Overview
This paper puts literary theory in conversation with cognitive science and considers what we might learn about actual minds by studying fictional ones.
ENGL470 puts literary theory in conversation with cognitive science, and considers what we might learn about actual minds by studying fictional ones.
We will consider the unique power of novels and textual discourse to tell of the cognitive functioning of others. We will consider the way in which the print medium exploits a diverse range of techniques used to portray perspective, perception, and the emotional life of characters.
About this paper
| Paper title | Storyworlds and Cognition |
|---|---|
| Subject | English |
| EFTS | 0.2500 |
| Points | 30 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $2,090.50 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 72 points from ENGL 311-368, EURO 302
- Notes
- May not be credited with ENGL467 taken in 2013, 2018, 2020, 2023
- Contact
- More information link
View more information on the English and Linguistics Programme website
- Teaching staff
- Teaching Arrangements
There are two 2-hour seminar per week.
- Textbooks
*Titles subject to change
Print narratives:
- Richard Powers, Galatea 2.2 [required for purchase / ebook available]
- Lisa Genova, Still Alice [required for purchase / ebook available]
- Lance Olsen, Nietzsche's Kisses [required for purchase / ebook available]
- Nicholson Baker, Mezzanine [required for purchase]
- Mark Haddon, The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time [online]
Digital narratives (available online):
- Dear Esther: Landmark Edition [purchase via Steam - Mac or PC, also in DH Hub]
- Content Moderator Sim [online]
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Information literacy, Research.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper will:
- Gain a familiarity with the working concepts and vocabulary of the field of "cognitive literary studies" and apply that theoretical and conceptual knowledge to specific narrative texts in written assessment
- Recognise the ways in which narratives across media both represent cognition (of fictional characters) and tell us something about the minds of actual readers, viewers, and players
- Acquire the technical and critical skills necessary to utilise digital platforms as a working repository of scholarly ideas and a participatory text open to peer critique
- Identify main currents of scholarship and claims in a variety of secondary sources in this emerging field and triangulate these claims in relation to other sources and readings
- Understand higher concepts that underpin the relationship between literature and media and demonstrate that understanding in written assessment
- Create, prepare and deliver an academic lecture on a chosen topic from the paper
Overview
This paper puts literary theory in conversation with cognitive science and considers what we might learn about actual minds by studying fictional ones.
ENGL 470 puts literary theory in conversation with cognitive science and considers what we might learn about actual minds by studying fictional ones.
We will consider the unique power of novels and textual discourse to tell of the cognitive functioning of others. We will consider the way in which the print medium exploits a diverse range of techniques used to portray perspective, perception and the emotional life of characters.
About this paper
| Paper title | Storyworlds and Cognition |
|---|---|
| Subject | English |
| EFTS | 0.2500 |
| Points | 30 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2027 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2027 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 72 points from ENGL 311-368, EURO 302
- Notes
- May not be credited with ENGL467 taken in 2013, 2018, 2020, 2023
- Contact
- More information link
View more information on the English and Linguistics Programme website.
- Teaching staff
- Teaching Arrangements
There are two 2-hour seminars per week.
- Textbooks
Note: Titles subject to change.
Print narratives:
- Richard Powers, Galatea 2.2 [required for purchase/ebook available].
- Ian McEwan, Atonement [required for purchase / Otago ebook available].
- Lance Olsen, Nietzsche's Kisses [required for purchase/ebook available].
- Nicholson Baker, Mezzanine [required for purchase].
- Mark Haddon, The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time [online].
Digital narratives (available online):
- Dear Esther: Landmark Edition [purchase via Steam - Mac or PC, also in DH Hub].
- Content Moderator Sim [online].
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Information literacy, Research.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper will:
- Gain a familiarity with the working concepts and vocabulary of the field of "cognitive literary studies" and apply that theoretical and conceptual knowledge to specific narrative texts in written assessment
- Recognise the ways in which narratives across media both represent cognition (of fictional characters) and tell us something about the minds of actual readers, viewers and players
- Acquire the technical and critical skills necessary to utilise digital platforms as a working repository of scholarly ideas and a participatory text open to peer critique
- Identify main currents of scholarship and claims in a variety of secondary sources in this emerging field and triangulate these claims in relation to other sources and readings
- Understand higher concepts that underpin the relationship between literature and media and demonstrate that understanding in written assessment
- Create, prepare and deliver an academic lecture on a chosen topic from the paper