EN3220 Queer It! Introducing Queer Theory and Literature

Academic year

2023 to 2024 Semester 2

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 9

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Planned timetable

To be confirmed

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Dr K Ward

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module introduces students to key ideas in the development of queer theory from the mid-20th Century to present. It also introduces students to some of the major literary texts in the archive of queer anglophone literature. This module is designed to afford students a handle on the diversity and complexity of methodologies and critical thinking that is grouped under the term ‘queer,’ and will enable students to reflect on the relationships between identity, theory, and activism, as well as on the development of the queer literary canon. Students will be encouraged to explore supplementary critical and other material, as their own particular queer interests lead them.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS EN2003 AND PASS EN2004

Assessment pattern

100% Coursework

Re-assessment

100% Examination

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

Two-hour seminar (x11 weeks) plus 2 optional consultation hours per week (x11 weeks)

Scheduled learning hours

22

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

264

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate a robust understanding of the history of queer theory and its key critical issues.
  • Understand and analyse major examples from the queer literary canon in the critical context in which they have been canonised.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of literary critical debates about queer aesthetics.
  • Interrogate and evaluate the critical utility of ‘queerness,’ especially in relation to recent interventions in narrative theory, Marxism, utopian studies, and ecocriticism.
  • Demonstrate practical analytical and research skills in close reading and applying a queer theoretical lens on texts, and in forming sophisticated and informed arguments (both in written work and class discussion).