University of Kent Code of Practice for Quality Assurance

university of kent – code of practice for quality assurance

MODULE SPECIFICATION

1.  The title of the module: Jewish Writing from the Diaspora and Israel

2.  The Department which will be responsible for the module: SECL (CompLit)

3.  The Start Date of the module: Autumn 2010

4.  The cohort of students (onwards) to which the module will be applicable: single and joint honours, CompLit stages 2 (level I) and 3 (level H)

5.  The number of students expected to take the module: 20–30

6.  Modules to be withdrawn on the introduction of this proposed module and consultation with other relevant Departments and Faculties regarding the withdrawal: None

7.  The level of the module: I and H

8.  The number of credits which the module represents: 30

9.  Which term(s) the module will be taught in (or other teaching pattern): Autumn and Spring

10.  Prerequisite and co-requisite modules: None (however, a complementary module on “The Shoah in Literature, Film and Culture” is being offered and participation in this module is recommended)

11.  The programmes of study to which the module contributes: Comparative Literature and open to all other programmes within the Humanities as an option.

12.  The intended subject-specific learning outcomes and, as appropriate, their relationship to programme learning outcomes:

·  To become aware of and be able to apply theoretical approaches to diasporic and minority literatures;

·  To theorise transcultural and transnational writing;

·  To address issues of multiculturalism in cultural production;

·  To understand literature in its function as a catalyst and product of identity formation;

·  To become aware of literature in its function as a vehicle of cultural self-reflection;

·  To grasp conceptions of ‘Jewishness’ and of Jewish literature;

·  To become aware of and enquire into postcolonial aspects of Jewish literature;

·  To chart and understand the development of an emerging ‘national’ literature.

These subject-specific learning outcomes will contribute to achieving the following CompLit programme learning outcomes: 12A (a), (b), (c), and (g).

13.  The intended generic learning outcomes and, as appropriate, their relationship to programme learning outcomes:

·  To improve oral communication skills through participation in seminars and through the delivery of one formal seminar presentation;

·  To refine written communication skills, including the structuring of an original argument, through the writing of one short essay and one extended essay;

·  To develop the ability to read closely and critically, and to apply a range of critical terms to literary texts;

·  To hone the ability to undertake the comparative analysis of literature.

These generic learning outcomes will contribute to achieving the following CompLit programme learning outcomes: 12B (a), (b), (c), (d), (f), and (g); 12C (i)–(r); 12D (s)–(v).

14.  A synopsis of the curriculum: Secular Jewish writing lends itself exceptionally well to comparative study. Indeed, it demands a comparative approach because, as a largely diasporic literature of a stunning variety, it is inherently transnational and transcultural. Mainly developing since the early nineteenth century, secular Jewish literature is a literature of many languages; it evolves not least through the productive friction between changing conceptions of Jewishness and various often highly diverse cultural contact zones all over the world. In this module a choice of representative texts will be discussed so that students may appreciate the broad range and variety of Jewish writing since the late nineteenth century. To avoid the over-simplifications inherent in a comprehensive periodisation, the ordering principle applied here is not strictly chronological but rather reflects on particular aspects of Jewish ‘experience’. It ranges from what has been called ghetto literature (Abramovitsh and Aleichem) to Israeli ‘national literature’ (Tammuz and Castel-Bloom) and includes ‘Origins’ (excerpts from the Bible), ‘Assimilation and Dissociation’ (Levy and Schnitzler), ‘Zionism’ (Herzl and Achad Ha’am), ‘Wandering’ (Roth, Némirovsky and Scliar), ‘Religion’ (Reich and Stollman), ‘(Re)Constructing History’ (Uris and Wilson), ‘Holocaust’ (Bassani and Appelfeld) and ‘Diaspora–Israel’ (Sinclair and Roth).

15.  Indicative Reading List:

Introduction: What is Jewish Literature?

·  Wirth-Nesher, Hana (ed.). What is Jewish Literature? (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1994)

Origins:

·  The Bible (excerpts from the Pentateuch, Judges, Kings, Ezra, Isaiah)

Separation – Stetlah and the ‘Old Country’:

·  Mendele Mocher Seforim (Salomon Jacob Abramovitsh), Benjamin the Third (1878; orig. Yiddish; Lithuania/Russia/Ukraine)

·  Sholem Aleichem (Sholem Naumovich Rabinovich), Tevye, the Dairyman (1894; orig. Yiddish; Russia/USA)

Assimilation and Dissociation:

·  Amy Levy, Reuben Sachs (1889; England)

·  Arthur Schnitzler, The Road into the Open (1908; orig. German; Austria)

Zionism:

·  Theodor Herzl, The Jewish State (1896; orig. German; Austria; excerpts)

·  Theodor Herzl, Old-Newland (1902; orig. German; Austria)

·  Theodor Herzl, Diaries (publ. 1935; orig. German; Austria; excerpts)

