CRITICAL SKILLS SEMINAR MODULE 2015-16
EN2006 Critical Skills Seminar 1: Semester 1 - 10 Credits taken by assessment.
EN2007 Critical Skills Seminar II: Semester 2 - 10 Credits taken by assessment.
EN2008 Critical Skills Seminar III: Semester 1&2 – 10 Credits taken by assessment.
EN2009 Critical Skills Seminar IV: Semester 2 - 20 Credits taken by assessment. (NOTE:
EN2009 consists of any two seminars from those offered in EN2006, EN2007 and EN2008)
This module is designed to develop students’ skills in reading, writing and critical
practice through closely-directed study and constructive discussion of a range of
selected texts. Students must choose one from the wide range of topics offered by the
staff of the School of English. The range of topics will cover a variety of forms, genres
and periods. Once a student has signed on for a seminar, attendance is required.
ATTENDANCE
Attendance will be noted at each class and failure to attend will be penalised as below.
NON-ATTENDANCE PENALTY
If a student misses eight hours of scheduled classes, without supplying relevant
documentation to the co-ordinator, s/he automatically fails the module. Scheduled
classes include 24 class-contact hours plus any other events scheduled for the group. In
film modules the same level of attendance is required at screenings and the same penalty
applies.
The seminar co-ordinator will email students who have missed four hours of scheduled
classes without supplying relevant documentation, to remind them of this rule and
penalty. S/he will use the student’s official UCC address when contacting the student.
A student who has failed a seminar due to non-attendance may continue to attend and
hand in essays. These marks will not, however, be submitted for the summer exam
board but will be held over for the autumn board. Any essays not submitted during
the academic year will have to be submitted before a date designated by the school
office, plus an extra essay in lieu of the participation mark. The student may then pass
this module for the autumn exam board, but the result for the module will be capped at
40%.
ASSIGNMENT of MARKS in SEMINAR MODULES
1.
2.
3.
4.
Participation
15%
Oral presentation (or equivalent)
15%
In-class written assignment(s)
20%
Take-home written work*
50%
*not exceeding 4,000 words in total
1
DISTRIBUTION OF MARKS EXPLAINED BY CATEGORY
1. Participation: 15%
Students can gain these marks by contributing actively to each class. This
means carrying out all tasks assigned, being ready and willing to discuss the
material and the topics addressed in class, and co-operating with other class
members and the co-ordinator.
2. Oral presentation (or equivalent): 15%
Marks awarded here for committed, organized and effective preparation and
delivery of set oral assignment(s), e.g. discussion of a text, author or topic, or
another type of project assigned by the co-ordinator.
3. In-class written assignment(s): 20%
These may take various forms, e.g. a quiz or exercise, short essay, or
discussion of a text or excerpts from texts.
4. Take-home written work, not exceeding 4,000 words in total: 50%
This may consist of one, two or more essay(s) or other assignments, of varying
lengths, e.g. a write-up of the oral presentation, or another type of project as
assigned by the co-ordinator.
WRITTEN OUTLINE OF ASSESSED WORK
At the start of the Semester each co-ordinator will give a written outline of the
work expected for nos. 2, 3 and 4 to students in each seminar.
CONSULTATION AND ADVICE ON TAKE-HOME WRITTEN WORK
Seminar co-ordinators will offer individual consultations to students concerning
their performance in the seminar module. Co-ordinators may
 respond to students’ questions or difficulties about the material
 explain marks given for assignments
 give students advice about how to improve their written style
 help students with essay planning.
Co-ordinators will not
 Read or correct drafts of essays or other assignments or offer detailed
advice about their improvement, in advance of their being handed in for
marking.
2
SEMINAR REGISTRATION INFORMATION
NB* Steps for signing up to Second Years Seminars – Note you must
COMPLETE each of the steps below in order to ensure registration on a
seminar.
NB* It is your responsibility to ensure that the seminar you choose does not
clash with your other modules.
Important steps to be completed in the seminar registration process:
1. Attend the 2nd Year Introductory Lecture on Monday 7th September at
12 noon in Boole 2. At this lecture, each student will draw a numbered
ticket which will determine their time-slot for seminar registration on
Thursday 10th September. Check your ticket number against the table
below for the time allotted to your ticket number.
Time
9:30 – 9:50
Ticket Numbers
BA English & BA Single Honours
English (required to show their module
option card at the door)
9.50 – 10.10 a.m.
Ticket Numbers 201 - 255
10.10 – 10.30 a.m.
Ticket Numbers 256 – 305
10.30 – 10.50 a.m.
Ticket Numbers 306 – 355
10.50 – 11.10 a.m.
Ticket Numbers 356 – 405
11.10 – 11.30 a.m.
Latecomers who missed their allocated
time or who have no ticket
Note: If you leave the lecture hall without a ticket, or if you lose your
ticket, you may come at the 11.10 – 11.30 a.m. slot.
2. On Thursday 10th September 2015, assemble in the Social Area near the
School of English (Block B, 1st Floor) at the appointed time (according to
your ticket number). Students will be called up in groups of ten (in
numerical order) to proceed to ORB_1.65, where they will register for a
seminar. As the number of places on each seminar is limited, please
have at least three seminars selected in order of preference in case
your first option is unavailable.
3
You will receive a record card on which you will be required to indicate the
seminar in which you have secured a place as well as the other modules that you
are taking. You should complete and sign this card and return it immediately to
the School Office (ORB 1.57).
