Black British Fiction

Summary module description:
This module examines a range of literary works and films by black writers written in or about Britain from the 1950s onwards and thereby engaging in discussions about what might constitute a changing (black) British literary tradition. Reading across a range of genres and perspectives, the module will connect an examination of textual interventions and innovations to debates concerning minority communities, cultural capital and national identity as they have evolved in the British post-war context. Film, music and documentary footage will also be examined in order to trace the kinds of pressures that the terms ?black? and ?British? have exerted on each in a variety of historical, social and cultural contexts.

Aims:
This module introduces students to texts and debates that have animated black British writing and criticism during the post-war era. Drawing on the theoretical propositions informing postcolonial theory, the module aims to explore the issues of decolonisation, immigration, settlement and transnationalism, as well as identities of solidarity and struggle. Students will be encouraged to discuss the way in which these texts, and the critical agendas responsive to them, are also inflected by the politics of gender, class and sexuality and informed by changing cultural and political imperatives.

Assessable learning outcomes:
By the end of the module the students will be expected to:
? exercise skills of close textual analysis, and demonstrate an understanding of the texts selected for study
? demonstrate an awareness of broader theoretical and methodological issues
? reflect on critical languages and practices
? engage critically with ideas discussed in seminars
? formulate critical analyses of ideas and texts in written work
? read and interpret literary and visual texts from different critical perspectives and appreciate how differences in theoretical framework can produce multiple readings of a text
? articulate an understanding of cultural diversity in the UK, including issues of race, gender, class, and ethnicity, and of how conceptualizations of multiculturalism have changed in the post-war period.

Additional outcomes:
Oral and written communication skills will be developed, together with critical, interpretative and analytical abilities. Students will also enhance their IT competence through the use of relevant web resources in a critically informed manner.

Outline content:
The module addresses textual engagements with identities of belonging and difference, as well as the issues around literary ?ghettoisation? and the burdens of representation that continue to dominate critical accounts of black British literary production and reception. Texts for study may vary from year to year, but are likely to include work by such writers as Sam Selvon, Andrea Levy, Hanif Kureishi, Salman Rushdie, Bernadine Evaristo, Caryl Phillips, Courttia Newland, Zadie Smith, Monica Ali and Charlotte Williams. Films (such as those by Black Audio Collective, Hanif Kureishi, Gurinder Chadha and Pratibha Parmar) will also be discussed. Writing Black Britain 1948-1998: an interdisciplinary anthology edited by James Procter (Manchester University Press, 2000) will be the course reader.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
Three seminar hours weekly, for which students are required to do preparatory reading. Students are also entitled to a half-hour tutorial on their formative written work. With the consent of the module convenor, students may also undertake a placement, through which they will learn how to apply the knowledge and skills gained in studying for this module in a professional context outside the University.

Summative Assessment Methods:
Written assignment including essay 100%

Other information on summative assessment:
Summative Assessment Methods (%) - work which always contributes towards the overall module mark:

Formative assessment methods:
Formative Assessment Methods - work which provides opportunities to improve performance (e.g. through feedback provided) but which does not necessarily always contribute towards the overall module mark:

Students write one formative essay, of between 1500 and 2000 words. Feedback will also be provided on the assessed journal (worth 33%), or the equivalent placement report, and on the assessed essay of approximately 4000 words (67%).
Penalties for late submission:
The Module Convener will apply the following penalties for work submitted late, in accordance with the University policy.
where the piece of work is submitted up to one calendar week after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for the piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Requirements for a pass:
A mark of at least 40% overall.