·  Achad Ha’am, Selected Essays (1923; orig. Hebrew; Russia; excerpts)

Wandering:

·  Joseph Roth, Job: The Story of a Simple Man (1930; orig. German; Austria)

·  Irène Némirovsky: Suite Française (1942/2006; orig. French, France)

·  Moacyr Scliar, The Centaur in the Garden (1980; orig. Portuguese; Brazil)

(Re)Constructing History:

·  Leon Uris, Exodus (1956; USA)

·  Jonathan Wilson, A Palestine Affair (2003; UK/USA)

Religion:

·  Tova Reich, The Jewish War (1995; USA)

·  Aryeh Lev Stollman, The Illuminated Soul (2002; Canada)

Holocaust:

·  Giorgio Bassani, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1962; orig. Italian; Italy)

·  Aharon Appelfeld, Badenheim 1939 (1980; orig. Hebrew; Israel)

·  See also complementary module CP624 The Shoah in Literature, Film and Culture

Diaspora–Israel:

·  Clive Sinclair, Blood Libels (1985; UK)

·  Philip Roth, Operation Shylock (1993; USA)

Israeli Literature:

·  Benjamin Tammuz, Minotaur (1980; orig. Hebrew; Israel)

·  Orly Castel-Bloom, Dolly City (1992; orig. Hebrew; Israel)

16.  Learning and Teaching Methods, including the nature and number of contact hours and the total study hours which will be expected of students, and how these relate to achievement of the intended learning outcomes: The module will be taught by means of a weekly two-hour seminar: Total study hours 10 hours per week; remaining 8 hours devoted to reading and preparation of primary and secondary texts, seminar participation and presentation, and essay preparation and writing. Total study hours: 300. The seminars will be focused on specific texts and will generally include a 20-minute presentation by one of the students. Having completed the preparatory reading for each week’s seminar, students will be in a position to contribute to seminar discussion, which will include focusing upon particular extracts from each of the works under consideration. The seminar group will usually be subdivided into smaller groups at some point in each seminar in order to encourage collaborative work on the texts and to give students the confidence to present their ideas to the larger group. Each student will also be able to choose a particular text on which to base a seminar presentation and a PowerPoint ‘documentary’ (a 2 min comprehensive clip based on the presentation). Once most of the reading for the module as a whole has been accomplished, students will be in a position to choose an appropriate topic for their extended essay (3,000 words). Higher level students will submit an additional short essay (1,500 words). Essay titles will be proposed by students as a result of their engagement with the course material and will be finalised in consultation with the module convenor. These learning and teaching methods will contribute to achieving the following subject-specific and generic learning outcomes on the CompLit Programme Specification: 12A (a), (b), (c), and (g); 12B (a), (b), (c), (d), (f), (g), and (h); 12C (a), (k), (l), (m), (n), (o), (p), (q), and (r); 12B (s), (t), (u), and (v).

17.  Assessment methods and how these relate to testing achievement of the intended learning outcomes: All students will give one in-class presentation of approximately 20 minutes on one or more of the texts being studied (10%), submit one ‘documentary’ based on the presentation (10%) and complete one extended essay of 4,500 words (I-Ievel: 70%; H-level: 50%); H-level students will additionally submit a second short essay of 1,500 words (20%). This will be on topics, supported with relevant reading, that are of a level consistent with H-level work and beyond that of the typical I-level student. Oral participation in seminars will count for 10% of the overall mark. Students are expected to develop presentation, documentary and essay titles from their engagement with the texts and in consultation with the convenor. However, as a fallback, there will be lists of presentation, documentary and essay titles available. These assessment methods will contribute to achieving the following learning outcomes on the CompLit Programme Specification: 12B (a), (b), (c), (d), (f), (g), and (h). They will also contribute to achieving the following educational aims of the programme: 11 (a), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), and (i).

18.  Implications for learning resources, including staff, library, IT and space: None

19.  A statement confirming that, as far as can be reasonably anticipated, the curriculum learning and teaching methods and forms of assessment do not present any non-justifiable disadvantage to students with disabilities: As far as can reasonably be anticipated, the curriculum, the learning and teaching methods, and the forms of assessment will not present any non-justifiable disadvantage to students with disabilities. The methods of assessment will favour any students who are dyslexic insofar as they will not require the production of any work in timed examination conditions, and such students will be asked to indicate on their assessed work that they are dyslexic so that this can be taken into account in the assessment of the work. If any student requires wheelchair access, an appropriate teaching room will be arranged.

Statement by the Director of Learning and Teaching: “I confirm that I have been consulted on the above module proposal and have given advice on the correct procedures and required content of module proposals.”

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Director of Learning and Teaching Date

Statement by the Head of Department: “I confirm that the Department has approved the introduction of the module and will be responsible for its resourcing.”

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Head of Department Date

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