Aims and Fit of Module

•	The course examines and evaluates some of the key perspectives and positions in the postmodern debate by encouraging students to read closely the work of contemporary critical theorists, and relate their arguments to case studies drawn from a range of late 20C texts. 

•	The module treats the postmodern as a site for debates about literature, truth, politics, meaning and representation, and encourage students to think through some of the implications of postmodern thought in these areas. 

•	Its central aims are to raise the question of whether postmodernism might provide useful means of engaging critically with contemporary literature and to give students the practical skills required to read and discuss the often-complex writing of the theorists working in this area so that they can form their own responses.

Learning outcomes

A	To engage in postmodern debates and question how – and how successfully – these theories serve late 20C literature.

B	To locate late 20C writing within a broader framework of postmodern thinking.

C	To demonstrate their ability to read postmodern literature critically and comparatively. 

D	To demonstrate skills in research and argument by carrying out original research in postmodern literature 

Method of teaching and learning

The teaching sessions are divided into two components. Lectures introduce students to relevant knowledge of literature and postmodern theory. Seminars develop critical discussions about the topic.