University of Galway

Course Module Information

Course Modules

Semester 2 | Credits: 5

This module offers an introduction to a selection of world literature by focusing on gender and globalization in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. We will examine the ways in which texts mediate between local conditions and literary forms, particularly in relation to gender, confronting a (prospectively) global audience. The module has been arranged into 5 units of intellectual debate and the works will be read comparatively, in relation to one another, and as contributions to particular literary and cultural traditions. We will question the categories of ‘women’s writing,’ ‘global literature,’ and ‘the West vs the Rest.’ We will also ask: what it means to read texts in the ‘world-language’ of English; how literary forms and strategies ‘travel;’ what are the potentials and limitations of comparative analysis; and how we might think of texts not only in relation to nations but also in relation to world-systems.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of different theories related to world literature, gender and globalization.
  2. Engage with these theories in tandem with a range of selected primary texts.
  3. Show understanding of literary texts in relation to contemporary social and historical conditions and contexts.
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between ideology and literature, for example capitalism, development, patriarchy, racism, and heterosexism etc.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Brick Lane" by Monica Ali
    ISBN: 9780552771153.
  2. "Village By the Sea" by Anita Desai
    ISBN: 9780143335498.
  3. "All Because of You" by Melissa Hill
    ISBN: 9780099499695.
  4. "The 30th Candle" by Angela Makholwa
    ISBN: 978177010158.
  5. "A Mercy" by Toni Morrison
    ISBN: 978030727676.
The above information outlines module EN3132: "Women, Writing, and World Literature (S2)" and is valid from 2016 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.