ENG4304 – Contemporary American and Canadian Short Fiction
Course content
The students will study a selection of texts written by 6 authors generally counted among the leading American/Canadian short fiction writers of the late twentieth century. Their stories represent different modes of short fiction that in different ways influenced the development of the genre in the two countries as well as internationally. The main focus will be on the formal aspects of the texts, which will be studied with reference to central aspects of contemporary short fiction theory.
Learning outcome
The students will become familiar with important contemporary short fiction careers in the United States and Canada. A further objective for the course will be to develop and problematize an analytical vocabulary for the study of syllabus texts (neo-realism, minimalism, postmodernism).
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
For studenter utenfor litteraturprogrammet kreves det at man har minst 20 sp engelskspr?klig litteratur, engelsk spr?k eller kulturkunnskap.
Teaching
The course is taught throughout the semester with 2 hours per week, 28 hours in all. There is a mid-term break (one week in autumn term, two weeks in spring term) during which the students are expected to prepare obligatory assignments and otherwise study on their own. The students are supposed to attend the course regularly
Examination
The students will be called upon to give an oral presentation (pass/fail) on an assigned topic. Once the course requirements have been fulfilled, they remain valid for the current and the two consecutive semesters when the course is given. Marks will be based on the writing of a seminar essay of 10 standard pages. The essay may form the basis for the writing of the Master's thesis later on.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Other
Med et noe utvidet pensum vil emnet telle 15 studiepoeng i gammel studieordning.