Postcolonial Theory and LiteratureModule Details

Background and Rationale

Contemporary English literature is global in scope: much of the most exciting and challenging writing to have emerged over the last half century is from India, Africa, the Caribbean, New Zealand, and other regions of the formerly colonised world. This 'postcolonial' literature engages, directly or indirectly, with the multiple legacies of colonialism, but also with the issues and problems surrounding today's increasingly globalised world. Topics of discussion will therefore include: representations of cultural identity, the uses of history, (post)national and gender politics, cross-cultural transformations, migrant aesthetics, the function of postcolonial theory, and the role played by English literatures and languages in a modern globalised world. On completion of this module, students will be equipped with knowledge of a wide range of postcolonial literature from Commonwealth countries as well as postcolonial discourse theory.

Learning Outcomes

This module supports and develops the ability to work autonomously, initiative, planning and organisational skills. Students will learn to analyse information, synthesise views and make connections; students will be critically aware of, and be informed by, current knowledge; and will develop research skills. In short: Skills for effective communication, oral and written.
 Capacity to analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse.
 Ability to acquire quantities of complex information of diverse kinds in a structured and systematic way.
 Capacity for independent thought and judgement.
 Critical reasoning.
 Research skills, including information retrieval skills, the organisation of material, and the evaluation of its importance.
 IT skills.
 Time management and organisational skills.
 Independent learning.
 Demonstrate an understanding of colonial discourse analysis.
 Explore the links between political narratives of power and cultural production
 Demonstrate an understanding of the key concerns of postcolonial studies
 Explore the relationship between postcolonial writers and those writers from the colonial period
 Draw on colonial discourse analysis and postcolonial thinkers to analyse key concepts such race, gender, national identity etc.