Informació de l'assignatura

The subject 'Introduction to English Literature' and the transversal competences of the Humanities Degree

On completion of the subject students will be able to:

Demonstrate their understanding of the main ideas in complex academic texts, both regarding concrete and abstract themes, including technical debates in English (minimum level: B2).
Communicate fluently and spontaneously, in English, with native speakers of this language within a virtual environment (minimum level B2).
Write clear, detailed texts on a variety of subjects, expressing a personal point of view which is argued convincingly (minimum level B2).
Search for secondary sources to document the writing of academic essays in English (minimum level B2).

The subject 'Introduction to English Literature' and the specific competences of the Humanities Degree

On completion of the subject students will be able to:

Analyse and critically interpret the cultural transformations, both past and present, of English-speaking countries and, by comparison, of their own culture.
Recognise and interpret the complexity of cultural diversity.
Interpret their existing cultural context from a multidisciplinary viewpoint.
Identify and understand the processes of cultural reproduction and transformations in human interaction.

Specific competences of the subject

On completion of the subject students will be able to:

Demonstrate a sound knowledge of the most representative works and movements of English Literature from the 16th century onwards, and of the relations between literary creation and the general evolution of the corresponding culture.
Demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of literary and academic texts in English.
Apply critical thinking to the reading, analysis and description of literary and academic texts in English.
Argue complex ideas in a clear, coherent and persuasive way regarding texts and discourses in English.
Write critical and explanatory academic texts in English.

Specific competences of the subject per Unit

Unit 1: Literature in English: Definitions and debates

On completion of this unit students will be able to:

Demonstrate a good knowledge of the current debates on the Literature in English.
Argue complex ideas in a clear, coherent and persuasive way regarding these debates.
Apply critical thinking to the comparison between the culture in English speaking countries and their own cultures (Catalan or Spanish)
Write critical and explanatory academic texts in English on the nature of Literature and how it is defined within the English-speaking world.
Apply the theoretical and methodological tools acquired in the production and comprehension of texts of diverse academic areas within the Humanities.

Unit 2: Contemporary English fiction: The literary novel today

On completion of this unit students will be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge of the most representative fiction of contemporary English Literature.
Demonstrate good reading comprehension of this genre, with an emphasis on literary fiction.
Apply critical thinking to the reading, analysis and description of fiction in English.
Argue complex ideas in a clear, coherent and persuasive way regarding this genre in their contemporary manifestations.
Write critical and explanatory academic texts in English on the fiction written in English.
Apply the knowledge acquired to understanding and participating in current debates on multilinguism, nationalism, and the traditions of their immediate cultural context.

Unit 3: Popular narratives of the 19C

On completion of this unit the student will be able to:

Demonstrate sound understanding of the selected 19th century popular narratives in English.
Apply critical thinking to the reading, analysis and description of 19^th century popular narratives.
Argue complex ideas in a coherent and persuasive manner regarding 19th century popular literature.
Write critical and explanatory academic texts in English on the selected 19th century popular narratives written in English.
Integrate quotations from primary sources in written academic essays.

Unit 4: English poetry: A panoramic view

On completion of this unit students will be able to:

Demonstrate a sound knowledge of the most representative works and movements of English poetry from the Renaissance to the present.
Demonstrate a good understanding of this genre in different historical periods.
Apply critical thinking to the reading, analysis and description of a selection of poetry from the past and the present written in English.
Argue complex ideas in a clear, coherent and persuasive way regarding the poetry written in English of the past and the present.
Write a critical text on the poetry written in English and and record themselves (either on a voice recorder or on a camera) reading it.
Apply the knowledge acquired to the reading, analysis and comparison of poetry written in other languages.

Unit 5: Shakespeare

On completion of this unit students will be able to:

Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the plays and life of William Shakespeare.
Demonstrate a good understanding of one of Shakespeare's plays in its original English version.
Argue complex ideas in a clear, coherent and persuasive way regarding the plays by William Shakespeare.
Write critical and explanatory academic texts in English analysing, in detail, a play by William Shakespeare.
Apply the knowledge acquired to the reading, analysis and comparison of drama written in other languages