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Interrogating the Self

Overview

  • Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
  • Convenor: Mari Paz Balibrea Enriquez
  • Tutors: all teaching staff in the department
  • Assessment: a 5000-word essay (100%)

Module description

How did concepts of the self and the subject come into being and what is implied by each of them? This module provides you with a historical overview and theoretical grounding on the European origins of modern subjectivity, how they have impinged upon and shaped definitions, interpretations and uses of culture, and the reasons of their coming under attack in the twentieth century.

The first part of the module is offered to all students on the MA/MRes Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies (Modern Languages). In the second part you will divide into different proposed strands according to your comparative or language-speaking area of studies and the expertise available in the Department of Cultures and Languages. This second part will vary year by year depending on the interests of incoming students and the availability of academic staff.

Indicative module syllabus

Part one

  • The Emergence of the Modern Self

Part two

  • Regarding the Subject: Comparisons and Theories
  • Negotiating Gender: Annie Ernaux, the Modern Woman
  • Slavery and Visual Arts in Imperial Spain

Learning objectives

By the end of this module you will be able to:

  • competently reflect and critically engage with the categories associated with the category of the self and its Western, European origins
  • understand the philosophical and political differences between the categories of the self and the subject
  • understand the main critiques of the category of the subject in the twentieth century, ranging from surrealism, structuralism, psychoanalysis, poststructuralism and queer studies
  • understand the impact of these critiques for the understanding of culture
  • be able to make comparisons and connections across time periods, spaces and disciplines
  • analyse and critically assess some of the dominant themes, salient authors and cultural objects within your chosen strand and cultural tradition
  • demonstrate skills in close textual analysis
  • show critical awareness of the meanings and functions of cultural production within the social and cultural contexts of their production and reception
  • engage with complex cultural and historical criticism material.