Last modified: 31 May 2022 13:24
The course will study three of the best-known writers of fictions that engage the reader in a playful manner: Miguel de Cervantes from Spain, Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar from Argentina. We will read selections from Cervantes’ masterpiece the Don Quixote de la Mancha and short stories by the other two writers. We will study the digital inflections of these writers, all of whom challenge reality and the borders between virtual (fictional) and physical worlds.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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In the first part of this course we will get to know what many consider to be the first modern novel: Don Quixote de la Mancha, published in two parts by Miguel de Cervantes in 1605 and 1615. We will study why Cervantes’ novel has had such an enormous impact over the centuries. We will visit the university library’s special collections to see and handle editions of the novel published in different times and places. We will also explore the presence of the novel in different visual and digital media.
The second part of the course will then turn to the 20th century Argentine writers Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar, who have arguably had a similar impact to Cervantes on contemporary literature and thinking. We will consider why Borges’s stories are often considered visionary precursors of the digital age and the influence of Cortazar’s conception of stories as elaborate games.
Students will be assessed on weekly homework assignments and seminar participation as well as two longer research-based assessments. The first will encourage students to engage creatively with one or more of these writers through the writing of a story or a fictional news item (accompanied by a reflective piece). Alternatively, students can create a digital audiovisual document. The second assessment can be a traditional essay or include creative elements as well.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 37 | Feedback Weeks | 40 | |
| Feedback |
Written feedback through Turnitin |
Word Count | 2500 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Understand and analyse the importance of major groundbreaking works of Spanish and Latin American fiction. |
| Reflection | Create | Apply the fictional strategies for representing and engaging the world studied to an evaluative understanding of the student’s own engagement with the surrounding world, through self-reflective docs. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35 | Feedback Weeks | 35 | |
| Feedback |
Orally in class and in notes on MyAberdeen, throughout the term, as needed. In a note at the end of the term along with mark on MyAberdeen. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Understand and analyse the importance of major groundbreaking works of Spanish and Latin American fiction. |
| Reflection | Create | Apply the fictional strategies for representing and engaging the world studied to an evaluative understanding of the student’s own engagement with the surrounding world, through self-reflective docs. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 31 | Feedback Weeks | 34 | |
| Feedback |
Written feedback on MyAberdeen |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Understand and analyse the importance of major groundbreaking works of Spanish and Latin American fiction. |
| Reflection | Create | Apply the fictional strategies for representing and engaging the world studied to an evaluative understanding of the student’s own engagement with the surrounding world, through self-reflective docs. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | Word Count | 2500 | ||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Understand and analyse the importance of major groundbreaking works of Spanish and Latin American fiction. |
| Reflection | Create | Apply the fictional strategies for representing and engaging the world studied to an evaluative understanding of the student’s own engagement with the surrounding world, through self-reflective docs. |
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