ENG4325 – Theorizing American and Canadian Short Story Cycles/Composites
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
The students will read a selection of American and Canadian short story cycles/composites. This genre is an important object of study inside contemporary short fiction theory, which will form the basis for the examination of these texts. A short story cycle/composite is different from the traditional collection of short stories in that thematic and formal connections may be established between the individual stories in a given book of this kind, thus the genre has affinities with the novel. At the same time, these texts are experienced as more fragmented than the novel. The syllabus texts will be studied in relation to existing models of analysis regarding this genre, with an eye towards examining conceptual strengths and weaknesses concerning their application to syllabus texts.
Learning outcome
The students will become familiar with the works of central practitioners in the field of short story cycles/composites in the United States and Canada during the twentieth century. A further objective for the course will be to develop a genre-based analytical vocabulary for the study of syllabus texts and to problematize existing models of analysis.
Admission
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Minimum 3 og maksimum 10 studenter.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
For studenter utenfor litteraturprogrammet kreves det at man har minst 20 sp engelskspr?klig litteratur, engelsk spr?k eller kulturkunnskap.
Teaching
The course is taught throughout the semester with 2 hours per week, 28 hours in all. There is a mid-term break (one week in autumn term, two weeks in spring term) during which the students are expected to prepare obligatory assignments and otherwise study on their own. The students are supposed to attend the course regularly.
Examination
The students will be called upon to give an oral presentation (pass/fail) on an assigned topic, and to write a seminar essay of 10 standard pages. The essay is the basis for assessment, and may form the basis for the writing of the Master's thesis later on. Once the course requirements have been fulfilled, they remain valid for the current and the two consecutive semesters when the course is given.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Other
Med et noe utvidet pensum vil emnet telle 15 studiepoeng i gammel studieordning