Collections and Storytelling COMPLIT5039

  • Academic Session: 2025-26
  • School: School of Modern Languages and Cultures
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No
  • Curriculum For Life: No

Short Description

This course is co-taught with curators of the Hunterian collections. It introduces students to the world of museums and exhibitions, with particular attention to the crucial role that storytelling plays in collecting, archiving, cataloguing and exhibiting. Through close reading of novels, it then discusses how authors engage with these concepts as they fictionalise museums and collections or create imaginary archives and exhibitions. It involves hands-on sessions at the Hunterian collections. 

Timetable

10 x 2 hours seminar sessions (taught in conjunction with UG students) + 3 X 2h PG specific session taught by SMLC faculty as scheduled on MyCampus. Additional one-to-one essay consultation slot of 20 minutes per student.

Requirements of Entry

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into one of the SMLC Honours programmes, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation

Excluded Courses

COMPLIT4044

Assessment

Blog entry on an object on the museum (1000 words) - 30%

Essay (3000 words) - 70%

Main Assessment In: April/May

Course Aims

This course aims to:   

■ Develop students' skills in researching across disciplines, and in linking knowledge gained through hands on sessions to the analysis of literary texts 

■ Explore how practices such as archiving, collecting and exhibiting, both in 'real life' and literary texts, reflect issues of colonialism, gender, historical trauma

■ Hone students' skills in writing different types of texts (e.g. blogs, labels, essays) and diversity writing style in relation to readership

■ Increase students' employability by strengthening their knowledge of cultural institutions, writing in different genres and ability to work across disciplines 

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course, students will be able to: 

 

■ Develop original interdisciplinary research based on inquiry in the Hunterian archive and research on literary texts  

■ Formulate evaluations of the ideological and sociological implications of storytelling in archiving, collecting and exhibiting and of how these issues are reflected in literary texts

■ Adapt their writing style to different genres (labels, blogs, essay) and communicate their findings in a form suitable to the target audience 

■ Identify and analyse questions of gender, colonialism, trauma in museum practices and literary texts

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.