3. Ensure that your online registration is correct. Make a note of the
modules you have selected and check this against your online
registration. Check also that you are registered for the correct seminar
module code, as follows:
Semester 1:
Semester 2:
Semester 1&2:
Semester 2:
EN2006
EN2007
EN2008
EN2009
Students are asked not to go to the reception area until their allotted time and to
move away immediately after registration. Start times for number sequences
will be strictly adhered to. No queuing will be allowed.
CHANGES AND LATE REGISTRATION
You will be able to change your module registration online until Friday 18th
September 2015. However, if you wish to withdraw from a seminar or
transfer to a different seminar, you must contact Dr Edel Semple: Email:
e.semple@ucc.ie Office: 1.84 in ORB or during her office hour on Tuesdays 1011 a.m.
4
SECOND ARTS ENGLISH – SEMINARS 2015-2016
Seminar Leader
Module
Code
EN2007
Seminar
Code
MOD 2.01
DAY & TIME
VENUE
Professor Graham Allen
Teaching
Period
Semester 2
Wednesday 2.00 - 4.00 pm
Eld5_G01
Dr Mary Breen
Semester 2
EN2007
MOD2.02
ORB1.85
ORB_G38
Miranda Corcoran
Semester 2
EN2007
MOD 2.03
Wednesday 10.00-11.00 am*
Thursday 3.00 - 4.00 pm
*students must attend both
sessions
Tuesday 10.00 - 12 noon
Dr Anne Etienne
Semester 1
EN2006
MOD 2.04
WW_8
ORB 3.26
Andrew Farrow
Semester 2
EN2007
MOD 2.05
Wednesday 3.00 - 4.00 pm*
Thursday 3.00 – 4.00 pm*
*students must attend both
sessions
Thursday 2.00 – 4.00 pm
Paul Griffin
Semester 1
EN2006
MOD 2.06
Thursday 4.00 - 6.00 pm
WW_8
Alison Killilea and
Niamh Kehoe
Semester 2
EN2007
OMR 2.07
Tuesday, 2.00 – 4.00 pm
Boole 6
Dr Barry Monahan and
Nicholas O’Riordan
Semester 1
EN2006
MOD 2.08
WW_4
Conn_S2
Dr Barry Monahan and
Nicholas O’Riordan
Semester 1
EN2006
MOD 2.09
Dan O’Brien
Semester 1
EN2006
MOD 2.10
Thursday 2.00-4.00
Monday 3.00-5.00*
*Screening
Wednesday 4.00-6.00
Monday 3.00-5.00*
*Screening
Tuesday 11.00 am – 1.00 pm
Eoin O’Callaghan
Semester 2
EN2007
MOD 2.11
Wednesday 11.00 am – 1.00 pm
AL_G32
Maureen O’Connor
Semester 1
EN2006
MOD 2.12
Monday 3.00 - 5.00 pm
BL4_G01
Cliona O Gallchoir
Semester 1
EN2006
MOD 2.13
Thursday 2.00 – 4.00 pm
BL4_G01
Cian O’Mahony
Semester 2
EN2007
OMR 2.14
Wednesday 9.00 - 11.00 am
ASH_G01
Ken Rooney
Semester 2
EN2007
OMR 2.15
Thursday 11.00 am – 1.00 pm
BL4_G01
David Roy
Semester 1
EN2006
OMR 2.16
Tuesday 2.00 – 4.00 pm
CARR3_G01
Flicka Small
Semester 2
EN2007
MOD 2.17
Monday 4.00 – 6.00 pm
WW_4
Eld5_G01
AL_G02
ORB2.01
Conn_S2
BL4_G01
Venues:
AL - Aras Na Laoi, ASH – Ashford, Donovan’s Road, BL – Bloomfield Terrace, Western Road, BV – Brighton
Villas, Western Road. CARR- Carrigside, College Road. ELD - Elderwood, College Road. . ORB –
O’Rahilly Building. WW– West Wing ,
5
Module Code
EN2007
Seminar Code
MOD2.01
Seminar Title
Seminar Leader
Professor Graham Allen
The Shelleys and
Italy
Teaching Period
Semester 2
Day
Wednesday
Time
2.00-4.00
Venue
Elderwood 5_G01
Seminar Content
This seminar looks at a selection of the writings of P. B. Shelley and Mary Shelley that were composed
during their time in Italy in the 1810s and 1820s. Comparing and contrasting their unique and yet shared
responses to their new environment, the seminar looks at P. B. Shelleys tragic drama The Cenci, his elegy for
Keats Adonais, and his last poem The Triumph of Life, along with famous lyrics such as ‘Ode to the West
Wind.’ With Mary Shelley the seminar covers her Italian historical novel Valperga, plus short-stories such as
‘Valerius, The Reanimated Roman’. The seminar covers poetry, novels and short-stories, as well as nonfictional prose and encourages students to reassess what they know about authorship, biography and
collaboration.
Primary Texts
Shelley’s Poetry and Prose. Eds. Donald H. Reiman and Neil Friastat. New York and London: W. W.
Norton, 2002
Mary Shelley, Vaperga or, The Life and Adventures of Castruccio, Prince of Lucca. Ed. Michael
Rossington. Oxford: Oxford Paperbacks, 2000.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course students should be able to:



Discuss questions of writing and collaboration in Romantic literature;
Understand shared thematic and figurative structures in the work of ‘the Shelleys’;
Comprehend the importance of place in the work of ‘the Shelleys’.
