The course is based on the study of four acclaimed works of contemporary 'literary' fiction by Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith, Kazuo Ishiguro and Marilynne Robinson. The novels will be analysed in terms of their style, characterisation, themes, and setting, and also placed in the context of contemporary considerations such as marketing, creative writing courses, literary prizes, book groups, the cult of celebrity, and the relationship of Anglo-American contemporary fiction to that from mainland Europe.
We shall also consider the meaning of 'literary' as opposed to other kinds of contemporary fiction, relating the chosen novels to the 'canon' of literary fiction from the past and the ways in which this has been studied, and risking an assessment of their relative worth. Students will be encouraged to read more of each of the four authors, and discussion of the novels- themes will be complemented by short stories and articles: these will be distributed in class, and students will be encouraged to contribute their own.
Period
01-08-2011 - 26-08-2011 (4 weeks)
Target group
The University of Sussex International Summer School welcomes applicants from a wide range of educational backgrounds. Although most of you will be currently enrolled at a university or college, we also welcome applicants who have been away from education for some years, as well as highly committed senior high school students - for some courses a good general education, an open mind and lots of enthusiasm are the main qualifications. For some other courses you will see that prerequisites are listed - applicants for these courses are expected to submit transcripts to demonstrate that they have taken, or are currently taking, the necessary precursors.
Course aim
This is a great opportunity for secondary school students to prepare for college and acquire college credit, which you will usually be able to transfer to a future undergraduate degree. The International Summer School provides an opportunity to meet and study with people from different countries and cultures, on a cosmopolitan campus. The large range of courses on offer allows you to get ahead with credit in core courses, or simply to experiment with something new.
Credits
9.0 ECTS creditsSummer School courses carry 18 credits and last for four weeks. Since the standard annual load for a Sussex student is 120 credits, this means that each course is equivalent to four and a half semester hours or nine ECTS credits. Students can take only one course per session, as the courses are intensive. You can expect to spend 25 to 35 hours each week on your course between attending classes, labs and workshops, as well as time spent outside class preparing the readings and assignments. You can find information about the courses offered by the International Summer School through our course directory or courses by subject pages of our website.
Course fee
GBP 1250: Tuition only (one four week session).
GBP 2350: Tuition only (BOTH four week ISS sessions).
Course leader
Ruth Brown
Scholarships
The University of Sussex offers a limited number of scholarships for participation in the ISS in the form of partial fee waivers to students from developing countries who have high potential for future leadership in their field of study or career.
University of Sussex
Address: University of Sussex Brighton
Postal code: BN1 9RF
City: Brighton
Country: United Kingdom
Website: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/iss/
E-mail: issoffice@sussex.ac.uk
Phone: 00441273678406
Contemporary Fiction
