The Bleeding Edge: Contemporary narratives of illness and medicine ENGLIT5104

  • Academic Session: 2024-25
  • School: School of Critical Studies
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No

Short Description

This course offers study of contemporary illness and medical narratives across a variety of genres, such as memoir, science fiction, thriller, graphic novel and young adult fiction.

Timetable

1x 2hr seminar per week over 10 weeks

Requirements of Entry

Standard entry to Masters at College level

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Encyclopaedia-style explanation of key term or concept (1500 words): 20%

Essay (3500 words): 80%

Course Aims

This course will provide the opportunity to:

• study a range of contemporary illness and medical narratives

• theoretically analyse the contemporary flourishing of illness and medical narratives

• consider illness and medical narratives in a variety of genres, including popular literature and reportage

• develop independent research skills through formulating and researching essay topics with appropriate guidance

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

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

• apply relevant theories of illness and medical narrative to contemporary texts

• comprehend the contemporary cultural significance of illness and medical narrative

• analyse and evaluate particular narrative materials

• communicate responses to the material studied on the course in written form through coherent and sustained argument at an advanced level

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

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