This module introduces students to the study of world literature, offering learners a way of encountering work of cultural and historical value in a variety of languages, transcending national traditions and geographical boundaries. Students will become familiar with a number of definitions and accounts of ‘world literature’, as well as recent efforts to define a ‘global literary studies’ focused on translation and on the circulation of literary works in world systems. Learning how to apply key concepts and critical vocabularies in world literature to the critical analysis of literary texts, students will develop an understanding of literary studies as a way of thinking globally and of studying long-term and ongoing historical processes.
A. Analyse and discuss texts in a range of modes and genres in a global context. B. Explain and analyse the range of approaches to the contemporary global study of literature, from regional and national approaches, to concepts of world literature and global literary studies. C. Apply key critical concepts and vocabularies in world literature to particular literary texts. D. Develop close and critical analyses of a diverse range of world literary texts, communicating ideas in written or spoken forms.
The teaching sessions are divided into lectures and seminars. Lectures introduce relevant knowledge and ideas. Seminars facilitate reflective critical discussions about specific texts and contexts and allow students to produce, share and edit work on their portfolios. Seminars will also provide continuous guidance on the use and abuse of generative AI in the production of coursework assessments. All texts will be provided electronically on the module page on Learning Mall Core or via the University Library.