Course Catalogue

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This cross-cultural course will introduce students to literary exchanges between Scottish and European writers from the medieval period to the end of the nineteenth century. Beginning with the Medieval Scottish Makars this course will offer students the opportunity to read and discuss the interplay of key writers and texts across Scotland and Europe to find a fresh perspective on cross-national borrowings and national literatures. It will also similarly focus on the Scottish Enlightenment and Robert Burns, the Romantic movement and Walter Scott, the Victorian era and Robert Louis Stevenson, including writing and letters by women of these periods such as Madame de Staël and Jane Welsh Carlyle. How did literature mediate across political, cultural, and social borders in the past? This course invites you to explore the deep roots of Scotland's cultural connections to the continent.

Block 4, Weeks 1-10

2 hours per week for 10 weeks

Thursday, 19.00-21.00

None

None

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Close reading exercise (750 words) analysing and comparing two texts (one Scottish, one European) to recognise their potential relationship to one another (25%)

Essay (1,500 words) comparing two texts (one Scottish, the other European) to reveal the broader cross-cultural literary dialogue between Scotland and Europe demonstrated by these texts, specifically the role of cross-national borrowings and national literatures (75%).

This course aims to:

■ introduce students to significant writers and texts involved in literary exchanges between Scotland and Europe from the medieval period to the end of the nineteenth century

■ Offer students the chance to engage in close textual analysis of notable extracts of novels, drama, fiction and letters from Scotland and Europe during this time period to discuss and discover their relationship to one another.

■ Invite students to discuss broader questions concerning the role of national literatures and cross-national dialogue in the context of Scotland and Europe.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Identify and compare significant writers and texts involved in literary exchanges between Scotland and Europe from the medieval period to the end of the nineteenth century

■ Analyse notable extracts of novels, drama, fiction and letters from Scotland and Europe during this time period and discuss their relationship to one another.

■ Demonstrate a broader comparative understanding of cross-national borrowings and national literatures in the context of Scotland and Europe.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.