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EN2CF: Contemporary Fiction
Module code: EN2CF
Module provider: English Literature; School of Humanities
Credits: 20
Level: Level 2 (Intermediate)
When you'll be taught: Semester 1
Module convenor: Professor Mark Nixon, email: m.nixon@reading.ac.uk
Pre-requisite module(s): Before taking this module, you must have at least 40 credits of EN-coded modules at Part 1 (except for visiting students). (Open)
Co-requisite module(s):
Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):
Module(s) excluded:
Placement information: NA
Academic year: 2024/5
Available to visiting students: Yes
Talis reading list: Yes
Last updated: 11 November 2024
Overview
Module aims and purpose
This module will provide the opportunity to study a selection of fiction in English from the 1980s to the present day. It will highlight the formal, thematic and cultural diversity of Anglophone fiction produced in this period. Students will encounter a range of authors, with a focus on diasporic writing. Texts will be studied in and against a number of social, political and historical contexts, including multiculturalism, feminism and globalisation. The module will also engage with many of the key critical/theoretical paradigms of the past four decades, such as post-colonialism, post-modernism, transnationalism and intersectionality.Â
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:
- Apply discipline-specific practices of close reading, interpretative analysis and critical argument
- Distinguish and evaluate different research methods, themes, and theoretical debates in current literary studies
- Undertake autonomous learning, enquiry and research within the discipline of English literature, applying their mastery of relevant knowledge, skills and methods
- Discuss and appraise published research, or equivalent advanced scholarship, within the field of English literature
- Respond creatively and imaginatively to essay questions and research tasks, for the purpose of devising and sustaining arguments, and of reaching decisive judgments.
Module content
This module has three broad aims: to promote students’ knowledge and understanding of selected works of contemporary fiction; to equip students to recognise some of the principal concerns that have informed debates around contemporary fiction; and to provide a critical framework for analysing some of the ways in which the authors and texts on the module have been shaped by, and have helped to shape, the landscape of contemporary fiction. The lectures on the module will offer a range of different methodological approaches to reading the set texts while situating them in a number of social, historical and cultural contexts. Texts studied may include works by authors such as Alice Munro, Jhumpa Lahiri, Salman Rushdie, Shani Mootoo, Percival Everett, Zadie Smith and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. These will be regularly reviewed, in order to ensure that there is a good representation of recent fiction.Â
Structure
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching will be delivered through weekly lectures and intensive seminar discussions (one hour each). Each seminar will involve discussion of texts or special materials that have been set and prepared in advance. Module tutors will also be available for consultation with students on a one-to-one basis to discuss their work and the progress of the module as a whole.Â
Study hours
At least 22 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.
 Scheduled teaching and learning activities |  Semester 1 |  Semester 2 | Ìý³§³Ü³¾³¾±ð°ù |
---|---|---|---|
Lectures | 11 | ||
Seminars | 11 | ||
Tutorials | |||
Project Supervision | |||
Demonstrations | |||
Practical classes and workshops | |||
Supervised time in studio / workshop | |||
Scheduled revision sessions | |||
Feedback meetings with staff | |||
Fieldwork | |||
External visits | |||
Work-based learning | |||
 Self-scheduled teaching and learning activities |  Semester 1 |  Semester 2 | Ìý³§³Ü³¾³¾±ð°ù |
---|---|---|---|
Directed viewing of video materials/screencasts | 3 | ||
Participation in discussion boards/other discussions | |||
Feedback meetings with staff | 1 | ||
Other | |||
Other (details) | |||
 Placement and study abroad |  Semester 1 |  Semester 2 | Ìý³§³Ü³¾³¾±ð°ù |
---|---|---|---|
Placement | |||
Study abroad | |||
 Independent study hours |  Semester 1 |  Semester 2 | Ìý³§³Ü³¾³¾±ð°ù |
---|---|---|---|
Independent study hours | 174 |
Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.
Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.
Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.
Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.
Assessment
Requirements for a pass
Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.
Summative assessment
Type of assessment | Detail of assessment | % contribution towards module mark | Size of assessment | Submission date | Additional information |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Written coursework assignment | Essay | 50 | 2,000 words | Semester 1, Teaching Week 11 | |
Written coursework assignment | Essay | 50 | 2,000 words | Semester 1, Assessment Week 3 |
Penalties for late submission of summative assessment
The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:
Assessments with numerical marks
- where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
- the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
- where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
- where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.
Assessments marked Pass/Fail
- where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
- where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.
The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.
Formative assessment
Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.
Draft essay toward the first written coursework assignment, on which feedback will be given. Â
Reassessment
Type of reassessment | Detail of reassessment | % contribution towards module mark | Size of reassessment | Submission date | Additional information |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Written coursework assignment | Essay | 50 | 2,000 words | During the University resit period | |
Written coursework assignment | Essay | 50 | 2,000 words | During the University resit period |
Additional costs
Item | Additional information | Cost |
---|---|---|
Computers and devices with a particular specification | ||
Printing and binding | ||
Required textbooks | Required texts will be designated $£Recommended for Student Purchase' on TALIS reading list. | c. £30 |
Specialist clothing, footwear, or headgear | ||
Specialist equipment or materials | ||
Travel, accommodation, and subsistence |
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MODULE DESCRIPTION DOES NOT FORM ANY PART OF A STUDENT'S CONTRACT.