What will I learn on this module?
In this module you will study a range of texts from the eighteenth century to the Romantic period. The module considers a period in which literature and culture witnessed a succession of revolutionary changes. The novel emerged as a new form; female writers and readers took on a new prominence; the print market expanded enormously; and writers responded to the seismic changes in society caused by a period of war, imperial expansion, and political and social revolution. You will study a diverse and unusual range of texts that emerged from this period, and learn how to link the texts to the period’s context.
How will I learn on this module?
Learning and teaching will be through a combination of lectures and seminars. Lectures will introduce you to key concepts and critical approaches, and illustrate how they might be applied to literary texts. Seminars will be student-led and encourage debate and discussion. The aims of the module will be consolidated by a combination of formative and summative modes of assessment facilitating students’ awareness of the relevant issues in writing of this period, while also encouraging self-assessment and reflexive learning.
How will I be supported academically on this module?
Lectures are supported by PowerPoint presentations and handouts; by a dedicated eLP site; by a detailed module guide that clearly sets out in detail the structure of formal teaching; detailed bibliographies that draw upon the latest scholarship in the field of eighteenth-century and Romantic literature; by discussion with the module tutor and in the development of speaking, listening, and critical skills gained through participation in classroom activities.
What will I be expected to read on this module?
All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.
What will I be expected to achieve?
Knowledge & Understanding:
1. An enhanced knowledge and understanding of issues raised by a range of literary texts and contexts from the eighteenth century and the Romantic period
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2. enhanced intellectual skills in employing historical and critical material in relation to literature
3. enhanced abilities in close and interdisciplinary textual analysis
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
4. understanding of debates around class, race, gender, religion, nationality and empire and literature’s intervention in those debates
5. skills conforming to relevant standards of good academic conduct in the expression of an informed argument in written forms through completing the various activities prescribed.
How will I be assessed?
Formative: an oral presentation on a selected critical essay relevant to one of the texts on the module, delivered during a seminar. (MLO 1, 2, 5)
Summative:
1.
1500-word essay referring to at least two texts on the module (MLO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) 40%
2.
2500-word essay referring to at least two texts on the module
(MLO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) 60%
Feedback on formative presentations will be delivered with comments on feedback sheets designed specifically for presentation work. Feedback on summative work will be delivered according to the existing protocols of the Humanities Department on feedback sheets. Feedback on the first summative assignment will help students prepare for the longer assignment at the end of the module. In addition, students will be encouraged to reflect critically on their own work by completing a self-evaluation sheet to accompany submitted work asking them to identify strengths and weaknesses and to request specific feedback in key areas.
Pre-requisite(s)
NA
Co-requisite(s)
NA
Module abstract
The eighteenth century and the Romantic period transformed literature in revolutionary ways. With the rise of the novel, the establishment of journalism, the birth of modern feminism, the growth of trade and empire, the development of literary celebrity, responses to political revolution, and protests against the slave trade, the module allows you to encounter a fascinating period that gives shapes to many of our modern ideas about literature and society. This module presents a diverse range of texts from this period, and helps you explore the rich historical contexts of this revolutionary era.
Course info
UCAS Code QV31
Credits 20
Level of Study Undergraduate
Mode of Study 3 years Full Time or 4 years with a placement (sandwich)/study abroad
Department Humanities
Location City Campus, Northumbria University
City Newcastle
Start September 2025
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
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