2008/09 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

ENGL3438 Remembering Partition

20 creditsClass Size: 20

School of English

Module manager: Dr Ananya Kabir
Email: a.j.kabir@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2008/09

Pre-requisite qualifications

Grade B at 'A' Level in English Language or Literature or equivalent or an achieved mark of 56 or above in a Level 1 module in English.

PLEASE NOTE:- This module is restricted to Level 3 students.

This module is approved as an Elective

Module summary

In August 1947 India got independence from British colonial rule, but at the cost of Partition: the political decision to divide British India (modern South Asia) into two new nations, India and Pakistan, on the basis of religious differences. Partition led to the largest mass migration in modern times. Millions of people left their homes in the wake of murder, rape, arson and large-scale violence. The trauma of witnessing, or even experiencing, the destruction of lives and property, and the painful costs of finding oneself 'stranger in a strange land' has been recorded by several of South Asia's finest novelists and short-story writers. If you want to know more about how a nation deals with the twinning of celebration and mourning, how writers help their readers to remember but also heal from traumatic events, how modernity emerges from the shared memory of tragedy, and how all these issues have gone into the making of modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, then this module is for you

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to understand the cultural contexts of the Partition of India, analyse literary texts set within those contexts, and explicate how literary texts differ from other genres (history, film) in relating to an event of massive traumatic dimensions and historical importance.

Learning outcomes
Students will have developed:
the ability to use written and oral communication effectively;
the capacity to analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse;
the ability to manage quantities of complex information in a structured and systematic way;
the capacity for independent thought and judgement;
critical reasoning;
research skills, including the retrieval of information, the organisation of material and the evaluation of its importance;
IT skills;
Efficient time management and organisation skills;
the ability to learn independently.

Skills outcomes
Skills for effective communication, oral and written.
Capacity to analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse.
Ability to acquire quantities of complex information of diverse kinds in a structured and systematic way.
Capacity for independent thought and judgement.
Critical reasoning.
Research skills, including information retrieval skills, the organisation of material, and the evaluation of its importance.
IT skills.
Time management and organisational skills.
Independent learning.

Syllabus

The freedom struggle in colonial India created two new nations as the British departed in August 1947: India and Pakistan, differentiated on the basis of religion. This event, 'Partition', led to massive migrations, horrific violence, and the destruction of families, homes and cultures. Further confusions, both geopolitical and psychological, were caused by the secession of East Pakistan in 1971 and the emergence of the new nation of Bangladesh. What does it mean when independence is gained at such traumatic cost? The question continues to haunt personal and collective memories, complicating relationships between individuals, communities and nations. This module explores how Partition is remembered within short stories and novels--what is chosen to be forgotten, and what is emphasized through narrative form. We will read some deeply memorable texts by authors from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, ranging from the 1947 to the present. Representative films on Partition will also be screened for additional context.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Meetings	5	1.00	5.00
Seminar	10	1.00	10.00
Private study hours			185.00
Total Contact hours			15.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Teaching will be through weekly seminars (10 x 1 hour) plus up to 5 additional hours (content to be determined by the module tutor). The 5 additional hours may include lectures, plenary sessions, film showings, or the return of unassessed/assessed essays.

Private Study: Reading, preparation for seminars and essays.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Seminar contribution.

1st assessed essay.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	1600 words	30.00
Essay	2500 words	60.00
Assignment	400 word bibiography/book review	10.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 20/01/2011

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