauma Dystopias” • Paul Auster: Travels in the Scriptorium 1-51
• Andrei Tarkovsky: Stalker and/or Jonathan Nolan: Westworld
• Jean Baudrillard: Simulacra and Simulation (selection)
• Margaret Atwood: Oryx and Crake (Chapters 1 & 2)
6. “Heterotopic Discourses and the ‘Non City’” • Charles Bukowski: Tales of Ordinary Madness (selection)
• Mike Davis: City of Quartz (19-62)
• David Lynch: Lost Highway
• David Harvey: Rebel Cities (3-25)
7. “Immersion Narratives and the Terrain Vague” • Ken Levine. Bioshock Trilogy
• Bruce Straley. The Last of Us
• Raoul Barbet. Life Is Strange
• Patrice Désilets. Assassin’s Creed
• Mark J. P. Wolf. The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies (selection)

Planning
Methodologies / tests Competencies Ordinary class hours Student’s personal work hours Total hours
Seminar A7 A9 A12 9 29 38
Oral presentation A10 B1 B3 B7 B9 5 10 15
Supervised projects A13 B2 B4 B7 B10 B11 0 20 20
 
Personalized attention 2 0 2
 
(*)The information in the planning table is for guidance only and does not take into account the heterogeneity of the students.

Methodologies
Methodologies Description
Seminar Students should--critically--read the corresponding texts for each class session. Class dynamics will be based on an active critical debate between professor and students.
Oral presentation Students will open each class session by delivering a brief presentation on a topic related to one or more of the texts planned for each session.
Supervised projects Under the professor's supervision, students will be expected to produce a research paper.

Personalized attention
Methodologies
Seminar
Supervised projects
Oral presentation
Description
Discussion with professor to establish the topic(s) and the research approach preferred for the production of final paper.
Guidance throughout the different sessions.
Professor will assess presentations and papers during the semester. Students should consider the comments made for future papers and presentations.
Students should make use of the professor's office hours for individual advising and monitoring of progress.

Assessment
Methodologies Competencies Description Qualification
Seminar A7 A9 A12 Active participation in the class and active collaborative work in the class discussions. 30
Supervised projects A13 B2 B4 B7 B10 B11 Critical research paper on--at least--one of the texts discussed in class. Students who wish to articulate texts from class with other texts not discussed in this subject should ask the professor for permission.

 50
Oral presentation A10 B1 B3 B7 B9 Critical presentation on a topic related to one (or several) of the texts planned for each session. Presentations should not be descriptive in nature; they should instead provide students' personal and subjective readings of selected texts.

 20
 
Assessment comments
<p>Given that this degree programme is
part distance learning, part actual attendance, students are required to attend
the compulsory sessions, unless they have applied for exemption within the time
period specified by the Academic Commission of the degree, and this exemption
has been granted. This exemption will be valid provided students comply with
the rules on attendance in force in the three universities participating in the
programme, and provided they comply with the assessment systems which are
specified in the teaching guides for each module. Students should be aware,
however, that not attending certain classroom sessions may affect their final
grades.</p><p>Students
who have been granted exemption, as specified in the university regulations,
will be assessed according to the criteria applied to the July opportunity.</p><p>Students
who do not submit a supervised project, or who fail
to submit at least 50% of the other tasks for assessment, will be graded as
absent from assessment (NP: no presentado).</p><p>Students
who do not pass in the first opportunity will be able
to re-sit in July, when they will be required to demonstrate that they have
acquired the skills for each module via two types of assessment: a supervised
project with the same percentage value and characteristics as in the first
opportunity, plus the exercises agreed upon with the lecturer(s) as a
substitute for the other activities of the module.</p>

Sources of information
Basic

Arendt, Hannah: On Violence (selection)

Barrett, Michèlle:&nbsp;The Politics of Truth

Baudrillard, Jean: Simulacra and Simulation (selection)

Butler, Judith: Bodies that Matter (“Critically Queer” and/or “Gender is Burning”)

Coco Fusco: Only Skin Deep. Changing Visions of the American Self

Davis, Mike:&nbsp;City of Quartz

Gómez-Peña, Guillermo:&nbsp;Dangerous Border-Crossers&nbsp;(22-47)

Haraway, Donna:&nbsp;A Cyborg Manifesto

Harvey, David:&nbsp;Rebel Cities

Jameson, Fredric: The Cultures of Globalization

Kristeva, Julia:&nbsp;Powers of Horror

Ticineto Clough, Patricia, ed.: The Affective Turn

West, Cornel: Race Matters

Wolf, Mark J. P. The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies (selection)
Complementary


Recommendations
Subjects that it is recommended to have taken before

Subjects that are recommended to be taken simultaneously

Subjects that continue the syllabus

Other comments


(*)The teaching guide is the document in which the URV publishes the information about all its courses. It is a public document and cannot be modified. Only in exceptional cases can it be revised by the competent agent or duly revised so that it is in line with current legislation.