The University of Edinburgh
College of Humanities and Social Science
School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures
Undergraduate Course Proposal Form
Please note:

All boxes must be completed, none to be left blank. Use ‘N/A’ if needed.

Help fields have been added to provide guidance.
1. COURSE NAME
Romanticism: Themes, Genres and Contexts
2. Rationale
This is not a CCAM requirement but is a Board of Studies requirement, in which the reason for introducing the course and the need for it must be explained to the satisfaction of the
relevant school committee.
This course provides third-year students with an opportunity to extend and deepen their knowledge of literature of the
Romantic period by guiding them through a number of central topics and themes: revolution, the ballad, terror and the
sublime, gothic, the ode, history, the east, confession, sensibility and ecology. Although the course does not aim to be
comprehensive, it offers a range of texts drawn from the poetry, fiction, letters, journals and essays of the period.
Consequently, while it does not attempt to construct a narrative of the Romantic period, the course will establish a network of
relationships between key themes, writers, and critical approaches. The course is designed to be flexible enough to
accommodate a variety of pedagogical approaches. For example, issues of gender and nationhood are opened up by the
inclusion of women and Scottish writers respectively, while ‘history’ and genre’ might also be emphasised as leading themes
throughout the course. The rationale for the course is based upon the central idea of providing students with a broad, varied
and yet detailed exploration of key topics in British Romantic literature.
Please confirm the course has been
discussed and approved as per your
subject area practice
3.Business Case
approved
5. COURSE OUTLINE
5.1 School
5.3 Course Type
Literatures, Languages and Cultures
Choose from:
Standard, Dissertation, Sandwich, Placement, Year Abroad,
Project
4. Library Resources
approved
5.2 College
5.4 Availability
Standard
HSS
Choose from:
Not Available to
Visiting Studies;
Available to All
Students; Part Year
Visiting Students Only
Available to visiting
students
SCQF Levels 7 – 10 for UG
5.5 Credit
Level
This box can be left blank. Your reading
list will be considered by the Library rep
and approval given at the Board of
Studies.
5.7 Credits
Choose from: 10; 20;
40; Other (please
specify)
20
10
5.6 Normal Year
taken
3 Hons
5.8 Home Subject
Area
5.10 Mode of Study
Choose from: Classes & Assessment incl. centrally arranged
exam; Class & Assessment excl. centrally arranged exam;
Exam only; Class only
5.9 Other Subject Area
Unless the course is
also being taught by
another school, enter
N/A
5.11 Course Level
UG
Classes & Assessment incl. centrally arranged
exam
5.12 Summary Description
An informative short description of the course should be provided, the description will appear in the course catalogue within the DRPS.
This course provides students with a broad, varied and yet detailed exploration of British Romantic literature by examining a
number of its central themes and contexts: revolution, the ballad, terror and the sublime, gothic, the ode, history, the east,
confession, sensibility and ecology. Through readings of the poetry, fiction, letters, journals and essays of the period, the course
explores a network of relationships between key topics, writers, and critical approaches.
6. Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
These will probably be specific courses, although in certain circumstances, this might include alternative courses, e.g. Course A or
6.1 Pre-requisites
Course B.
Students MUST have passed: ( English Literature 1 (ENLI08001) OR Scottish Literature 1
(ENLI08016)) AND ( English Literature 2 (ENLI08003) OR Scottish Literature 2 (ENLI08004))
Where they exist, these will be specific courses
6.2 Co-requisites
N/A
Course(s) which cannot
be taken with this
proposed course and
counted towards a
graduating curriculum
6.3 Prohibited combinations
6.4 Other
requirements
This is unlikely to include additional requirements but might outline
alternative qualifications, e.g. entry to honours in certain specified
programmes
N/A
N/A
7. Information for Visiting Students
Any relevant information for visiting students should be entered here. This should include prerequisites.
