Approaches to Literary Studies: Historicism and the Archive

ENGL71821 Approaches to Literary Studies: Historicism and the Archive 30 Semester 1 Postgraduate Taught Level 7 Ingrid Hanson Unit coordinator Michael Sanderson Unit coordinator English and American Studies 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Masters/Integrated Masters P4 ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 15.0 This team-taught course unit introduces postgraduate students to some of the current approaches within professional literary study, with a particular emphasis on a cultural materialist approach to literary texts which emphasises the importance of their generative context.  Additionally, this involves a consideration of other historicist/new historicist approaches to literary texts. Students on the course will learn how to access and use archival material and how to conduct historically-situated research into archival and non-archival literary texts. Students will also be given training on the concrete skills necessary to pursue further postgraduate research work and/or employment within the arts and heritage sectors.  Concrete activities on this module will include: accessing archives to locate new or existing primary material; using databases and other digital tools to identify and produce high-calibre scholarly analysis.The course will also provide a foundation for producing a high-quality historicist MA dissertation.  This team-taught course unit introduces postgraduate students to some of the current approaches within professional literary study, with a particular emphasis on a cultural materialist approach to literary texts which emphasises the importance of their generative context.  Additionally, this involves a consideration of other historicist/new historicist approaches to literary texts. Students on the course will learn how to access and use archival material and how to conduct historically-situated research into archival and non-archival literary texts. Students will also be given training on the concrete skills necessary to pursue further postgraduate research work and/or employment within the arts and heritage sectors.  Concrete activities on this module will include: accessing archives to locate new or existing primary material; using databases and other digital tools to identify and produce high-calibre scholarly analysis.The course will also provide a foundation for producing a high-quality historicist MA dissertation.  The aims of this course are:<ul> <li style="margin-bottom: 5px;">to introduce students to the key concepts and methods of historicism, new historicism and cultural materialism; </li> <li style="margin-bottom: 5px;">to introduce students to the analysis of archival and/or rare materials;</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 5px;">to introduce students to digital research tools; </li> <li style="margin-bottom: 5px;">to consider how archival materials and digital tools enhance broadly historicist scholarship of literary texts;</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 5px;">to develop postgraduate-level research skills using a range of historicist methodologies </li></ul> The aims of this course are:- to introduce students to the key concepts and methods of cultural materialism and other historicist/new historicist approaches;  - to introduce students to the analysis of archival and/or rare materials;- to introduce students to digital research tools;  - to consider how archival materials and digital tools enhance broadly historicist scholarship of literary texts;- to develop postgraduate-level research skills using a range of historicist methodologies   By the end of this course, students should be able to:- demonstrate a good understanding of the theories and methods of historicist literary analysis;- produce a postgraduate-level reading of a literary text or texts, drawing on the approaches and methods of cultural materialism and/or other historicist/new historicist approaches;- find and access relevant archival or rare materials;- identify and use digital resources relevant to historically-situated literary analysis;   By the end of this course, students should be able to:- identify and utilise historical / archival materials  - identify and utilise appropriate digital research tools- develop an argument from a cultural materialist and/or other historically informed perspective- evaluate critical arguments advanced by historicist and non-historicist authors   - plan and execute independent historically-contextualised research on two or more  of the course texts;- make use of electronic and online resources,;- find and utilize archival and rare materials;  - retrieve, sift, organise, synthesise and critically evaluate material from a range of different sources, including library and electronic resources;- produce postgraduate-calibre written work that uses a cultural materialist/historicist/new historicist/ approach;- work as part of a group to design and deliver a presentation on a Gissing novel beyond the course texts;  - find and make use of local archival and other research materials;  - demonstrate networking and teamwork skills   Other This course gives students a range of transferable skills. These include: logical thought; good oral and written communication skills; resourcefulness in the ability to gather, interpret, analyse and evaluate critical sources; time management; and teamwork. The course also teaches students the practical skills necessary to work in an archive, library, or other cultural institution. Students also learn editorial skills that may be useful in journalistic, publishing, or university settings. This course will have a 3 hour seminar weekly.  