Course Catalogue

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This masters level course provides the opportunity to examine recent theoretical ideas about 'textuality', relating Scottish texts and books to understandings of textual culture and community. The course examines the textual materialism in private collections, and in national and local collections and archives. It examines, inter alia, workers, women and queer repositories to highlight the role of group identity politics in the setting up of textuality. Also considered are issues of intertextuality and hypertextuality, where texts, books and repository institutions refer to others of similar kind to themselves. At the level of the manuscript and book, the course offers the chance to read forms of type, marginalia, and a range of other paratextual material in their historical context and development. Through a series of online lessons, it allows students to trace Scottish culture's evolving engagement with textuality, including the way in which certain institutions (such as libraries), writers and particular texts are materially constructed and go on to wield particular significance for the nation and other forms of community. A series of case-studies focus the initial fields of investigation for this course.

10 x 1hr seminars/workshops over 10 weeks (online live) as scheduled on MyCampus.

10 x 1hr engagement with asynchronous online learning (online anytime).

Standard entry to Masters at College level

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■ Theory Essay (1250 words) - 25%

■ Case Study (1250 words) - 25%

■ Critical Essay (2500 words) - 50%

This course aims to:

■ Familiarise students with the contemporary, theoretical definitions of textuality in Scotland;

■ Introduce students to the concepts of textuality, including, intertextuality, hypertextuality and paratexts;

■ Trace historical forms of textuality from the medieval period to the digital age;

■ Give students the opportunity to explore specific case studies in textuality and understand their significance within a wider global culture of print ;

■ Engender advanced skills in the reading of texts and institutions within the framework of textuality theory.

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

■ Critically discuss theories of textuality;

■ Analyse the history of textuality in Scotland and its relation to other parts of the world;

■ Identify and evaluate Scottish examples of textuality;

■ Identify and analyse different types of textuality, situating them within their wider historical and cultural context;

■ Apply skills in book and cultural history through the lens of textuality, via completion of practical exercises and course assessment;

■ Critically examine textuality in the digital age.

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