BEYOND THE BARD: Exploring the Teaching of Contemporary British Literature in Global Higher Education

Guest Blogger: Prof Katy Shaw, University of Northumbria, Vice-Chair of BACLS – the British Association of Literary Studies – and executive committee member of University English, the national subject association. In recent years there has been a rapid rise in the teaching of English Literature in international Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), even in countries where English is not a national language. It is often claimed that more than half of the world's students study Shakespeare, in school or in Higher Education, and this is surely a cause for celebration. But are international students missing out on contemporary British writing, replete as it is with innovative, urgent and diverse voices exploring the challenges of our times? The advertised curriculum content of international HEIs suggests a heavy emphasis on pre-1900 texts (from Shakespeare to Dickens), with a few key 20th century modernist works, and little contemporary (post-2000) British writing. And in the HEIs where contemporary British writing is studied, how is this canon taking shape? Which voices, literary forms and themes resonate with students around the world? And what can the UK sector – academics, professional bodies, publishers, agents, translators and authors themselves – do to help usher more contemporary British writers onto international syllabuses? Northumbria University aims to find out. Today it launches Write Now, a new research programme supported by the British Council, which will be... Continue reading at 'British Council global'

[ British Council global | 2020-05-18 09:30:54 UTC ]

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