Undergraduate Course: Edinburgh: City of Literature 1 (LLLG08003)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course explores the rich literary heritage of Edinburgh, the first UNESCO City of Literature. We shall examine the work of some of the city's most celebrated local literary talents, as well as the work of writers who have found the city conducive and influential to their creativity. We shall read a wide variety of texts from the 18th Century to present day and consider the common themes which emerge as well as exploring these writers' presence in the city through manuscript collections and objects in the museums, collections and the local environment. |
| Course description |
Academic Description
A student on this course can expect to explore a range of texts inspired by, linked to, or written in, Edinburgh. For each text we shall examine the presentation of Edinburgh and consider how the local setting may have influenced the development of the text. Where possible, we shall examine contextual information to evaluate the part individual texts have played in shaping Scottish Literature more generally.
Outline Content
From the outset, we shall examine a range of literary texts across prose, poetry, and drama as well as other materials such as journalism and correspondence, locating the authors within the country's cultural and historical context. Language and identity will be key themes for exploration throughout the course as we examine writers¿ use of Scots and consider the influence and importance of linguistic devices. Throughout the course, both in formative and summative assessment and also in group discussion, students will be encouraged to identify literary devices and refer to them using recognised literary terminology, so as to develop an academic vocabulary.
Student Learning Experience
The course will be taught in a small seminar setting, where participation will be supported and encouraged. The course will explore these writers' presence in the city through manuscript collections. We will also follow their footsteps through the city and see how their presence has been marked with monuments, plaques and other forms of cultural heritage.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Costs of essential books on reading list and any entrance fees for study visits. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Evaluate, compare and contrast a range of texts, demonstrating knowledge of linguistic, literary, cultural and socio-political contexts
- Analyse literary texts by applying close-reading techniques and referring to recognised literary terminology to illustrate arguments
- Construct, present and evaluate arguments coherently by assessing, analysing and responding to secondary reading
- Analyse contemporary responses and reactions to the texts by evaluating and assessing ideas from non-literary texts such as criticism or journalism
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Reading List
Essential (subject to change but likely to include):
Stevenson, Robert Louis., 2008. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Tales. Oxford: Oxford World Classics.
MacLaverty, B. 1999. A Time to Dance and other Stories. London: Vintage.
Burke, Gregory., 2007. Black Watch. London: Faber.
Welsh, Irvine., 2013. Trainspotting. London: Vintage.
Poetry by Robert Burns, Jackie Kay and Hannah Lavery to be provided via the Resource List for this course.
Recommended
Mullan, John., 2008. How Novels Work. OUP, Oxford.
Wallace, Gavin and Stevenson, Randall, eds., 1993. The Scottish Novel Since the 1970s. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Stevenson, Robert Louis., 2003. Stevenson¿s Scotland Edinburgh, Mercat Press.
Skoblow, Jeffrey, 2001 Dooble Tongue: Scots, Burns, Contradiction. Newark: University of Delaware Press.
Morace, Robert., 2001. Irvine Welsh¿s Trainspotting: A Reader¿s Guide. London: Continuum.
Brown, I., 2011. The Edinburgh Companion to Scottish Drama, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
McGuire, M. & Nicholson, C., 2009. The Edinburgh Companion to Contemporary Scottish Poetry, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Robinson, R., 2012. The National Theatre of Scotland's Black Watch. Contemporary Theatre Review, 22(3), pp. 392-399.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Presentation and evaluation of evidence and argument; use of different registers of language in discussion and written assessments; independent autonomous learning to research; produce written assessment work. |
| Keywords | Scottish,Edinburgh,Literature |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Douglas Dougan
Tel:
Email: ddougan@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Kameliya Skerleva
Tel: (0131 6)51 1855
Email: Kameliya.Skerleva@ed.ac.uk |
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