Department of English,
National University of Ireland,
Galway
First Year
Course Outline
Booklet
2006 – 2007
Head of First Year:
Ms. Cliodhna Carney, Room 506, Floor 3, Tower 1
First Year 2006/2007 – Structure and Format of Course
The First Year English course comprises six academic courses and one tutorial. Students will take
four of the six courses by lectures, and the remaining two by Enquiry Based Learning (EBL).
Lecture courses are assessed by examination; EBL courses are examined by continuous
assessment. In addition, students take weekly lectures that provide advice on the skills needed to
study English.
In each semester:
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Two out of three courses are taken by lecture course (each of eleven weeks’ duration)
One out of the three lecture courses is taken by Enquiry-Based learning course (of eleven
weeks’ duration), a new form of student centred learning designed to equip students with
the skills needed to study English.
A series of lectures on studying English (of ten weeks’ duration) will also take place.
Each student will meet with his/her tutorial group once a week.
For each academic course, two-thirds of the students will be taught by lectures, and the remaining
third will carry out the work by Enquiry Based Learning (EBL). Students will follow the EnquiryBased Learning course by a combination of individual study and group work.
Important Dates for 1 BA Students
Week Beginning 11 September: Introductory Lectures for all Arts Subjects
Week Beginning 18 September: First Year Lectures in English Begin
Week beginning Monday 25 September: Students register for tutorials and Enquiry-Based
Learning Courses
Week beginning Monday 2 October: all First Year tutorials and EBL courses begin.
First Year
Semester I
2006 - 2007
1.
EN121 Literature and Representation: Drama and Theatre History
Introduction to Drama and Theatre History: This course offers a survey of theatrical
practice and dramatic writing from the classical period to the present day. It provides a
detailed study of a variety of selected plays and gives special attention to changing
definitions of acting, spectatorship, and the social institution of theatre.
Venue for Lectures:
O'Flaherty, Thursday, 17.00-18.00
Course Convenor:
Dr. Lionel Pilkington
Text:
Texts to be announced in lectures.
EBL Handbook – contains reading list for EBL
Students.
Assessment:
End-of-Year Examination for Lectures
Course Portfolio for EBL Students
2.
EN112 Special Period Course: Modern American Poetry
This course will particularly emphasise the poetry of the 1950s and 1960s, discussing
different poetic visions of American identity, the role of race and gender in poetry, and
the effects of stylistic innovation in the period.
Venue for Lectures:
O'Flaherty, Friday 13.00 - 14.00
Course Convenor
Dr. Sean Ryder
Text:
Penguin Book of America Verse, (ed.) G. Moore
Week-by-week readings will be announced.
EBL Handbook – contains reading list for EBL
Students.
Assessment:
End-of-Year Examination for Lectures
Course Portfolio for EBL Students
.
3.
EN113 Studies in Contemporary Writing: Fiction of Adolescence
The Fiction of Adolescence: A study of four modern works of fiction which deal with the
predicament of the adolescent in a seemingly alien environment.
Venue for Lectures:
O'Flaherty, Tuesday 13.00 - 14.00
Course Convenor
Professor Hubert McDermott
Texts:
Carson McCullers, The Member of the Wedding
J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
L.P. Hartley, The Go Between
Patrick McCabe, The Butcher Boy
EBL Handbook – contains reading list for EBL
Students.
Assessment:
End-of-Year Examination for Lectures
Course Portfolio for EBL Students
4.
Weekly Tutorials
All students will attend weekly tutorials in English. Tutorials provide students with
opportunities to discuss their work with other students in small group settings.
Venue for Tutorials:
Various venues; students will be allocated to
tutorials in September 2006.
Course Convenor
Various tutors, to be assigned.
Assessment:
Continuous Assessment of attendance and
participation. One essay per semester.
5.
Introduction to Studying English
A series of supporting lectures will be held for students throughout the year. These provide
guidance on EBL work, grammar and writing skills, research skills, and other important
areas.
Venue for Lectures:
To be confirmed.
Times:
Tuesday 1-2 OR Thursday 5-6 OR Friday 1-2
(times will be assigned in September 2006).
Course Convenor
Dr. Patrick Lonergan and other English
Department staff.
Assessment:
This course is not assessed but attendance is
compulsory.
Semester II
2006 - 2007
1.
EN123 Studies in Contemporary Writing: Literature and Gender
This course is an introduction to a particular approach to literature, one that uses images
and ideas of gender as its focus. Texts will be chosen from a variety of genres and
historical periods; lectures will illustrate the ways in which cultural notions about gender
stereotypes, responsibilities and conflicts influence what a society reads, and the way in
which it is read.
Venue for Lectures:
Cairnes, Friday 13.00-14.00
Course Convenor:
Dr. Elizabeth Tilley
Texts:
Course Booklet (available from the Secretariat)
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre (1847)
Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea (1966)
EBL Handbook – contains reading list for EBL
Students.
Assessment:
End-of-Year Examination for Lectures
Course Portfolio for EBL Students
2.
EN122 Introduction to Medieval Writing
This course is a detailed study of one Middle English poem, Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight, read in Middle English in an edition with a facing-page translation. We will
focus on a number of literary themes, as well as cultural issues, paying particular
attention to textual production and reception, and the social function of literature.
Venue for Lectures :
O'Flaherty, Tuesday 13.00 - 14.00
Course Convenor:
Dr. Frances McCormack
Texts:
Barron, ed., Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
EBL Handbook – contains reading list for EBL
Students.
Assessment:
End-of-Year Examination for Lectures
Course Portfolio for EBL Students
3.
EN111 Literature and Representation: Literary Periods and Literary History
Literary periods and literary history: A chronological introduction to English literature,
sampling texts from successive periods, and exploring the possibilities and limitations of
a literary canon.
Venue for Lectures:
O'Flaherty, Thursday 17.00 - 18.00
Course Convenor:
Dr. Riana O’Dwyer
Text:
Course Handbook (available from the Secretariat on the
Concourse)
Assessment:
End-of-Year Examination for Lectures
Course Portfolio for EBL Students
4.
Weekly Tutorials
All students will attend weekly tutorials in English. Tutorials provide students with
opportunities to discuss their work with other students in small group settings.
Venue for Tutorials:
Various venues; students will be allocated to
tutorials in September 2006.
Course Convenor
Various tutors, to be assigned.
Assessment:
Continuous assessment of attendance
participation. One essay per semester.
5.
and
Introduction to Studying English
A series of supporting lectures will be held for students throughout the year. These provide
guidance on EBL work, grammar and writing skills, research skills, and other important
areas.
Venue for Lectures:
To be confirmed.
Times:
Tuesday 1-2 OR Thursday 5-6 OR Friday 1-2
(times will be assigned in September 2006).
Course Convenor
Dr. Patrick Lonergan and other English
Department staff.
Assessment:
This course is not assessed but attendance is
compulsory.