A MINIMUM of 4 college/university level literature courses at grade B or above (should include no more than one introductory
level literature course). Related courses such as civilisation or other interdisciplinary classes, Freshman Year Seminars or
composition/creative writing classes/workshops are not considered for admission to this course. Applicants should also note
that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. In making admissions decisions
preference will be given to students who achieve above the minimum requirement with the typical visiting student admitted
to this course having 4 literature classes at grade A.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course **
8. Course delivery Information
S1, S2 or Full Year
Y or N (N results in no Learn
The rationale for Pre
8.1 Delivery period
8.2 Learn enabled
8.3 Quota
site for this course)
hons quotas should
be approved annually
by CHSS. Seek
guidance from your
HoD.
Y
S2
8.4 Days & Times of
whole class sessions
TBC
9. Detailed description
9.1 Course Description
If you have a longer description of what the student will experience in doing this course, enter it here. If so it should aim to capture the student experience.
This course provides third-year students with an opportunity to extend and deepen their knowledge of literature of the Romantic period by
guiding them through a number of central topics and themes: revolution, the ballad, terror and the sublime, gothic, the ode, history, the
east, confession, sensibility and ecology. Students will read a wide variety of texts from different genres in the Romantic period, including
poetry, fiction, letters, journals and essays. The course does not attempt to construct a single narrative for the Romantic period, but instead
introduces students to a network of relationships between key themes, writers, and critical approaches.
9.2 Breakdown of learning & teaching activities
Enter a value for each category (values under certain categories may be zero). A 20 credit course equates to 200 hours; 40 credits to 400 hours (these values will be
automatically calculated by attributing hours leftover after teaching/assessment to ‘independent learning’).
For more information see: http://www.studentsystems.ed.ac.uk/Staff/Support/User_Guides/CCAM/Teaching_Learning.htm#Programme
Seminar/Tutorials:
20 hours
Summative Assessment hours: 2 hours
Other Study: Directed learning: 20 hours
Independent learning: 158 hours
9.3 Additional
information
Any further information, not captured elsewhere about the learning and teaching activities or assessment.
N/A
Breakdown of summative assessment between different types (coursework, exam, etc.), with percentage weighting
9.4 Weighting of
summative
Course Essay 30% (2,500 words); exam 60% (2 hours); class participation assessment 10%.
assessments
9.5 Exam information
Exam diet
Paper name
Hours: minutes
Stationery
requirements
Choose from:
Romanticism
2 hours
December; April/May
April/May
Can be used to record details like changes of assessment method (especially from coursework to exam) in case of resits.
The resit diet will be set as ‘August’ by default.
Resit information
10. List of Learning Outcomes
List the Learning Outcomes. Please refrain from using discursive text, but think about them as actual outcomes that relate to the activities of the course and, in particular, to the
assessment. The outcomes should also be ‘active’ in that they will involve intellectual activity – the student will ‘show’, ‘demonstrate’, ‘analyse’, etc.
LO 1
By the end of the course a student will be able to demonstrate knowledge of and critical
engagement some of the central topics and themes in Romantic literature
LO 2
By the end of the course a student will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the
relationships between these themes and the history, philosophy and culture of the Romantic
period
LO 3
By the end of the course a student will be able to demonstrate knowledge of contemporary
debates and concepts in in modern Romantic criticism and scholarship
LO 4
By the end of the course a student will be able to demonstrate the ability to deploy a variety of
methodological approaches to the study of romantic literature
LO 5
By the end of the course a student will be able to demonstrate the ability to reflect constructively
on the development of their own learning and research practice
LO 6
LO 7
LO 8
LO 9
LO 10
11. Detailed Assessment Information
11.1 Formative Feedback Event (Nature and Timing)
This regulatory requirement is not captured either by CCAM or DRPS. The nature and timing of it (including return of feedback) should be indicated, although be careful not to be too
precise here. The appropriate place for total precision is in the course booklet, or equivalent document.
