Course Content (Omschrijving van de cursus)
Have you ever read or heard the opening line of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair… “? In this course you select a variety of canonical and more recent novels to read, analyse, reflect on, and enjoy. You will study and learn to work with tools that can be used to analyse these works. The focus is on materials and terminology that can be used in secondary education.
Course Objectives (Doelen)
- You acquire knowledge of some twenty novels originally written in the English-speaking world from various periods, with an emphasis on literature after 1900.
- You are able to use literary terms applicable to the works read.
Format (Werkvormen)
Introductory lesson in which the content and structure of the course will be explained; presentations; discussion, and mostly self-study.
Assessment (Toetsing)
Group presentation, in which 2 novels are compared (this should be sufficient, no part of the final grade) and a 60-minute oral exam, in which the student matches quotations to the correct works, after which a discussion is held regarding themes, setting, narrator, characters, and plot, among other things, for a grade.
Literature (Literatuur)
- Book: The Literature Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained (by DK)
- Several articles handed out by the teacher
- 20 novels in total, to be self-selected based on the following criteria:
- Your selection should be diverse; choose novels written by authors from different cultural backgrounds, countries of origin, gender, and works that deal with different themes and were written in various styles and literary periods.
- Theoretically they can be read in secondary schools.
- The list must be approved by the teacher.
Schedule (Rooster)
Two sessions at the University of Amsterdam; at the start and halfway through the course. The first session will take place on Friday, September 4, 2026. Time: TBD.