1. demonstrate knowledge of British literature, poetry and drama of the period and the literary movements that shape it
2. employ critical concepts to explore the representations of British identity in the contexts of class, race, gender and sexual identities
3. demonstrate understanding of relevant cultural, political and historical contexts of contemporary texts studied on the module
4. develop critical or creative methods for solving problems of interpretation of literary texts by critically employing a specific historical context, critical/theoretical or creative approach.

Learning Portfolio of 3 Elements: weighted at 40%¿[LO 1]

Students must do two pieces which the module cohort/class can learn from: one must be digital; one must be analogue. The third element in the presentation portfolio is a verbal pitch to the tutor of their ideas for the final assignment (feedback given on spot).¿

Each piece must incorporate some reflection: why I chose this topic & format? What are my aims with this podcast/vlog/essay/creative piece? How does this piece respond to the module/creative brief/essay question?¿¿

Analogue:¿

-presentations (pair or solo)¿¿

-lead a section of a workshop (pair or solo)¿¿

-poster presentations (solo only)¿

Digital (supported by TI):¿

-vlogs (pair or solo)¿

-blogs (solo only)¿

-podcasts (pair or solo)¿¿

Essay or Creative Assignment: weighted 60%

2000 word essay on 2 texts and employing the critical concepts developed on the module OR a creative assignment exploring the concerns raised by the texts, demonstrating knowledge of one of the literary forms encountered and employing the creative approaches studied. [LO 2,3,4]

This module places literary representations of class, race, gender and sexuality in the context of the rapidly changing British society of post-war class relations, the migrant experience, decriminalisation of homosexuality, and gender fluidity and new and emergent literary forms which reflect change and diversity.

Indicative reading:

George Orwell 1984 (1949)

Samuel Selvon Lonely Londoners (1956)

John Osborne Look Back in Anger (1956)

Irvine Welsh Trainspotting (1993)

Sarah Kane Blasted (1995)

Monica Ali, Brick Lane (2003)

Kae Tempest, Brand New Ancients (2013)

Patience Agbabi, Telling Tales (2014)

We will be tracing how the social and cultural changes of the post-War years have been reflected in British writing since the end of the War. We will explore the changing attitudes to class, race, gender and sexual identity through the rapidly evolving literary modes that characterise the late 20th century and early 21st century. The voices of previously marginalised groups – migrant communities, women, non-traditional sexual and gender identities – become central as we progress through the seven decades of our study.

Weekly 3 hours classes will be used in traditional and innovative ways to engage with the texts to be studies. Classes will, at different times, include lecture, workshop, seminar and tutorials.
There will also be a programme of developmental sessions convened by the team and across the Department of Media, Performance and Communication.
The assessments support the learning done in class by encouraging students to apply critical and creative solutions to the questions that the module materials pose.

John Brannigan, Orwell to the Present: literature in England, 1945-2000. (Palgrave
Macmillan, 2003)
Richard J. Lane, Rod Mengham and Philip Tew (eds.), Contemporary British Fiction (Polity, 2002)
James English (ed.), A Concise Companion to British Fiction (Blackwell, 2005)
Lynne Wells, Allegories of Telling: Self-Referential Narrative in Contemporary British Fiction (Rodopi, 2003)
The Cambridge Companion to¿Nineteen¿Eighty-Four
The Cambridge Companion to George Orwell
The Cambridge Companion to British Black and Asian Literature (1945–2010)
The Cambridge Companion to British Fiction since¿1945
The Cambridge Companion to British Fiction:¿1980–2018
The Cambridge Companion to British Poetry, 1945-2010

Classroom equipped with AV