EN3215 Atomic Cultures: Anglophone Writing and the Global Cold War

Academic year

2024 to 2025 Semester 1

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 9

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Planned timetable

Tuesday 11.00-13.00

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Dr J J Purdon

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Dr James Purdon (JJP5)

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module introduces the literature and related culture of the Cold War Anglosphere, from reportage and protest lyrics to fictions of apocalypse, espionage, and paranoia. It explores literary works in the context of a wide variety of official and unofficial media forms, including government propaganda films, civil defence leaflets, protest songs, visual art (sculpture, collage), and film. Students will learn to understand Cold War writing as part of a global field of ideological and cultural conflict, and with this in mind will read works of prose and poetry by American, British, and Commonwealth authors. The course will emphasize transactions between seemingly disparate domains of culture not only geographically but generically and formally, exploring relations between literature and the other arts, but also seeking to understand how political pressures, social sciences, and media narratives can shape and be shaped by literary production. (Group E)

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS EN2003 AND PASS EN2004

Assessment pattern

2-hour Written Examination = 50%, Coursework = 50%

Re-assessment

exam = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

1 lecture, 1 seminar plus 2 optional consultation hours.

Scheduled learning hours

40

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

260

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • Display a nuanced understanding of the cultural effects of the Cold War.
  • Make critical connections between broader cultural narratives and literary texts of the period.
  • Understand the theoretical and critical paradigms that have been used to explain Cold War era culture, from the 1950s to the present.
  • Use new tools for close reading across different forms and genres, from poetry and prose to song lyrics and film.