From Literature to Life: Shared Reading (2025/2026: Semester 2 – Spring)

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Cursusdoel

After completing this course students are able to:

    1. understand and evaluate theories of narrative and reader-response (demonstrated in: 1. final report, 2. presentation, 3. stylistic analysis)
    2. apply methodological frameworks used in the close study of literary texts and reading group ‘talk’ (1. final report, 2. presentation, 3. stylistic analysis)
    3. select texts (prose and poetry combinations) to suit reading group participants and present a rationale for your selections (1. final report, 4. participation)
    4. assist with the formation of reading groups (1. final report, 4. participation)
    5. facilitate discussion in reading groups (1. final report, 4. participation)
    6. evaluate the impact of shared reading groups on participants’ wellbeing (1. final report, 2. presentation)
    7. observe ethical standards during shared reading (1. final report, 2. presentation, 4. participation)
Relationship between assessment and learning goals:

1. Final report: 40%
2. Presentation: 25%
3. Stylistic analysis: 25%
4. Participation: 10%

Vakinhoudelijk

This ground-breaking course invites humanities, pre-med, and social science students interested in reading literature to experience the effects of ‘shared reading’: reading literary texts together, out-loud, with communities such as people in care homes, schools, hospitals, prisons, or asylum seeker centers. The set-up of the course will connect students to other communities, and vice versa, as well as the community members to each other.

Stories have been around since the dawn of humankind. They are essential to make sense of the world around us, to give form to confusing, challenging, overwhelming but also more mundane experiences. Telling and sharing stories obviously fulfills basic needs. So how about reading literary stories and poems? There is mounting evidence that such reading has positive cognitive and emotional effects, that it can improve personal well-being as well as empathy for others. However, such effects are, logically, not a given for every text and every reader, nor should we perhaps expect that of literature, which remains a space of freedom, not functionality.

In this course, we will provide you with the basics of how literary texts can ‘work’ for readers, both in theory and in practice. We will discuss the issues in proving the positive effects of literary reading scientifically, while seeing in practice when a text resonates with someone. You get to take part in shared reading groups first-hand and will explore and examine under which circumstances shared reading can lead to comforting or transformative experiences.

This interdisciplinary course can serve as a prerequisite for level 3 LIT courses and UCSSCSOC35.

Format
Teaching format is varied and will include guest lectures from high profile scholars, ex-prisoners, and community partners. The course is divided into four sections with different teaching/learning styles:

a) theoretical underpinnings (weeks 1–4) (lectures (incl. guests) and discussion)
b) practical bespoke workshops (weeks 5–7) (with students and community partners)
c) reading in the community (weeks 8–11) (learning by doing (in situ), with diverse community reading groups)
d) collating, evaluating, and presenting data/findings (weeks 12–15) (evaluation and presentation)

Werkvormen

UC INT 1 course

Toetsing

Participation

Verplicht | Weging 10% | ECTS 0,75

Stylistic analysis

Verplicht | Weging 25% | ECTS 1,88

Final report

Verplicht | Weging 40% | ECTS 3

Presentation

Verplicht | Weging 25% | ECTS 1,88

*midterm FEEDBACK*

Niet verplicht

Ingangseisen en voorkennis

Ingangseisen

Je moet minimaal 60 punten van het bachelor programma hebben behaald

Voorkennis

An interest in Community Engaged Learning and working with literary texts is required. It would be preferable if students had a level 1 course in LIT and/or PHI.

Voertalen

  • Engels

Competenties

  • Interdisciplinariteit
  • Leren In Community’s
  • Luisteren
  • Community based learning / community based research
  • Onderzoeksvaardigheden

Cursusmomenten

Gerelateerde studies

Tentamens

Er is geen tentamenrooster beschikbaar voor deze cursus

Verplicht materiaal

  • BOEK
    Simpson, Paul (2014) Stylistics: A Resource Book For Students. Second Edition. London: Routledge (costs 15:80 from Amazon). https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stylistics-Routledge-English-Language-Introductions/dp/0415644976
  • DIVERSE
    Additional readings will be uploaded to Blackboard
  • DIVERSE
    Students should buy/borrow (for the duration of the course) one anthology of short stories and one anthology of poetry of their choice. These will be used throughout the course

Aanbevolen materiaal

Er is geen informatie over de aanbevolen literatuur bekend

Opmerkingen

Counts towards SSC or HUM major.

Coördinator

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

Docenten

dr. A. Andeweg A.Andeweg@uu.nl
A.R. Visser a.r.visser@uu.nl

Inschrijving

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

Inschrijving niet via OSIRIS
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