Year 3 - 40 credit modules

Modernism and its Legacies (40 credits)

This module will provide you with the knowledge and skills to analyse and interpret poetry and prose from the start of the twentieth century until the present. This period covers the rise of modernism and its successor post-modernism. You will analyse modernist and postmodern texts in their cultural and historical contexts, while also considering formal innovations and key thematic concerns such as modernity, identity, politics, gender, and form. We will explore continuing issues of naturalism and realism which serve as a foil for literary experimentation. Paintings, music and photography will illustrate the various techniques and artistic movements. While our focus will be mainly on British and American writing, we shall also consider some key European movements, such as Dada and Surrealism, in order to appreciate the variety of modernisms grouped under the term ‘modernism’.

Writing the Novel (40 credits)

This module will provide you with the skills to undertake a sustained, in-depth and research-informed creative project. You will work individually to initiate, develop and shape a substantial piece of fiction, exploring a subject, style and narrative approach that is of personal interest. You will also work in groups with other students to inform and develop work-in-progress and to produce short presentations on elements of writing craft in relation to your practice. You will be offered guidance on content, structure and style. The outcome will take the form of a substantial extract from a novel, along with a fully-developed synopsis and a reflective, critical commentary. You will work independently, but you will also receive one-to-one supervision along with small- and whole-group support. Your learning will typically be supported by workshops, Moodle activities, seminars and advice from established writers.

Applied Sociolinguistics (40 credits)

This module will introduce you to the field of Applied Sociolinguistics and how sociolinguistic research can contribute to improving human well-being. You will learn to critically evaluate the role of sociolinguistics in addressing linguistic and social inequalities and how language shapes all aspects of social life. You will work with an external partner and investigate the application of sociolinguistic research to the solution of practical, educational and social problems of all types. You will learn how evidence-led sociolinguistic research can be applied in a variety of settings, including healthcare, law, tourism, the workplace, and other non-academic contexts. The module will develop your skills in leveraging sociolinguistic research to produce demonstrable changes in practice and teach you to how to engage a variety of external stakeholders and end-users in your research.

Making Theatre: Practitioners and Performance (40 credits)

This module will equip you with the critical skills to understand and analyse the work of theatre practitioners. You will study a culturally and aesthetically diverse range of experimental theatre-makers, including directors and performers, who have been influential in shaping theatre and theories of performance from the late nineteenth to the twenty-first century. You will focus on practical and ideological elements of theatre-making, exploring approaches to rehearsal, acting, design, playwriting, and the role of the audience.

Please note: Modules may take place in either semester one, or two.