Course essay: 2,500 words, submitted in week 9. Written feedback, and the opportunity to book a time for oral discussion, will be made
available to all students within 15 working days of submission. Students will also receive a feedback report on their participation in class
linked to that element of assessment.
11.2 Elements Of Summative Assessment (With Weightings)
More detailed version of 9.4.
Course Essay 30% (2,500 words); exam 60% (2 hours); class participation assessment 10%.
11.3 Relationship Between Assessment and Learning Outcomes
Map the numbered LOs against the assessments. This could also include formative assessment.
Course Essay – LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4.
Exam Essay - LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5.
11.4 Relationship to Programme Assessment Spine/Plan
Awaiting further guidance
1st year
2nd year
3rd year (typical)
4th year (typical)
Exam
Exam
50% Exam
50% Exam
Essay
Essay
50% Essay
50% Essay
Presentation
Presentation
50% Exam
50% Exam
Exam
Exam
50% Essay
50% Essay
Essay
Essay
50% Exam
50% Exam
Presentation
Presentation
50% Essay
50% Essay
50% Exam
50% Exam
50% Essay
50% Essay
100% Project
100% Dissertation
11.5 Main Graduate Attributes
This involves a very basic sort of mapping of the main graduate attributes in relation to the course pedagogy and assessment types.
This does not require detailed mapping of particular parts of the course or its assessment to individual attributes. A simple listing of the relevant attributes will suffice.
This goes into the ‘Transferable Skills’ section of CCAM. In that box, please use the heading ‘Main Graduate Attributes’ as part of the free text insertion. This will then appear in the
DRPS.
12. Organisation
Course organiser
Exam Board Convenor
Dr Tim Milnes
Dr Dermot Cavanagh
Course secretary
Marking Scheme
Mrs Anne Mason
Choose from:
Common Marking Scheme - Honours
Grade Only
Common Marking Scheme - Honours
Mark/Grade
Common Marking Scheme - UG NonHonours Grade Only
Common Marking Scheme - UG NonHonours Mark/Grade
Common Marking Scheme Honours Mark/Grade
Taught in Gaelic?
13. Additional Information
N/A
No
Additional costs
N/A
14. Keywords
These can be useful for database organization and searching
Romanticism, revolution, the ballad, terror, the sublime, gothic, the ode, history, the east, confession, sensibility, ecology.
15. Course proposal information
Course proposer
Url for supporting
documentation
Tim Milnes
16. School Specific Requirements
Syllabus:
Week 1. Introduction. Romanticism and Revolution. Selections from:
Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790);
Thomas Paine, Rights of Man (1791);
Helen Maria Williams, Letters Written in France (1790).
Week 2. Terror and the Sublime.
William Blake, America: A Prophecy (1793) and Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1793);
Selections from: Edmund Burke, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1759).
Week 3. The Ballad.
Walter Scott, The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805);
William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lyrical Ballads (1802) (selections).
Week 4. Gothic.
William Beckford, Vathek (1786)
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)
Week 5. The Ode.
Selections from: John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Week 6. History.
Walter Scott, The Heart of Midlothian (1818)
Percy Bysshe Shelley, ‘England in 1819’ (1819)
Week 7. The Orient.
Charles Lamb, ‘Old China’ (1823)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, ‘Kubla Khan’ (1816)
Byron, The Giaour (1813)
Week 8. Essay Completion Week.
Week 9. Confession.
James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824)
Week 10. Sensibility.
Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility (1811)
Week 11. Ecology.