6
Module Code
Seminar Code
Seminar Title
Seminar Leader
EN2007
MOD2.02
Reading Jane Austen
Dr Mary Breen
Teaching Period
Day
Time
Venue
Semester 2
Wednesday
Thursday
10.00 – 11.00*
ORB1.85 ORB_G38
3.00 – 4.00 pm*
*students must attend both
sessions
Seminar Content
Seminar Content
“You will be glad to hear that every Copy of Sense and Sensibility is sold & that it has brought me
£140 – besides copyright, if that should ever be of any value – I have now therefore written myself into
£250 – which only makes me long for more.” (Letter from Jane Austen to her brother Frank, 3 July
1813)
Jane Austen has long been seen as an amateur lady writer who wrote in her spare time and who courted
neither fame nor profit. The quotation above affords quite a different view of Austen and her attitude to
her writing. It is as the work of a professional woman author that we will read her novels. During the
course we will make close readings of all six novels. We will read them in the context of the
development of the novel as a literary form in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. We
will also focus on the debates that surrounded the emergence of the professional woman author and the
controversy associated with women and the reading and writing of novels.
Primary Texts
Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815),
Persuasion (1817) and Northanger Abbey (1817)
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of the module students should be able to:




Critically read and analyse the novels on the course
Relate the set texts to one another and to other nineteenth-century texts.
Discuss the cultural and historical background which framed the emergence of the novel in the
late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Define the terms and concepts central to the reading of the novel.
7
Module Code
EN2007
Seminar Code
MOD2.03
Seminar Title
Daughters of Tomorrow: Women’s
Science Fiction Writing from the
Renaissance to the Machine Age
Seminar Leader
Miranda Corcoran
Teaching Period
Semester 2
Day
Tuesday
Time
10.00 – 12.00
Venue
Elderwood 5, G01
Ever since its inception amidst the tumultuous social and intellectual upheavals of the Renaissance, the science fiction
genre has been regarded as a literary form whose fantastic themes and vast creative potential have rendered it the ideal
imaginative platform through which to explore a wide range of social, political and cultural issues free from the
representational constraints that often define realist modes of writing. However, while frequently categorised as a
fundamentally masculine, male-dominated genre, science fiction has, throughout its long history, functioned as a
literary space in which women were uniquely empowered to vocalise their cultural experiences and articulate their own
political perspectives, as the highly speculative literary conventions inherent to the science fiction genre provided
female authors with the freedom to interrogate complex, controversial and often taboo social subjects under the guise
of outlandish, escapist fantasy. As such, this seminar will trace the development of science fiction written by women
from its earliest manifestations during the artistic and epistemological blossoming of the Renaissance to its ultimate
flourishing amidst the maelstrom of nineteenth-century social and technological transformation. Exploring a wide array
of now familiar sci-fi conventions, from utopian fantasies and apocalyptic futures to monstrous beings and nightmarish
plagues, this course will delineate how science fiction, through its utilisation of fantastic literary tropes, afforded
women writers, otherwise marginalised by the literary mainstream, an unprecedented opportunity to engage with and
critique a broad range of social concerns. Over the course of this seminar students will be exposed to a comprehensive
range of pre-twentieth century science fiction texts and will discuss how these works employ the generic conventions
and tropes of the sci-fi form to explore social issues as a diverse as evolving political power structures, constructions
of race, class and gender, the progression of scientific technology and its impact on human identity and social relations.
Encompassing a broad sampling of science fiction texts, the seminar provides a concise history of pre-twentieth century
women’s science fiction, moving from the proto-science fiction of the Renaissance, which offered a unique female
perspective on the Age of Exploration, to the wealth of nineteenth-century works whose thematic concerns were
defined by the unprecedented cultural transformations inaugurated by the Industrial Revolution, the birth of the
women’s rights movement and the struggle for universal suffrage. In doing so, this seminar introduces students to a
conception of the science fiction genre as a liberating imaginative space in which women were free to comment upon
and critique existing social and cultural paradigms, as well as to express their hopes and fears for the future.
Primary texts
Bellamy, Elizabeth W. “Ely’s Automatic Housemaid”.1897*
Cavendish, Margaret. The Blazing World. 1666*
Dodd, Anna B. The Republic of the Future. 1887 *
Lane, Mary E. B. Mizora: A Prophecy. 1881*
Loudon, Jane C. The Mummy!: Or a Tale of the Twenty-Second Century. 1827*
McLandburgh, Florence. “The Automaton Ear”. 1873*
Scott, Sarah. A Description of Millenium Hall and the Country Adjacent. 1762*
Shelley, Mary. The Last Man. 1826. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
(Texts marked with * will be provided in a course booklet, to be collected from the School of English office).
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course students should be able to:








Critically read and analyse a selection of pre-twentieth century science fiction texts.
Compare and contrast the manner in which these texts utilise the aesthetic and thematic conventions of the science
fiction genre in order to comment upon a wide variety of social and political issues.
Engage with a selection of relevant critical and secondary material in order to understand the social, historical and
political context from which these texts emerged, and identify how they use the distinctive generic tropes of science
fiction to reflect the primary cultural concerns of female authors living and working across a range of time periods and
English-speaking cultures.
Define terms and concepts integral to relevant aspects of feminist literary criticism and gender studies.
Apply these ideas not only to the set texts, but also to the broader generic conventions of the science fiction form.
Understand key concepts and definitions central to relevant aspects of genre theory.
Apply these concepts and definitions to the set texts.
Understand the vital role of genre fiction and popular entertainment as a mode of reflecting and critiquing broader social
and cultural concerns.
