Undergraduate Course: Literary Studies 1B (ENLI08021)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
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 | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Following on from Literary Studies 1A's focus on Poetry and Prose, Literary Studies 1B introduces students to the study of Drama and Criticism. You will develop the technical knowledge required to help you analyse dramatic texts as works of literature and performance, while also learning how to engage with critical sources effectively in your own academic work. |
| Course description |
This course will introduce you to the study of Drama and Criticism. As one of the oldest surviving literary forms, drama has a foundational place in any literature degree and asks you to think about the relationship between texts as written objects and as resources for live performance. The first half of this course will integrate the study of key dramatic works with specific productions, encouraging you to reflect critically on how our interpretation of a play can be transformed by the use of particular theatrical strategies and choices. You will analyse plays from the genres of tragedy and comedy, drawing on familiar literary features such as language, structure, tone, and imagery, while also engaging with the technical vocabulary of performance. The course will then introduce you to a range of critical approaches that will help you to produce essays integrating your existing close reading skills with arguments supported by and engaging with secondary sources. Lectures will provide you with appropriate terminology and demonstrate how this is used in practice; to consolidate your understanding, you will undertake regular, formative exercises in small groups to prepare for broader discussion in weekly 50-minute tutorials.
The essential primary texts (and recommended editions) on the course are:
- Breach Theatre. It's True, It's True, It's True. Methuen Drama, 2022.
- Churchill, Caryl. Cloud Nine. Nick Hern Books, 2013.
- Goldsmith, Oliver. She Stoops to Conquer. Methuen Drama, 2003.
- James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw. Edited by Jonathan Warren. Norton, 2021.
- More, Thomas. Utopia. Edited by George M. Logan. Norton, 2010.
- Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Edited by S. P. Cerasano. Norton, 2012.
- Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Edited by Michael Gillespie. Norton 2022.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Literary Studies 1A (ENLI08020)
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Course Texts |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 400 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
163 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
40 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
- Coursework: Drama Passage and Performance Analysis (40%)
1,600 words; take-home, time-limited assessment
[LO 1 and 3]
- Final 2-hour Examination (60%)
Section A: Close Reading of a Drama Passage (50% of exam)
Section B: Critical Essay (50% of exam)
[LO 1, 2, 3, and 4] |
| Feedback |
Autonomous Learning Group Activities (weekly); Weekly individual preparation exercises |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Literary Studies 1B | 120 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Identify and employ literary critical terms to analyse drama
- Build arguments that demonstrate an understanding of genre, varieties of form, and literary critical approaches relevant to drama and the uses of criticism
- Critically evaluate how writers use literary forms for different effects by paying attention to rhetorical detail, providing textual evidence, and engaging with key concepts
- Confidently make use of a range of university study skills, including the production of close readings and critical essays
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Communication skills (verbal and written); interpersonal skills; critical thinking; team working; independent learning and development. |
| Keywords | Literary studies,narrative,fiction and non-fiction,close reading,technical language |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Megan Girdwood
Tel:
Email: megan.girdwood@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Lina Gordyshevskaya
Tel:
Email: pgordysh@ed.ac.uk |
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