William Wordsworth, ‘The Ruined Cottage’ (1799)
Dorothy Wordsworth, Grasmere Journals (1800-03) (selections),
Charlotte Smith, ‘Beachy Head’ (1807)
Reading List (Please breakdown into ‘compulsory’ and ‘recommended’):
Compulsory Primary Texts:
M.H. Abrams, et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 8th ed. (W.W. Norton & Co., 2006)
Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, ed. James Kinsley, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2004)
William Beckford, Vathek, ed. Thomas Keymer (Oxford University Press, 2013)
William Blake, America: A Prophecy [Literature Online]
Byron, Selected Poems, ed. Susan Wolfson and Peter Manning (Penguin, 1996)
James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, ed. Ian Duncan (Oxford University Press, 2010)
Walter Scott, The Heart of Mid-Lothian, ed. Tony Inglis (Penguin, 1994)
---, The Lay of the Last Minstrel [Literature Online]
Duncan Wu, ed. Romanticism: An Anthology, 4th ed. (Blackwell, 2012)
Recommended Reading:
M.H. Abrams, The Mirror and the Lamp: Romantic Theory and the Critical Tradition (1953)
---, Natural Supernaturalism: Tradition and Revolution in Romantic Literature (1973)
John Barrell, ‘The Uses of Dorothy: ‘The Language of the Sense’ in ‘Tintern Abbey,’’ Wordsworth: Contemporary Critical Essays, ed. J.
Williams (1993)
Harold Bloom, ed., Romanticism and Consciousness: Essays in Criticism (1970)
Marilyn Butler, Romantics, Rebels and Reactionaries: English Literature and its Background 1760-1830 (1981)
James Chandler, England in 1819: The Politics of Literary Culture and the Case of Romantic Historicism (1998)
---, Wordsworth’s Second Nature (1984)
Jerome Christensen, Romanticism at the End of History (2000)
E. J. Clery, The Rise of Supernatural Fiction, 1762-1800 (1995)
Stuart Curran, ed., The Cambridge Companion to British Romanticism (1993)
---, Poetic Form and British Romanticism (1990)
Paul de Man, The Rhetoric of Romanticism (New York, 1984)
David Duff, Romanticism and the Uses of Genre (2009)
Ian Duncan, Scott’s Shadow: The Novel in Romantic Edinburgh (2007)
James Engell, ‘Coleridge and German Idealism: First Postulates, Final Causes,’ The Coleridge Connection, eds. Richard Gravil and Molly
Lefebure (1990)
Kelvin Everest and Alison Yarrington, eds. Reflections of Revolution: Images of Romanticism (1993)
Mary Favret and Nicola Watson, eds., At the Limits of Romanticism: Essays in Cultural, Feminist, and Materialist Criticism (1994)
Karen Fang, ‘Empire, Coleridge, and Charles Lamb's Consumer Imagination,’ SEL: Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 43.4 (2003): 81543.
Frances Ferguson, Solitude and the Sublime: Romanticism and the Aesthetics of Individuation (1992)
Jack Fruchtman, ‘The Æsthetics of Terror: Burke's Sublime and Helen Maria Williams's Vision of Anti-Eden’ 1650-1850: Ideas, Aesthetics, and
Inquiries in the Early Modern Era 6 (2001): 211-31
Geoffrey Hartman, ‘Romanticism and Anti-Self-Consciousness,’ Beyond Formalism: Literary Essays 1958-1971 (New Haven, 1970), 298-310.
---, Wordsworth's Poetry 1787-1814 (1964)
Gary Kelly, English Fiction of the Romantic Period 1789-1830 (1989)
Arthur O. Lovejoy, ‘On the Discrimination of Romanticisms,’ Publications of the Modern Languages Association of America 39 (1924): 229-53
Jerome J. McGann, The Romantic Ideology: A Critical Investigation (1983)
Timothy Morton, Shelley and the Revolution in Taste (1994)
Uttara Natarajan, ‘The Veil of Familiarity: Romantic Philosophy and the Familiar Essay,’ Studies in Romanticism 42.1 (2003): 27-44
Michael O'Neill, Romanticism and the Self-Conscious Poem (1997)
Alan Rauch, ‘The Monstrous Body of Knowledge in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein,’ Studies in Romanticism, 34.2 (1995): 227-53
Andrew Stauffer, Anger, Revolution, and Romanticism (2005)
Raymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 (1963)
Rationale for Quota (if applicable):