This module examines the rich and dynamic presence of British black and Asian writing from the mid-17th century to the present. Exploring the ways in which black and Asian writing has contributed to definitions of Britishness for more than 300 years, it examines how black writers have produced formally innovative and conceptually challenging responses to questions of race, class, gender and identity, while simultaneously making significant creative contributions to the fields of drama, prose, poetry, and life-writing. In the first half of the module, students will study a range of early British texts from the mid-17th century to the 19th century from writers such as Equiano and Mary Seacole, alongside contemporary works which have reflected on the black cultural presence in Britain during this period, while the second half of the module turns to 20th century and contemporary texts by writers such as Zadie Smith. Andrea Levy, Monica Ali, Hanif Kureishi, Meera Syal, Gautam Malkani, Leila Aboulela, Jackie Kay and John Agard, contextualised by appropriate critical and cultural theories from thinkers such as Paul Gilroy and Stuart Hall. The module is assessed by a flexible assessment strategy which allows students to respond to the module through a combination of critical essay, performance and/or creative writing, and discussion posts documenting engagement and critical response.
Students will read a variety of black British and Asian writing from the mid-17th century to the present day. This may include early black British writings, such slave narratives and memoir; contemporary reflections on early black British art - Laura Fish's Strange Music, David Dabydeen's Johnson's Dictionary and Bernadine Evaristo's Soul Tourists; 20th and 21st century black British drama, poetry and prose: Winsome Pinnock, John Agard, debbie tucker green, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Lemm Sissay, Zadie Smith, Diran Adebayo, Jackie Kay, Andrea Levy. We will also look at Asian voices such as Meera Syal, VS Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Gautam Malkani, and British Muslim narratives: Nadeem Aslam, Hanif Kureishi, Monica Ali and Leila Aboulela.
This module is taught by three hour interactive lectures, which will include lecture presentations, workshop activities, student discussions, and film screenings. In all activities, strong emphasis is given to personal engagement and response. In addition to classroom sessions, students will also have the opportunity to attend workshops by resident and visiting writers, and to undertake a number of field trips to relevant exhibitions, theatre productions, and venues such as the Black Cultural Archives.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Interactive lectures | 66 |
| Guided independent study | 234 | |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
Assessment for this module is designed to test students' engagement with the texts studied and their ability to respond to them in a variety of critical and creative forms. Students will be given the opportunity to shape their assessment from a range of available options, suited to their own disciplinary interests and preferred method of engagement. Formative feedback is offered via classroom discussions, office hours, and via the VLE.
1) Completed at the end of teaching block 1:
A critical essay of 2000 words
OR
A 1500 word piece of creative writing with accompanying 500 word critical commentary
OR
A recorded five minute performance with accompanying 500 word critical commentary (30%)
2) Completed at the end of teaching block 2:
A critical essay of 2500 words
OR
A 1500 word piece of creative writing with accompanying 1000 word critical commentary
OR
A recorded five minute performance with accompanying 1000 word critical commentary (50%)
3) 20 discussion posts, as recorded via the VLE (20%)
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of black British writing from the mid-17th century to the present | assessed formatively and summatively via flexible assessments and discussion posts |
| Critically interrogate the idea of black British writing and its representation in conventional literary discourses | assessed formatively and summatively via flexible assessments and discussion posts |
| Situate black British writing in its broader intersectional context regarding questions of gender, class, and sexuality | assessed formatively and summatively via flexible assessments and discussion posts |
| Evidence literary engagement via critical, creative and reflective means | assessed formatively and summatively via flexible assessments and discussion posts |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Flexible Assessment | 30% |
| Coursework | Flexible Assessment | 50% |
| Coursework | Discussion Posts | 20% |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS NOT a requirement that any major assessment category is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
David Dabydeen, Johnson's Dictionary (2013)
Laura Fish, Strange Music (2008)
Andrea Levy, Small Island (2004)
Gautam Malkani, Londonstani (2001)
VS Naipaul, The Mimic Men (1967)
Winsome Pinnock, Mules (1996)
Zadie Smith, NW (2012)
Meera Syal, Anita and Me (1996)
debbie tucker green, Random (2008)
Brah, Avtar. Cartographies of Diaspora: Contesting Identities. London: Routledge, 1996.
Dabydeen, David and Nana Wilson-Tagoe. A Reader's Guide to West Indian and Black British Literature. 2nd Rev. Ed. London: Hansib, 1997.
Gilroy, Paul. There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack': The Cultural Politics of Raceand Nation. London: Hutchinson, 1987.
McLeod, John. Postcolonial London: Rewriting the Metropolis. Routledge: London, 2004
Procter, James. Dwelling Places: Postwar Black British Writing. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2003.
Upstone, Sara. British Asian Fiction: Twenty-first-century Literature. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2012.