ENG4473 - World Literature in English
Course content
In the late 1820s Johann Wolfgang von Goethe prophesied that an age of world literature was at hand. Much more recently, this concept has received an increasing amount of attention, due no doubt to the fact that it is often connected with one of the key concepts of our times, globalization. In this course you will make yourself familiar with a number of key theoretical contributions to the field of world literature, from Goethe to Moretti. In addition to studying the emergence of a field and its varied history, you will be asked to consider the mechanisms regulating the circulation of texts in the world today.
You will be reading plays and novels by a number of writers associated with world literature, namely William Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen, Chinua Achebe, J.M. Coetzee, Anita Desai, Toni Morrison, and Salman Rushdie, and throughout the course you will be asked to reflect on how these texts express their perspectives on the world, on the tensions between their seemingly universal and culturally specific aspects, between similarity and difference.
You will, among other things, address the larger questions of what is lost and what is gained when local, regional or national literatures become world literature, and what it may mean for world literature to appear in English, the dominant world language.
Learning outcome
After completing this course you will have:
- acquired an overview of the central issues involved in reading
world literature. - developed your skills in literary interpretation through close
engagement with a number of key novels from recent decades - learned to identify theoretical developments in the field of world literature.
- developed your skills in historical and cultural analysis.
Admission
Students at UiO must apply for courses in StudentWeb.
International applicants, if you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.
The examination in this course is not available for external candidates. Only students admitted to the course may sit for the examination.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
No obligatory prerequisites beyond the minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway.
Teaching
Seminar, two hours per week for ten weeks, 20 hours in all.
A minimum of 80% attendance is required, as well as contributions in the form of one oral presentation (pass/fail).
Access to teaching
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Examination
A term paper of 10 standard pages (topic to be decided between teacher and student)
All assignments handed in for evaluation must be accompanied by an obligatory statement concerning cheating
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed.
Language of examination
English
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
You may request an explanation of your grades, and you may also appeal against your grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals.
Resit an examination
You can usually resit an exam, but the conditions depend on whether you had a valid reason for absence from the regular exam. Read more about resitting an exam.
Withdrawal from an examination
A student may sit this exam up to 3 times. If a student wishes to withdraw from the exam, s/he must do so in StudentWeb at least two weeks prior to the first day of the exam. Failure to do so will be counted as one of the three opportunities to sit the exam.
Special examination arrangements
If you have a disability or a health problem that entails significant inconvenience in an examination situation, you may be considered for special examination arrangements. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.
Evaluation
Feedback from our students is essential if we are to provide the best possible education. As a student at the University of Oslo you will be asked to participate in various types of evaluation of our courses. Every time a course is given, we ask students to participate in mid-term evaluations, and periodically we ask them to participate in periodic evaluation of the course.