ENG4429 ¨C Life Writing in English

Course content

Books and writings claiming to portray real lives and life experiences are a recently growing trend. The writers "tell all" in autobiographies and memoirs, letters, diaries or essays, or on social media. The genre of life writing can also include poems and narratives that evolve into autobiographical fiction, or biographical narratives not written in the first person. How has this rich and varied genre evolved historically and why is it still so popular today? Which theories and perspectives can help us understand the phenomenon of life writing? In this course, we will examine a range of texts written in English, focusing on how they are written and how they matter.

Portraying a life or telling one¡¯s story can take many different forms, from commercial branding and cultivation of stereotypes to a radical challenging of societal norms and expectations. The question of who gets their story told opens up to discussions of cultural identity and representation. Experimental life writing is related to art, politics, and philosophy, defined by Theodor W. Adorno in the 1960s as the liberating "smashing of the fa?ade of life in which one happens to find oneself."

Learning outcome

After completing this course, you

• can identify varieties of, and developments within, life writing such as autobiographies or biographies in English,
• can analyze this category of non-fiction texts with recourse to relevant theory,
• can demonstrate the ability to reflect on various distinctions between fiction and non-fiction,
• have a working knowledge of textual and rhetorical analysis, for use even when reading other kinds of texts,
• have developed skills in critical writing and argumentation that are transferrable to most areas of professional employment.

Admission to the course

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.

Teaching

Seminars, 2 hours per week for 10 weeks.

Obligatory activities:

• You must submit a term paper draft of 5 pages which must be approved by the teacher in order to qualify for the exam.?Read more here about rules concerning valid excuses and how to apply for postponements.?
• It is obligatory to show up for a minimum of 60% of the teaching. In this course you have to attend 6 of 10 seminars. The requirement is absolute.

The allowed absence limit will cover all absences, including illness. You will not be granted valid absences with documentation, even when the absence is due to something beyond your control.

If the course has in-person teaching, and you are signed up for an in-person seminar group, you are to attend the teaching in the location found in the schedule.

If the course has digital teaching, and you are signed up for a digital seminar group, you must attend via Zoom with your camera on.

In certain circumstances, i.e. serious or chronic illness, you could apply for special needs accommodations.

Examination

The form of assessment is a term paper of approximately 10 pages (a standard page consists of 2,300 characters), plus references and bibliography. The term paper must follow further guidelines to be distributed in Canvas. You will be offered individual term paper supervision.

Language of examination

The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.

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.

Resit an examination

A term paper or equivalent that is passed may not be resubmitted in revised form.

If you?withdraw from the exam?after the deadline, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.