ENG31140 The Body in Pain in Irish Culture

Academic Year 2018/2019

This module will interrogate the various meanings attached to the body in pain in Irish culture. Examining a range of genres and media including novels, plays, film, murals, and newspaper reports, this module will investigate the changing significance of pained and traumatized Irish bodies over time. The material that we look at will be sometimes difficult or emotionally challenging in nature.

Each week we will analyse our primary texts alongside writings by leading scholars of trauma theory and memory studies including Cathy Caruth, Dominic LaCapra, Elaine Scarry, Marianne Hirsch, Paul Ricoeur and Kali Tal. Please note this is a team-taught module assessed by a combination of exam and continuous assessment.

PLEASE NOTE that the School of English, Drama and Film reserves the right to withdraw modules in the period up to and including the first week of the teaching semester.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

Analyse a variety of texts from different moments in Irish culture in the context of developments in the fields of memory studies and trauma theory

Demonstrate a critical understanding of the historicity of conceptions of the body in pain.

Demonstrate a critical understanding of the ways in which traumatized Irish bodies have been used to explore issues of national and political import.

Demonstrate a critical understanding of the key tenets of literary trauma theory and be able to assess its strengths and limitations.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

10
Specified Learning Activities

50
Autonomous Student Learning

40
Total

100
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.



 
Description % of Final Grade Timing
Examination: Final exam

70

 2 hour End of Trimester Exam
Journal: Continuous learning journal

30

 Throughout the Trimester

Compensation

This module is not passable by compensation

Resit Opportunities

In-semester assessment

Remediation

Students who fail this module will need to repeat or resit the module depending on the availability of the module in the following semester. If you have failed, please contact the Academic Support Officer for information on how to remediate the module. If you are taking this module as an option or an elective, you may be able to substitute another module. Check with your Programme Office if this is possible.

Name Role
Professor Fionnuala Dillane Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Margaret Kelleher Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Emilie Pine Lecturer / Co-Lecturer