Literature and the City

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Cursusdoel

This course familiarizes students on an advanced level with key concepts and literary texts about the city. It aims to provide insight in and knowledge of the historical connections between modernity and the imagination of urban space.

After completing this course students are able to:
  1. be able to identify the ways in which a number of key literary texts have constructed our ideas of urbanity and space (assessment 1-5)
  2. demonstrate an understanding of the key questions of representation and imagination of urban space (assessment 1-5)
  3. apply those concepts in the study of texts and draw conclusions from their observations (assessment 3, 4, 5)
  4. be able to speak and write critically both at a general theoretical level and with reference to specific examples, in a variety of different written assignments and conversational settings (oral presentation, group discussion, discussion-leading), using specialised terms and academic vocabulary (assessment 3,4,5)
  5. be able to pursue an independent research project for their final paper (assessment 5)

Vakinhoudelijk

This course focuses on the relation between literature and the city. Since Antiquity, the city has been a symbol of human civilization. and has entertained a specific relation with literature – from Plato’s famous book X of the Republic, via St. Augustine’s City of God, 19th century poetic reflections of urbanization, to contemporary literature as an imagination of global urban spaces. In this course we will approach the city as a text whose meanings are constructed by readers and writers, and by changing everyday life within city-space. The course explores theoretical, aesthetic and poetic approaches to the city and literature, tracing the transformations of city-space from pre-modern to modern, from colonial to postcolonial, from monarchical to revolutionary, from national to transnational. We will study how literary texts have intervened in and contributed to these transformations. During the course, you will gain insight into how literary texts reflect and influence the changes in city-space, and study the city as a playing field for identity formation and poetic inspiration.
Format
This is a seminar course, where students will learn through engaging in active discussion of primary and secondary literature with their peers, framed and guided by the instructor. While each week will begin with a short lecture that will contextualize the texts under discussion, students are expected to take responsibility for their engagement with the readings. In line with that, students will take turns leading group discussions. All students must have thoroughly read the ‘works of the week’ in advance. Students regularly have to present their reading analyses in oral and written form, as well as participate actively in class discussion.

Werkvormen

UCU HUM 3 course

Toetsing

class participation

Verplicht | Weging 10% | ECTS 0,75

short written assignments (logbooks)

Verplicht | Weging 20% | ECTS 1,5

final written assignment

Verplicht | Weging 35% | ECTS 2,63

mid-term written assignment

Verplicht | Weging 20% | ECTS 1,5

presentation

Verplicht | Weging 15% | ECTS 1,13

*midterm FEEDBACK*

Niet verplicht

Ingangseisen en voorkennis

Ingangseisen

Er moet voldaan zijn aan minimaal één van de cursussen:

En er moet voldaan zijn aan minimaal één van de cursussen:

Voorkennis

Students who do not satisfy the above requirement need to apply for course admittance with another level 2 Literature course.

Voertalen

  • Engels

Competenties

  • Academisch schrijven
  • Internationale en interculturele oriëntatie
  • Interdisciplinariteit
  • Kritisch lezen
  • Onderzoeksvaardigheden
  • Presenteren

Cursusmomenten

Gerelateerde studies

Tentamens

Er is geen tentamenrooster beschikbaar voor deze cursus

Verplicht materiaal

Er is geen informatie over de verplichte literatuur bekend


Aanbevolen materiaal

Materiaal Omschrijving
BOEK Kevin McNamara (ed.), Cambridge Companion to the City in Literature, Cambridge UP 2014 (ISBN: 9781107609150) Available through UU library
DIVERSE selection of primary and secondary texts, to be announced

Opmerkingen

Alternates with UCHUMLIT32.

Coördinator

dr. A. Andeweg A.Andeweg@uu.nl

Docenten

A. Prigozhin A.Prigozhin@uu.nl

Inschrijving

Let op: deze cursus is niet toegankelijk voor studenten van andere faculteiten, bijvakkers mogen zich dus niet inschrijven.

Naar OSIRIS-inschrijvingen
Permanente link naar de cursuspagina
Laat in de Cursus-Catalogus zien