2010/11 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

ENGL3271 Romantic Autobiography

20 creditsClass Size: 20

School of English

Module manager: Dr David Higgins
Email: d.higgins@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2010/11

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 2 and 3 students.

This module is not approved as an Elective

Objectives

This module will examine how and why autobiography emerged as a distinct genre during the period from 1770 to 1840 and consider the various ways in which individuals sought to represent and construct their identities through writing.

Learning outcomes
Students will develop knowledge of a range of autobiographical texts from the period 1770 to 1840 and of the key theoretical and critical issues raised by autobiographical writing. They will also develop understanding of some of the key cultural preoccupations of this period. Skills improved by this module include: written and verbal communication; research skills; time management; and working with others.

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

How well do we know ourselves? What makes us who we are? And to what extent does 'who we are' actually comprise multiple, and sometimes conflicting, identities? Romantic writers addressed these questions by exploring the depth and complexity of the self to a much greater extent than had previously been attempted. This module will examine how and why autobiography emerged as a distinct genre during the period from 1770 to 1840 and consider the various ways in which individuals sought to represent and construct their identities through writing. We will be encountering a fascinatingly diverse set of selves, including the sensitive wanderer of Rousseau's Reveries, the tormented solitary of Smith's poetry, the phantasmagorical addict of De Quincey's Confessions, and the obsessive lover of Hazlitt's Liber Amoris. Themes to be explored will include: addiction and consumption; politics; class; the importance of place; desire and sexuality; and gender.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Meetings	3	1.00	3.00
Seminar	10	1.00	10.00
Private study hours			187.00
Total Contact hours			13.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Seminar preparation, reading, essay writing

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Contribution to seminars, unassessed essay.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	This module will be assessed by one essay of 4,000 words (including quotations and footnotes). One unassessed essay of 1,700 words is required (submitted during Week 7) which will be returned individually. This does not form part of the assessment for this module, but is a requirement and MUST be submitted. Students who fail to submit the unassessed essay will be awarded a maximum mark of 40 for the module (a bare Pass).	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

This module will be assessed by one essay of 4000 words (including quotations and footnotes). One unassessed essay of 1700 words is required (submitted during Week 7) which will be returned individually. This does not form part of the assessment for this module, but is a requirement and MUST be submitted. Students who fail to submit the unassessed essay will be awarded a maximum mark of 40 for the module (a bare Pass).

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 24/03/2011

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