The Short Story in Scotland: Tradition & Innovation SCOTLIT4040

  • Academic Session: 2024-25
  • School: School of Critical Studies
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No

Short Description

A survey study of Scottish short stories from the 1820s to the 21st century, looking at historical-period aspects of form and how the genre of short fiction develops and changes with reference to Scottish and wider Western cultural history.

Timetable

1 x 2 hour seminar over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus

Requirements of Entry

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into Scottish Literature, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation.

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Group presentation (10 minutes) - 50% (of which 30% is an individual mark and 20% a group mark)

Essay (1500 words) - 50% 

Are reassessment opportunities available for all summative assessments? Not applicable for Honours courses

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

Course Aims

This course aims to:

■ introduce students to the genesis and development of the short story in Scotland

■ introduce students to reading the formal elements of the short story

■ enable students to utilise formal and historic elements of the short story to mount an independent

investigation of the short story

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

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

■ Analyse the key formal features of the short story

■ Critically evaluate the key historic contexts of the short story as these change through time

■ Investigate the ways in which publishing and other contexts influence the production of the short story

■ Work collaboratively to explore a specific area of research interest and clearly communicate findings orally and in writing

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.