Saint-Louis University - Bruxelles
English
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GERM1116 - English: History of literature I



Credits : 3

Lecturer :
Mode of delivery :
Face-to-face , first term, 30 hours of theory.

Language of instruction :
The course is taught in English


Learning outcomes :
The history of English literature course seeks to identify specific features of major literary trends and to situate them in their socio-cultural context. It also aims to familiarise students with the most significant authors and works of English literature from its beginning to the present day.
By the end of the course, the student should be able to re-contextualise the major literary movements and identify their main features. He must also know the figures that marked English literature in the periods studied and be able to provide interpretation keys to the works discussed.

Prerequisites :
None

Co-requisites :
None

Course contents :
This first part traces the history of English literature (mainly in Great Britain and Ireland) from the eighth century to the Restoration. This overview begins with the first texts written in Old English, then moving on to medieval literature in Middle English, the Renaissance, and the beginning of the neoclassical period. Are discussed, among others, "Caedmon's Hymn," "Beowulf," Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare's sonnets and plays, and metaphysical poetry.
This course provides both an overview of the studied period, and an in-depth study of a selection (extracts) of representative works of this period, through textual analysis.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
The course combines lectures illustrated with PowerPoint presentations and other audio-visual media, and interaction with students.

Assessment methods and criteria :
• Brief individual or group oral presentation (15% of the final mark)
• Oral examination (85% of the final mark)

Recommended or required reading :
Collection of (excerpts) texts featured in the programme
Recommended editions (for the works studied in their entirety)

Other information :
- Handouts
- Collection of (excerpts) texts featured in the programme
- Recommended editions (for the works studied in their entirety)
- Personal notes of the student