Students will also be required to complete research and editing activities outside of seminar time.  1 session will be held in the John Rylands Library, Special Collections.  Course materials will be posted on Canvas. Seminar participants will be encouraged to use archives, libraries, and digital materials within the Greater Manchester area.  0 Other 100% <table class="Table" style="border-collapse:collapse;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;margin-left:7px;"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col" style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; width: 205.85pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top" width="274">Assessment task </th> <th scope="col" style="border-top: 1pt solid windowtext; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-image: initial; width: 86.5pt; border-left: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top" width="115">Formative or Summative</th> <th scope="col" style="border-top: 1pt solid windowtext; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-image: initial; width: 107.15pt; border-left: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top" width="143">Weighting within unit (if summative)</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td style="border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; width:205.85pt; border-top:none; padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt" valign="top" width="274">Essay</td> <td style="border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt; width:86.5pt; border-top:none; border-left:none; border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt" valign="top" width="115">summative</td> <td style="border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt; width:107.15pt; border-top:none; border-left:none; border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt" valign="top" width="143">60%</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; width:205.85pt; border-top:none; padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt" valign="top" width="274">Digital group project</td> <td style="border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt; width:86.5pt; border-top:none; border-left:none; border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt" valign="top" width="115">summative</td> <td style="border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt; width:107.15pt; border-top:none; border-left:none; border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt" valign="top" width="143">40%</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table class="Table" style="border-collapse:collapse;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;margin-left:7px;width:496.15pt;" width="662"> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col" style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; width: 241pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top" width="321">Feedback method </th> <th scope="col" style="border-top: 1pt solid windowtext; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-image: initial; width: 9cm; border-left: none; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top" width="340">Formative or Summative</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td style="border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; width:241.0pt; border-top:none; padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt" valign="top" width="321">Numerical grade and written comments on essay within 15 working days, etc</td> <td style="border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt; width:9.0cm; border-top:none; border-left:none; border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt" valign="top" width="340">Summative feedback </td> </tr> <tr style="height:5.25pt"> <td style="border:solid windowtext 1.0pt; width:241.0pt; border-top:none; padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; height:5.25pt" valign="top" width="321">Written feedback and numerical grade on Digital humanities project </td> <td style="border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt; width:9.0cm; border-top:none; border-left:none; border-right:solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; height:5.25pt" valign="top" width="340">Summative</td> </tr> </tbody></table> MA Gender, Sexuality & Culture MA Gender, Sexuality & Culture PGDT Taught Component Optional MA Eng Lit & American Studies MA Eng Lit & American Studies PGDT Taught Component Optional MA Modern & Contemporary Lit MA Modern & Contemporary Lit PGDT Taught Component Optional Dan Bivona and Roger B. Henkle, The Imagination of Class: Masculinity and the Victorian Urban Poor (2006)Mark Bevir, Historicism and the Human Sciences in Victorian Britain (2017)  Pierre Coustillas, The Heroic Life of George Gissing (vols 1-3) (2011)Paul Delaney, George Gissing: A Life (2009)Catherine Gallagher and Stephen Greenblatt, Practicing New Historicism (rev. ed. 2020)  Paul Hamilton, Historicism (rev. ed. 2003)Christine Huguet and Simon James, eds, George Gissing and the Woman Question: Convention and Dissent (2013)Simon J. James, Unsettled Accounts: money and narrative in the novels of George Gissing (2003)Emma Liggins, George Gissing: the working woman and urban culture (2006)Elizabeth Carolyn Miller, Slow Print: Literary Radicalism and Late Victorian Print Culture (2013)Martin Ryle, Martin Ryle, George Gissing: Voices of the Unclassed (2005)  0 0 0