8
Module Code
EN2006
Seminar Code
MOD2.04
Seminar Title
Pinter: sexual politics and political
discourse
Seminar Leader
Dr Anne Etienne
Teaching Period
Semester 1
Day
Wednesday
Thursday
Time
3.00 – 4.00 p.m.*
3.00 – 4.00 p.m.*
* students must attend both sessions
Venue
WW_8
ORB_3.26
Seminar Content
The seminar focuses on four of Pinter’s plays. The Birthday Party, The Caretaker, The Lover and The Collection will give
us the opportunity to explore the term and concept of the ‘comedy of menace’ which is often associated with Pinter’s entire
work, and to reflect on his political discourse from the 1960s. Pinter’s early plays will also enable us to reflect on his place
within the theatre of the 60s in England, at a time when both the Angry Young Men and Beckett were hailed as evidence of
a renaissance in drama, and on his perspective of sexual politics in the Swinging 60s.
Primary and secondary texts
Required Texts:
The Collection
The Lover
The Birthday Party
The Caretaker
Additional reading:
Martin Esslin. The Theatre of the Absurd. (Boole Call No. 809.2.ESSL)
---. The Peopled Wound. (Boole Call No. 822.9.PINT.E)
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course students should be able to:






Understand the term, ‘comedy of menace’.
Understand the difference between existential theatre and the theatre of the Absurd
Discuss the political and philosophical ideas expressed in a number of Pinter’s plays
Discuss the place of Pinter’s work between two traditions (Absurd and social realism)
Show extensive knowledge of British theatre in the 1960s
Assess his perspective on sexual politics of the time
9
Module Code
Seminar Code
Seminar Title
Seminar Leader
EN2007
Teaching Period
Semester 2
MOD2.05
Day
Thursday
Illuminated Blake
Time
2.00-4.00pm
Andrew Farrow
Venue
AL_G02
Seminar Content
William Blake was both an artist and a poet. This seminar introduces students to his illuminated prophetic
books with a focus on the period between the 1790’s and his death in 1827. Using works such as The
Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1793), students will engage with the various political, religious and social
contexts in which Blake produced his unique art and poetry. The seminar traces the development of
Blake’s illuminated poetry while also encouraging an exploration of its material creation: Blake’s unique
method of printing is reflected in the individuality of his art, and so the seminar is concerned with Blake’s
visual as well as his poetic productions. Students are encouraged, therefore, to read Blake’s poetry within
its visual context.
Primary texts
Songs of Innocence and Experience; The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; Visions of the Daughters of
Albion; America a Prophecy; Europe a Prophecy; The Illustrated Book of Job, Illustrations for Dante’s
Divine Comedy.
Textbook
Bindman, D. Ed. The Complete Illuminated Books of William Blake. London: Thames and Hudson, 2000.
Print.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course students should be able to:




Discuss the political, religious and social ideas that are contained within Blake’s illuminated
works.
Contextualise Blake’s illuminated poetry in terms of the political, philosophical, religious, social
and revolutionary ideas by which it is shaped.
Understand the material conditions by which Blake’s work was created.
Engage with both the visual and textual aspects of Blake’s work in an analysis of his work.
10
Module Code
EN2006
Seminar Code
MOD2.06
Seminar Title
Confronting the Gothic
Seminar Leader
Paul Griffin
Teaching Period
Semester 1
Day
Thursday
Time
4.00-6.00
Venue
WW_8
Seminar Content
The Gothic has become one of the most popular genres in literature and film. The oxymoronic term “Gothic Novel” suggests
a confrontation between the old and the new, the archaic and the modern and ultimately between reason and irrationality.
Yet, what makes a novel or film Gothic? Critics are still in dispute to categorically answer this question - some maintain that
Gothic is a specific literary event with an exact timeline, others consider it as a compendium of narrative devices and
thematic concerns; while others appreciate it as a literary mode. In this module, you will participate in this debate and
become familiar with critical approaches that you may choose to challenge or adopt for yourself. For example, is the Gothic
inherently conservative and/or liberal? How consistent are later incarnations of the Gothic with their original counterparts?
Topics that will be addressed include an outline of the genre’s conventions, the sublime, the uncanny, the taboo, gender
studies, Gothic Spaces, the Other, the differentiation between terror and horror and the dichotomy between reason and
irrationality. Ultimately, this module will allow students’ to appreciate the genre’s legacy and the reasons why the Gothic
continues to attract readers and writers alike.
Primary texts
Coleridge, S.T. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto
Lewis, Matthew. The Monk
Dacre, Charlotte. Zofloya, or The Moor
De Quincey, Thomas. Confessions of an English Opium Eater
Le Fanu, J.S. Sheridan In a Glass Darkly and Carmilla
Falkner, J. Meade The Lost Stradivarius
Stevenson, Robert, L. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens. Dir. F.W. Murnau. Perf. Max Schreck, Gustav v. Wangenheim, and Greta
Schroeder. Jofa-Atelier Berlin-Johannisthal, 1930.
The Woman in Black. Dir. James Watkins. Perf. Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, and Emma Shorey. Hammer Film
Productions, 2012.
Botting, Fred. Gothic. London: Routledge, 2007.
Hogle, Jerrold, E. ed. The Cambridge Companion to Gothic Fiction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Punter, David. and Byron, Glynn. The Gothic. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2004.
Punter, David. ed. A Companion to the Gothic. Oxford: Blackwell Press, 2004.
Spooner, Catherine. and McEvoy, Emma. eds. The Routledge Companion to Gothic. London: Routledge Press, 2007.
