EN4370 Voicing America: Colonisation to Civil 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 10

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.

Availability restrictions

Not automatically available to General Degree students

Planned timetable

Mondays 2-4pm

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

Module coordinator

Dr S M McDermott

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

Module Staff

Dr Shawna McDermott

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 will give students a broad grounding in the antebellum literature and culture of the United States, from colonial settlement to Civil War. Focusing on the self-conscious acts of speech and declaration which characterised early attempts to bring the new nation into being, the module will introduce students to a range of texts designed to be spoken, including jeremiads, lyceum lectures, and orations. Students will be encouraged to think about the powers and limitations of these early American voicings, and we will draw on a range of literary media -- from travelogues and letters to political pamphlets and legal documents -- as well as elements of rhetoric and style, to explore literary experiments set on establishing a distinct, 'American' voice. The module's wide historical range will offer students the opportunity to develop an understanding of the relationship between literary production and the major social and political issues that shaped the early Republic.

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

A 2-hour weekly seminar (x 11 weeks); 2 optional office hours (x 11 weeks)

Scheduled learning hours

44

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

Guided independent study hours

256

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

Intended learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate familiarity with the literary forms and cultural debates attendant on the settlement and early development of the United States
  • Discuss the ways in which the module's set texts use different approaches to address the political and social conditions of antebellum American culture
  • Think in detail about the relationship between literary texts and historical context, as well as between fictional and non-fictional texts
  • Demonstrate their independent research skills