This course considers a wide range of American fiction written during the years of the country's Great Depression. Texts and topics normally include: the Hollywood novel, the writer in Hollywood, proletarian fiction, literary representations of the Great Depression, Gone with the Wind, American Gothic, Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, radical women, hardboiled fiction and crime fiction.

1 x 2hr seminar per week over eight weeks, as scheduled on MyCampus.

1 x 4hr mini-conference

This is one of the Honours options in English Literature and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus.

None

The standard assessments for this course are: 

■ Essay (1500 words): 25%  

■ Essay (3000 words): 50% 

■ Seminar and workshop contribution: 10%  

■ Conference presentation of 7 minutes: 15% 

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available: 

■ There are no alternatives to the Essay (1500 words), but flexible deadline can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

■ There are no alternatives to the Essay (3000 words) or Time-Limited Essay (2500), but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

■ Written self-evaluation reflecting on seminar contribution or written response to seminar material in advance or after seminar as alternative to seminar contribution.

■ Recorded presentation or One-to-one presentation / discussion/Q&A with staff (where presentation would normally be in class) as alternative to presentation.

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.  

This course will provide the opportunity to:

■ examine a range of US fiction written during the years of America's Great Depression

■ critically engage with and appreciate the value of work outside standard surveys of the 1930s

■ understand the shifting social, political, cultural and critical contexts of the years of the Great Depression

■ develop skills and confidence in presenting ideas in a public space. 

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

■ apply a critical knowledge of a range of work by American fiction writers produced during the years of the Great Depression

■ apply skills in independent critical thought with reference both to a range of primary and diverse secondary/critical sources

■ analyse texts in the light of the shifting social, political, cultural and critical contexts of the 1930s

■ communicate responses to the material studied on the course both orally and in written form through coherent and sustained argument.

■ demonstrate resilience and time management through effectively planning, undertaking and submitting coursework.

■ deal with change and new challenges by applying their disciplinary skills and knowledge to previously unfamiliar research areas and questions.