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EL40LA: LITERATURE AND CULTURE AT THE FIN DE SIECLE (2021-2022)

Last modified: 31 May 2022 13:05


Course Overview

The last decade of the nineteenth century came to be known as the ‘fin de siècle’, its French designation underlining the extent to which French art and French exemplars were transforming the Victorian age which was, with the ageing of Victoria herself, rapidly coming to an end. It was also the period when psychology was recognised as a distinct discipline and sought to establish a science of the mind. The literature of the period both informed and drew on new understandings of how the mind worked, and of how the mind was influenced by heredity, sexuality and a social environment being reshaped by new technologies – such as electric light and the telephone – and by the rapid globalisation produced by European colonialism. The literature of the period reflected – and reflected on – these transformations and sought new forms and styles by which to give them expression. We will explore the ramifications of these issues in the literature of the period and the ways in which writers responded to an increasingly mass market for literature.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 4
Term First Term Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Professor Cairns Craig

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Either English (EL) or BSc Medical Science (Medical Humanities)
  • Either Programme Level 4 or Programme Level 5
  • Any Undergraduate Programme

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

The last decade of the nineteenth century came to be known as the ‘fin de siècle’, its French designation underlining the extent to which French art and French exemplars were transforming the Victorian age which was, with the ageing of Victoria herself, rapidly coming to an end. It was also the period when psychology was recognised as a distinct discipline and sought to establish a science of the mind. The literature of the period both informed and drew on new understandings of how the mind worked, and of how the mind was influenced by heredity, sexuality and a social environment being reshaped by new technologies – such as electric light and the telephone – and by the rapid globalisation produced by European colonialism. The literature of the period reflected – and reflected on – these transformations and sought new forms and styles by which to give them expression. We will explore the ramifications of these issues in the literature of the period and the ways in which writers responded to an increasingly mass market for literature.


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Tutorial/Seminar Participation

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 10
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Feedback

Students will be encouraged to seek formative feedback on their seminar performance. In-seminar discussions will aid students in knowing what is expected of them in the course.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 35
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Feedback

Students will be given feedback on assessed work. Students will also be encouraged to engage in peer feedback and to discuss their progress with their tutor.

Word Count 2500
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 55
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Students will be given feedback on assessed work. Students will also be encouraged to engage in peer feedback and to discuss their progress with their tutor.

Word Count 3500
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Resit Assessments

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 100
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback Word Count 3000
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandDescribe the competing conceptions of the psyche and the ways in which they were adopted into literary forms.
ConceptualAnalyseReflect critically on the ways in which the relationship between author and audience was being reshaped.
ReflectionCreateDemonstrate a critical understanding of these issues in their contribution to discussion, in their oral presentations, and in written work.
ProceduralApplyCompare and contrast the development of a variety of genres in the period.
ProceduralEvaluateShow an awareness of how later criticism has come to influence our understanding of the period.
ReflectionAnalyseBe able to analyse literary texts with an awareness of how the period reshaped notions of style.

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