ENG4516 – Northern Ireland: History, Memory and Literature
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This course will offer a cross-disciplinary exploration of aspects of the society, history and literature of Northern Ireland. The content will have a principal emphasis on the period following partition (during which the province has existed as a distinct entity), but it will also include some consideration of the region’s more extended history and of the specific importance of locations such as Belfast and Derry. Attention will be paid to the Troubles and peace process, as well as to questions of place and identity. The course will involve discussion of various forms and genres of writing, including journalism, historiography, prose fiction, poetry and drama.
Learning outcome
After completing this course, students will have:
- gained an overview of Northern Irish history, including the modern conflict in Northern Ireland since 1968 (the "Troubles") and the attempts which have been made to resolve it
- engaged with a range of literary sources emerging from the region (including examples of poetry, prose and drama), and practised interpreting these in relation to their immediate and/or wider contexts
- learned to identify a topic for investigation, and to analyse central cultural and/or historical questions relating to Northern Ireland
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.
Students enrolled in other Master`s Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with ENG2516 – Northern Ireland (discontinued).
- 10 credits overlap with ENG1511 – Nord-Irland (discontinued).
Teaching
Seminars, 2 hours per week for 10 weeks. 20 hours in all.
A?proposal for your?individual essay topic turned in by a stated deadline.?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 accomodations.
You have the opportunity of turning in a first draft of your term paper during the semester. You will be offered draft supervision.
Both the obligatory activities must be approved in the same semester for you to sit the exam. Fulfilled course requirements are only valid the semester you attend the course.
Examination
The final grade is set on the basis of a written term paper (12 standard pages à 2,300 characters (+/- 10%))
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.
Marks will be published on Studentweb no later than three weeks after the exam.
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.