Contemporary Dutch literature

Teacher(s)

Vanasten Stéphanie;

Language

Dutch

Prerequisites

Have passed the bachelor courses in Dutch literature and have a good proficiency in Dutch (advanced level, B2 + of the Common European reference framework).

Main themes

The course aims to familiarize students with contemporary Dutch-speaking literature. We will study the profile and positioning of the subject selected, from the second half of the 20th century right up to the contemporary period. Attention will be paid to various genres (drama, novels, poetry, short stories, essays) and media (paper, digital , film, audio)  The themes are illustrated by the analysis of representative works.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Will have acquired a broad knowledge of Dutch literary culture.
2	Explain the main developments in the history of Dutch-speaking literature of the contemporary period
3	Analyze current literary texts taking into account various contexts, demonstrating critical thinking related to the discussed topic.
4	Track, report and process significant information from current literary developments with some critical background
5	Produce a coherent and relevant discourse on a given issue, articulating it precisely and clearly both in writing and orally, and thus communicating knowledge to peers.

Content

A preliminary historiographical synthesis will be presented to the students and discussed. As an introduction, we will question how contemporary Dutch Literature presents and constitutes itself. Which are its particularities, its pivots, its actors – the remarkable authors and oeuvres that assure its visibility, those that do not break through? And to which other culture(s) and norm(s) does such an entity relate? We will present some actual paradigms of contemporary Dutch-language literary production, which will be discussed by making use of recent critical approaches.
We will subsequently concentrate on an in-depth study, based on specific research questions, of authors and texts of various genres (a Poetry Collection, a Novel, a Graphic Novel or a work of Children’s or Youth literature) that are considered as prominent examples of contemporary Dutch-language literature.

Teaching methods

The course aims at a dynamic, motivating and interactive mode of learning.
Familiarization with historiographical turning points by way of personal reading at home of chosen extracts from literary histories, interactive exercises and collective synthesis during the seminars.
Main introductory statements. The presented critical paradigms and approaches define the methodological and conceptual framework within which the textual analyses can be pursued.
The chosen literary works (selected from various genres) are subsequently analysed in depth.
They are introduced by the teacher and developed with the students. The students construct analysis results in interaction and collaboration with their colleagues and submit a written report to the teacher afterwards. 
Active Learning Pedagogy. Collaborative learning through Moodle, where a platform permits to the participants to share ideas, to interact and to stimulate the development of critical reflection.

Evaluation methods

Continuous assessment (40%) 
 

• All texts and materials are read and prepared at home by all students. Targeted tasks (see Moodle) complement the preparation of course sessions and help asses students' preparation for them (10%). Active participation in discussions. Short personal review of current Dutch-language literary events. (10 %)
• Group work (20%) on a literary text chosen from the study corpus and consisting of two phases:
• 1) preparatory work (before the session): heuristic and bibliographical work on the work (exploration and criticism of sources, state of the art), critical reflection on possible research questions and themes, hypotheses and avenues of analysis of the literary text under study, supporting extracts, methodological limits and challenges, boundaries of knowledge. Students are expected to produce a personal, original piece of work that is nonetheless documented in accordance with academic conventions. 
• 2) Discussion with other students (role of facilitator) based on at least two scholarly sources that serve as a theoretical framework for literary analysis focused on a specific research question (to be submitted to the teacher for approval). The results of the discussions will be incorporated by the group into a summary document posted on Moodle (prior validation by the teacher).

If students have not regularly followed these learning activities and not completed the formative assessment tasks preparing for the final assessment, the student may be refused access to the final examination, which mobilises the learning outcomes targeted here.

Summative assessment (60%) 
 
Written examination consisting of two parts :

• 1) on recent paradigms in Dutch-language literature and on the key concepts and critical approaches addressed in the study of the chosen authors and works, which were analysed and discussed (50%; in the event of failure, two points will be deducted from the final overall mark); 
• 2) on the personal and individual reading of one text of the student's choice from contemporary Dutch literature (reading list provided). The open-ended question on this personal reading assignment will be based on the overall perspective of the course (learning pathway, core learning outcomes), enhanced by new personal insights and deeper reflection (10%)

Assessment of language quality
The quality of the language will be taken into account when assessing the written and oral work submitted by students as part of this learning unit, and an excessive number of language errors may result in a lower mark or even lead to a fail.
Students’ various written work, in particular the final assignment (paper), must be produced in accordance with the specific instructions provided and in line with the principles of academic and scientific integrity (see RGEE, in particular Article 107 concerning irregularities and plagiarism).  In all tasks and activities relating to this learning unit, students must comply with the Lignes directrices pour une utilisation responsable des outils d’intelligence artificielle générative set out by the Ecole de Langues et Lettres. More specifically, any use of artificial intelligence tools within the framework of this course unit must be limited to the moderate level (level 2) of the Grille des usages de l’intelligence artificielle générative, which supplements the guidelines, and must be accompanied by a Declaration in accordance with the template provided therein. In case of non-compliance with the relevant rules, the examination board will take the measures set out in section 6 of the Guidelines.
In the event of a second registration for the examination, the assessment is divided as follows:

• 20% : continuous assessment (reading tasks and personal review to be resubmitted if failure mark)
• 20% : a new individual analytical assignment on a literary text to be chosen from the study corpus (same two-part format, but to be completed individually)
• 60% : wrritten examination (same procedures as in the previous session)

Other information

- societal issues in the contemporary literary works studied

Online resources

see Moodle

Bibliography

Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse literatuur: Hugo Brems, Altijd weer vogels die nesten beginnen, Amsterdam, Bert Bakker, 2005.
Une bibliographie thématique pour la période est mise à disposition sur Moodle.

Teaching materials

• Support de cours : textes littéraires, théoriques et/ou critiques référenciés (voir bibliographie) et disponibles sur Moodle, en ligne ou bibliothèques ; Powerpoint en séance et hand-outs disponibles sur Moodle, matériel pédagogique pour aller plus loin

Faculty or entity

> ELAL