Watt, James. Contesting the Gothic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course students should be able to:
Provide a detailed account of Gothic literature and its conventions. You will also be able to discuss how the genre
has transformed since its genesis, distinguish between “horror” and “terror”, critique the Gothic as a transgressive
genre, identify themes of sexuality, explain how Gothic texts reflect concurrent cultural anxieties, discuss the
psychological significance of Gothic Spaces, examine the nature of the “other”, and determine whether the genre
conservatively reaffirms the status quo or proposes unorthodox alternatives.
11
Module Code
EN2007
Seminar Code
OMR 2.07
Seminar Title
Beyond Beowulf: Old
English Heroic Poetry
Seminar Leaders
Alison Killilea and Niamh
Kehoe
Teaching Period
Semester 2
Day
Tuesday
Time
2.00 – 4.00 p.m.
Venue
Boole 6
Seminar Content
Early Anglo-Saxon society followed a Germanic, warrior-class ethos based on martial prowess, gift
giving, loyalty and revenge. This seminar explores the Old English poetry that encapsulated the heroic
ideals of the Anglo-Saxons and how various factors, such as Christianization and Latin learning,
challenged and changed their traditional values.
This seminar delves deeper into the tribal world of Beowulf with texts such as The Fight at Finnsburh and
Widsith, exploring the elements and formulae that comprise a heroic poem. It examines themes such as
nationalism, loyalty, and community, as well as conventional motifs such as the beasts of battle and the
heroic boast. It also considers the historical account of the Battle of Maldon and its poetic reflection,
exploring the importance of memorial record as well as the transition from orality to literacy.
Old English literature features a number of female warrior saints and we shall examine how the traditional
portrayal of the warrior-hero is challenged in texts such as Judith, and conclude the seminar by discussing
the modern reception of Old English poetry.
Texts will be read in translation.
Primary Texts
E. M Treharne, ed., Old and Middle English c.890-c.1450: An Anthology. Third Edition (Oxford:
Blackwell, 2010)
Poems not included in the Anthology will be made available in class.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course students should be able to:





Critically read and analyse a wide range of Old English poetry.
Understand the ways in which Old English poetry was composed and transmitted.
Relate the poems to each other and identify common themes and tropes.
Discuss the poems within their historical context and appreciate their role within Anglo-Saxon
culture.
Interact with critical responses to the poems.
12
Module Code
EN2006
Seminar Code
MOD2.08
Teaching Period
Semester 1
Day
SCREEENING:
Monday
SEMINAR 1:
Thursday
Seminar Title
CONTEMPORARY
IRISH FILM:
DIRECTORS AND
DIRECTIONS
Time
Seminar Leaders
Barry Monahan & Nicholas
O’Riordan
3.00 – 5.00 pm
Conn_S2
2.00 – 4.00 pm
West Wing 4
Venue
Seminar Content
This course will look at a series of trends that developed in Irish cinema following the reactivation of the
Film Board in 1993. By considering aesthetic, sociological and historical contexts, students will analyse a
number of contemporary indigenous films and will acquire knowledge about the changes in the relationship
between the written and the filmed text. The course will also place some of the more conservative Irish
films of the last two decades within the context of their historical precursors, and it will bring up questions
of the position of cinema as cultural artefact in postmodern Ireland. Key themes of the course include:
politics, genre, stardom, representations of the city, comedy, and financing.
Primary texts (screenings)
The Commitments (Parker, 1991)
Guiltrip (Stembridge, 1995)
I Went Down (Breathnach, 1997)
When Brendan Met Trudy (Walsh, 2000)
About Adam (Stembridge, 2001)
Breakfast on Pluto (Jordan, 2005)
Isolation (O’Brien, 2006)
Garage (Abrahamson, 2007)
Required textbook
Barton. Ruth. Irish National Cinema. London & New York: Routledge, 2004.
OR
McLoone, Martin. Irish Film: The Emergence of a Contemporary Cinema. London: BFI Publishing, 2000.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course students should be able to:





Outline aesthetic and thematic tendencies in contemporary Irish film
Discuss the evolution of indigenous cinema within the context of Irish film history
Apply a variety of theoretical concepts in the analysis of recent Irish film
Identify the aesthetic characteristics of a number of Irish film makers
Demonstrate knowledge of key institutions related to Irish cinema (from distribution to
classification)
13
Module Code
EN2006
Seminar Code
MOD2.09
Teaching Period
Semester 1
Day
SCREEENING:
Monday
SEMINAR 2:
Wednesday
Seminar Title
CONTEMPORARY
IRISH FILM:
DIRECTORS AND
DIRECTIONS
Time
3.00 – 5.00 pm
Seminar Leaders
Barry Monahan & Nicholas
O’Riordan
4.00 – 6.00 pm
ORB 2.01
Venue
Conn_S2
Seminar Content
This course will look at a series of trends that developed in Irish cinema following the reactivation of the
Film Board in 1993. By considering aesthetic, sociological and historical contexts, students will analyse a
number of contemporary indigenous films and will acquire knowledge about the changes in the relationship
between the written and the filmed text. The course will also place some of the more conservative Irish
films of the last two decades within the context of their historical precursors, and it will bring up questions
of the position of cinema as cultural artefact in postmodern Ireland. Key themes of the course include:
politics, genre, stardom, representations of the city, comedy, and financing.
Primary texts (screenings)
The Commitments (Parker, 1991)
Guiltrip (Stembridge, 1995)
I Went Down (Breathnach, 1997)
When Brendan Met Trudy (Walsh, 2000)
About Adam (Stembridge, 2001)
Breakfast on Pluto (Jordan, 2005)
Isolation (O’Brien, 2006)
Garage (Abrahamson, 2007)
Required textbook
Barton. Ruth. Irish National Cinema. London & New York: Routledge, 2004.
