ENGLISH 216 Modernist Transformations - Course Outlines

Course Prescription

Modernist writers wanted to ‘Make it new, make it strange, make it dance’. This course focuses on Modernist texts from the first half of the twentieth century, tracing in the literature, art and other cultural productions of that period the development of ideas and techniques still relevant to how we write, think and ‘make it new’ today.

Course Overview

This course takes transformation as its theme and a selection of influential Modernist works from the first half of the twentieth century as its focus. We will explore poetry, experimental prose and manifestos that map out some of the possibilities for avant-garde art and literature, asking how art and culture responded to a period of dizzying change. Along the way we’ll investigate the role of cities in the development of modernist art, changes in gender roles, the influence of new sciences like psychology and the results of technological development for culture. Our reading list includes poetry by Gertrude Stein and William Carlos Williams, manifestoes by Futurist and feminist writers and prose fiction by Jean Toomer and Virginia Woolf.

We like physical books and we like digital resources. We think Modernism is one of the most exciting developments for writing and art in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We know there have never been so many ways of accessing the textual and contextual treasures of the period. We aim to put as many of them as possible into play in order to reveal the richness and connectivity of the writer’s world and its relevance for contemporary cultural production.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage I in English Restriction: ENGLISH 206, 222

Learning Outcomes

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

Display their knowledge of modernism as a multimedia, multicultural phenomenon. (Capability 1.1 and 1.2)
Analyse poetic, fictional and visual representations using a variety of interpretive tools. (Capability 2.1 and 2.2)
Research and communicate independently and in groups. (Capability 3.2 and 4.3)
Explore a variety of ways of reading poetry and fiction within the context of English literature studies. (Capability 1.3 and 4.1)
Draw creative/critical connections among different kinds of media, national contexts and time periods. (Capability 4.2 and 5.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type	Percentage	Classification
Assignments	40%	Individual Coursework
Assignments	40%	Individual Coursework
Test	20%	Individual Test
3 types	100%

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of participatory lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 3 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 4 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at all scheduled activities including lectures and tutorials to receive full credit for components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities will not be available as recordings.
The course will include live online events including group tutorials.
Attendance on campus is required for the test.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Required course book.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Capability 1:	Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2:	Critical Thinking
Capability 3:	Solution Seeking
Capability 4:	Communication and Engagement
Capability 5:	Independence and Integrity

ENGLISH 216 : Modernist Transformations

Arts

2021 Semester One (1213) (15 POINTS)