Literature, Censorship and Cancel Culture in English

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

• problematise concepts related to the themes of censorship and cancel culture in relation to literary and cultural theories
• reflect on and analyse how historical and socio-cultural contexts have shaped censorship in relation to literature
• independently analyse and interpret a selection of literary works in English and how they respond in various ways to forms of censorship
• communicate and argue for, orally and in writing, their own interpretations and critical judgements of literary, critical and theoretical texts in clear and correct academic English
• critically reflect on and give constructive criticism on the work of their peers in written and oral discussions.

The aim of the course is to critically analyse, with recourse to relevant theoretical and methodological procedures, the occurrence of censorship in relation to literature in English since the beginning of the modern period until the present. The course will consider how different historical and socio-cultural circumstances have led to variations in methods and politics of literary censorship, and how literary expression has responded to censorship. Based on the analysis of a selection of representative literary texts, the course will focus on three main aspects: (i) reflection on and analysis of the historical and socio-cultural circumstances that led to the censorship of specific literary texts in specific socio-historical contexts; (ii) the use of theoretical interpretations of both literary texts and the mechanisms of censorship in order to engage critically with censorship; (iii) the analysis of the aesthetic implications of the politics of censorship on literature and creativity. Some of the thematic areas of study include censorship in relation to literature of exile, censorship and freedom; self-censorship and creativity; and cancel culture and its relationship to the academic study of literature.

• Seminars
• Written assignments
• Independently written paper
• Oral presentations

The grading scale used for the final course grade is U–VG.

Grades are reported as follows:

• Literature, Censorship and Cancel Culture in English - 7.5 Credits | U–VG