OR
McLoone, Martin. Irish Film: The Emergence of a Contemporary Cinema. London: BFI Publishing, 2000.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course students should be able to:





Outline aesthetic and thematic tendencies in contemporary Irish film
Discuss the evolution of indigenous cinema within the context of Irish film history
Apply a variety of theoretical concepts in the analysis of recent Irish film
Identify the aesthetic characteristics of a number of Irish film makers
Demonstrate knowledge of key institutions related to Irish cinema (from distribution to
classification)
14
Module Code
EN2006
Seminar Code
MOD2.10
Seminar Title
Statues of Hybridity: Jewish American
Fiction
Teaching Period
Semester 1
Day
Tuesday
Time
11.00 – 1.00 p.m.
Seminar Leader
Dan O’Brien
Venue
BL4_G01
Seminar Content
This seminar traces the rise of Jewish American literature from its humble nineteenth century origins to its central
position in the twentieth and twenty-first century American literary imagination. This trajectory mimics the
migration Jews—following in Irish footsteps—made from the 1870s onwards, fleeing oppression in Europe for the
‘promised land’ of America. Once there they slowly (then rapidly) shifted from immigrant pariahs to the epitome
of mainstream America society. Yet tensions nevertheless remained, with Jewish-American identity torn between
fading folk memories of the ‘old country’ and the creative cultural upheaval of America—indeed, nineteenth
century rural Russian and Polish settings often formed an artistic space in which to tackle vexatious American
assimilation. Hitler’s destruction of the European Jewry and the foundation of Israel further complicated what it
meant (and continues to mean) to be a Jew in America. Straddled thus between three continents and a multitude of
cultures, Jewish American fiction provides the perfect point to dive into America’s interacts with the world. Philip
Roth, one of the great Jewish American writers of the post-war era, was once asked how to tell if a book was
Jewish: “It isn’t what its talking about that makes a book Jewish—it’s that the book won’t shut up.” The texts on
this course will tirelessly argue over immigration, oppression, racism, liberalism, materialism, gender, national
belonging, war and what it means to be human—and they will do so in ways that, if we listen, can inform how we
address these issues in contemporary Irish society.
Primary texts
Students must buy the Jewish American Literature Norton Anthology (2000), in which many of the texts are
collected, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union (2004) and MAUS (1991)—all are available on Amazon.co.uk and/or
Abebooks.com. Other texts will be provided as hand-outs.
Emma Lazarus ‘The New Colossus’ (1883)
---. ‘1492’ (1883)
David Edelshtadt ‘My Testament’ (1883/9)
Anzia Yezierska ‘Children of Loneliness’ (1923)
Isaac Bashevis Singer ‘Gimpel the Fool’ (1944/53)
Bernard Malamud ‘Take Pity’ (1958)
Philip Roth ‘Eli, the Fanatic’ (1959)
---. ‘The Conversion of the Jews’ (1959)
Grace Paley ‘The Loudest Voice’ (1959)
Cynthia Ozick ‘The Shawl’ (1989)
---. ‘Rosa’ (1989)
Art Spiegelman MAUS (1991)
Susan Sontag ‘The Way We Live Now’ (1986)
Michael Chabon Yiddish Policeman’s Union (2004)
Allegra Goodman ‘The Four Questions’ (1996)
Gary Shteyngart ‘Lenny Hearts Eunice’ (2010)
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, student should be able to:
 Critically read and analysis a range of Jewish American long and short fiction
 Identify and critique common themes such as assimilation, nationalism, and race
 Discuss the history of the Jews in America and their relationship with Europe and Israel
 Define the key terms and concepts relevant to Jewish Studies
 Apply these concepts to the set texts
 Participate in class and group discussions
 Comfortably present ideas in short presentations, employing suitable media
 Write clearly structured essays in correct Standard English that adhere to the School of English style sheet
15
Module Code
EN2007
Seminar Code
MOD2.11
Teaching Period
Semester 2
Day
Wednesday
Seminar Title
Depictin’ Dixie: Representing the
American South in Short Fiction and
Film
Time
Venue
11.00 – 1.00 p.m.
AL_G32
Seminar Leader
Eoin O’ Callaghan
Seminar Content
This seminar seeks to explore representations of the American South in literature and film, beginning with its
literary origins in nineteenth-century humourist writing and concluding with contemporary cinematic
representations. In 1962, Frank O’ Connor declared the short story the national art form of America, and this
seminar will seek to analyse the Southern, regional variant of this national genre. This seminar will thus draw
upon a range of nineteenth and twentieth-century examples of Southern short fiction—including works by
William Faulkner, Eudora Welty and George Washington Harris—in order to identify a series of themes and
tropes relevant to Southern Studies. The portrayal of the South in these stories will then be contrasted with
cinematic representations, including those by John Boorman and the Coen Brothers, which both reinforce and
trouble stereotypes of the South. Students will also be encouraged to consider the ways in which authors and
directors have engaged with important cultural issues of the South, including race, gender and the significance of
place.
Primary texts
All short stories will be available in a course booklet. DVDs are available via the video libraries or through the
seminar leader.
George Washington Harris, “Sut Lovingood’s Daddy Acting Horse”
---. “Sut Lovingood Blown Up”
Charles Chesnutt, “Po’ Sandy”
Alice Walker, “Everyday Use”
Kate Chopin, “The Storm”
---. “Desiree’s Baby”
William Faulkner, “Barn Burning”
---. “A Rose for Emily”
Eudora Welty, “Death of a Travelling Salesman”
---. “Why I Live at the P.O.”
