Module Information

Module Identifier
EN21020
Module Title
Literary Geographies
Academic Year
2025/2026
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2
Reading List
Other Staff

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Critical Portfolio  Portfolio of critical writing 3000 Words  100%
Supplementary Assessment Critical Portfolio  Portfolio of critical writing 3000 Words  100%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Demonstrate critical understanding of a range of literary representations of places and spaces.

Make use of relevant terms and concepts from the field of literary geography when discussing and analyzing literary texts.

Show knowledge of the geographical and historical contexts in which literary texts are written and/or read.

Identify, extract, and evaluate pertinent geographical information from literary texts.

Display an understanding of the ways in which basic mapping techniques may be employed in the interpretation of literary texts.

Brief description

This module offers students an accessible but intellectually stimulating introduction to the new field of literary geographies. It not only examines literary representations of particular places and spaces – cities, borderlands, dystopias, the natural world – but also considers the ways in which texts and writers are influenced or affected by the geographies in which acts of writing take place. Over the course of the module, students will develop a critical understanding of key geographical concepts – such as ‘place’, ‘space’, and ‘landscape’ – and encounter a wide range of literary texts from the C19th, C20th, and C21st. These include novels, short stories, poems, and creative non-fiction.

Content

Session 1 Introduction
Session 2 Nature writing [Macfarlane / Jamie]
Session 3 Cities 1 [Machen]
Session 4 Cities 2 [Rhys]
Session 5 Mapping texts workshop
Session 6 Borderlands 1 [Anzaldua / Cisneros]
Session 7 Borderlands 2 [Longley / Muldoon]
Session 8 Dystopias 1 [Ballard]
Session 9 Dystopias 2 [Ballard]
Session 10 Revision and assessment advice

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number Accurate reading of student timetables and time-measuring devices (e.g. watches, alarm clocks).
Communication Oral communication skills in seminar discussions and assessed presentations; written communication skills via an assessed essay.
Improving own Learning and Performance Through reflection on how novel concepts or modes of interpretation can enhance critical understanding.
Information Technology Through use of Blackboard, word processing skills, and the creation of visual resources for the oral presentation.
Personal Development and Career planning Development of key transferable skills in research, written communication, and oral presentation.
Problem solving Through in-class exercises as well as research, writing, and presentation skills employed in completing assignments.
Research skills Independent and directed research for seminar preparation and work towards summative assessment.
Subject Specific Skills Writing skills, critical reflection, and conceptual knowledge in key fields of literary study.
Team work Group work and discussion exercises in seminars.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 5