Flannery O’ Connor, “A Good Man is Hard to Find”
---. “A Late Encounter with the Enemy”
Deliverance (1972)
O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
C.S.A (2004)
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, student should be able to:
• Critically read and analyse a range of Southern literature
• Identify and critique depictions of the American South in cinema
• Discuss the historical and cultural background of the
nineteenth/twentieth- century South
• Define the key terms and concepts relevant to Southern Studies
• Apply these concepts to the set texts
16
Module Code
EN2006
Seminar Code
MOD2.12
Seminar Title
Inventing Oscar:
Oscar Wilde’s Essays
and Fairy Tales
Seminar Leader
Dr Maureen O’Connor
Teaching Period:
Semester 1
Day
Monday
Time
3.00-5.00 p.m.
Venue
BL4_G01
Seminar Content
This seminar will study the essays, fairy tales, and autobiographical writings of Oscar Wilde and will
investigate Wilde’s theories of aesthetics with a view to considering his contributions to contemporary politics
of culture in current popular art forms including music and film.
Primary texts/Required textbooks
The Collected Works of Oscar Wilde
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course students should be able to:






Critically read and analyse a selection of Wilde texts
Relate the set texts to one another as well as to a range of contemporary cultural productions
Discuss the cultural and historical background which framed the emergence and development of
Wilde’s aesthetic
Define terms and concepts central to literary criticism and apply these terms and concepts to the set
texts
Prepare and present an oral paper on a relevant text of your choice
Write clearly structured essays in correct Standard English that adhere to the School of English style
sheet
17
Module Code
EN2006
Seminar Code
MOD2.13
Seminar Title
Innocence and
Experience: An
Introduction to
Children’s Literature
Seminar Leader
Dr Clíona Ó Gallchoir
Teaching Period
Day
Time
Venue
TP1
Thursday
2-4
BL4_G01
Seminar Content
Writing for children and young adults is currently going through a “golden age.” In commercial terms,
the success of series such as Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games has made this sector one of
the most profitable in publishing. But it is also claimed that the quality and variety of writing for children
is higher than it has ever been, and the phenomenon of crossovers to an adult readership has also
increased the status and prestige of children’s literature. In this seminar students will learn about the
historical emergence of children’s literature in the eighteenth century, and will also discuss the theoretical
questions specific to the study of children’s literature. Texts range from the late eighteenth century to the
present day, while topics and themes explored include fantasy in children’s literature, gender, imperialism
and the depiction of relationships between children and parents/authority figures.
Primary texts/Required textbooks
Achebe, Chinua. Chike and the River. (Available to buy from lecturer)
Carroll, Lewis. Alice in Wonderland. In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking
Glass. London: Norton, 2013.
Nesbit, E. The Story of the Amulet.
Pullmann, Philip. Northern Lights/The Golden Compass.
Thompson, Kate. The New Policeman. London: Red Fox, 2006.
Other short texts and some secondary literature will be made available as photocopies.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course students should be able to:
 Identify the historical, cultural and social factors that contributed to the emergence of children’s
literature in Europe
 Compare and contrast children’s literature from different historical periods
 Consider issues of nationalism, imperialism and globalization in relation to children’s literature
 Apply appropriate historical, critical and theoretical frameworks to the discussion of texts
 Write coherent essays with appropriate and accurate use of sources and citations
 Participate effectively in class discussion
 Practise and improve oral presentation skills
18
Module Code
Seminar Code
Seminar Title
Seminar Leader
EN2007
OMR2.14
Dr C. O’Mahony
Teaching Period
Day
Written in Blood and Ink:
Representations of War in
Early Modern England (c.
1588-1650)
Time
TP2
Wednesday
9.00-11.00
C_ASH_G01
Venue
Seminar Content
The language and imagery of war has a pervasive influence on our day-to-day lives through a variety of
platforms such as news, film and social media. The upcoming centenary of celebrations
commemorating the great conflicts of the twentieth century will serve to remind us of the influence of
war on the writings of some our great literary figures. Focusing on a period spanning from the defeat of
the Spanish Armada until the end of the British Civil War (c.1588-1650), this seminar will investigate
the artistic inspiration of war and how it serves as a catalyst for new forms of literary expression. Texts
of contemporary importance such as the epic poetry of Samuel Daniel and Michael Drayton will be
assessed for their impact on the likes of Shakespeare. The seminar will also engage with the visual
culture of the early modern period by examining innovations in printed images and book illustrations,
pamphlet publications, the burgeoning newspaper industry and the iconography of contemporary
paintings in order to fully appreciate the centrality of war and its literary influence in this period.
Primary Texts
- Samuel Daniel, The Civil Wars (Bks I-IV)
- Michael Drayton, The Battle of Agincourt
- selections of early modern newspapers and war reports (Thompson Tracts index; Early English Books
Online; 1641 Depositions project)
- early modern printed imagery (www.bpi1700.org)
- No required texts: all texts will be accessed using electronic databases (demonstrated in class) or
through selected class handouts
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the module, students will:
- Gain a clear understanding of the socio-political background of the period
- Appreciate the importance of differing poetic forms, such as epic poetry and ballad, and their social
relevance
- Understand the formative influences that led to the birth of the newspaper industry in early modern
England
- Analyse the iconography of the period through extensive engagement with printed imagery and
painting
- Investigate issues of censorship and state control over literary expression
- Utilise effectively the relevant electronic resources available through the Boole library (Early English
Books Online) in order to independently engage with primary texts and early modern newspapers in
their original formats
19
Module Code
EN2007
Seminar Code
OMR2.15
Seminar Title
Arthurian Literature
Seminar Leader
Dr K. Rooney
Teaching Period
Day
Time
Venue
Semester 2
Thursday
11.00 am – 1.00 pm
Bloomfield 4_G01
Seminar Content
The collapse of a kingdom through incest, regicide, and adultery: long before Game of Thrones, a captive
English knight, Sir Thomas Malory, wrote, in 1470, Le Morte Darthur, during the Wars of the Roses,
which saw the throne of England murderously contested between the houses of Lancaster and York.
This long prose work – the first complete Arthurian cycle in English - will be the focus of the seminar,
which investigates some of the origins, forms and meanings of the Arthurian legend for audiences, from
medieval chronicle to modern film. We will concentrate on the careers of Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere,
together with the Quest for the Holy Grail, and, with close attention to some of Malory’s sources, discover
him to be a great innovator in prose writing and psychological realism.
The seminar uses the edition of Le Morte Darthur by Helen Cooper which presents a skilfully modernised
and abridged text, allowing students to approach Malory’s writing with the clarity and immediacy of his
first readers. It is hoped the course will be of interest to students who wish to enhance their sense of the
development of longer fiction in English over time, and who may be interested in the reception and
adaptation of this most enduring of medieval narratives.
Primary texts / Required textbook
Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur. Ed. Helen Cooper. Oxford: World’s Classics, 1998.
Other texts in will be provided in photocopy, or online.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to
 Critically read and analyse a range of Arthurian narratives.
 Relate the set texts to one another
 Discuss the cultural and intellectual background which framed the emergence of this writing
 Define terms and concepts central to this literature
 Apply these terms and concepts to the set texts.
20
Module Code
EN2006
Seminar Code
OMR2.16
Seminar Title
An Introduction to
Renaissance Satire
Seminar Leader
David Roy
Teaching Period
Semester 1
Day
Tuesday
Time
2.00-4.00
Venue
Carrigside 3, G01
Seminar Content
Satire, the art of strategic and usually very funny exposure of human vices and follies, has been a central
literary mode since at least Roman times. In the English Renaissance, satire took on a powerful, if
controversial, role as a corrective for public figures of unbridled vanity and power. As such, it was often
a politically subversive, even risk-taking mode – officially censored as dangerous and punishable in the
Bishops’ Ban of 1599. This seminar will look at a range of key English Renaissance non-dramatic texts.
We will move from John Skelton’s biting criticism of Cardinal Wolsey, to attacks on the court and
religious institutions by John Donne and Edmund Spenser, and end with a particular focus on Thomas
Nashe and Gabriel Harvey, who were singled out in the Bishops’ Ban for their salacious and (to us)
hilarious verbal sparring. We will study the different voices and modes of satire, understanding how the
form is not only entertaining and instructive, but also often politically potent. We will also look at a few
modern day instances of satire – works as diverse in form as Waterford Whispers News, The Far Side
Gallery and Father Ted.
Primary texts





Skelton, John. ‘Colyn Cloute’ (1521-2)
Spenser, Edmund. ‘January’ and ‘May’ from The Shepheardes Calender
(1579)
Donne, John. ‘Satire III’, ‘Satire IV’, and ‘Satire V’ (1590s)
Nashe, Thomas. Pierce Penniless, His Supplication to the Devil (1592)
Harvey, Gabriel. Pierce's Supererogation (1593)
(All of the above texts will be provided in the course booklet)
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course students should be able to:
• Define the key elements of Satire
• Identify the different traditional strands of satire
• Explore satire's political impact on Renaissance culture
• Critically engage with Renaissance prose texts
• Discuss the contexts which led up to the Harvey-Nashe controversy
21
Module Code
EN2007
Seminar Code
MOD2.17
Seminar Title
Edible Ireland: The
Function of Food in
Irish Fiction
Seminar Leader
Flicka Small
Teaching Period
Semester 2
Day
Monday
Time
4.00-6.00
Venue
WW_4
Seminar Content
‘The time had not yet come when the famished living skeletons might be seen to reject the food which
could no longer serve to prolong their lives’. (Anthony Trollope – Castle Richmond)
‘She would eat the spinach as a loving sacrifice to Maman, then sick it up, so that her own martyrdom
should be apparent’. (Molly Keane - Loving and Giving)
From famine to feast, over the years Ireland’s complicated history with food has been used in Irish
fiction. This seminar is an introduction to the cultural and historical background of food practices, and
how they are represented and transformed into a secondary meaning within a selection of short stories
and novels set in Ireland. We will analyse how the presentation of food in Irish fiction is used to signify
such themes as identity and relationships, feasting and fasting, love and desire.
We will also consider the writings of social anthropologists and contemporary food
commentators.
Primary texts
Anthony Trollope: Castle Richmond (1860)
James Joyce: Extracts from Portrait of the Artist, Ulysses, and Dubliners. (1914 – 1922)
Mary Laverty: Never No More (1942) and Full and Plenty (1960) [Recipe Book]
Molly Keane: Loving and Giving (1988)
Critical writings by cultural anthropologists and scholarly food commentators. *
*Extracts from these will be available in the Seminar Booklet.
Photocopies of additional articles will be provided where necessary.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course students should be able to:
•
•
•
•
Critically read and analyse a selection of writings on food culture in Ireland
Discuss the cultural and historical background which frames these writings
Demonstrate how food practices are used as a code or signifier in Irish short stories and novels
Prepare and present an oral paper demonstrating a critical evaluation of a meal or food display
22