The Stuff of Legend, or Unpacking Cultural Baggage? Introducing First-year English Literature and Humanities Students to Foundational Literary Texts

Abstract

This article explores teaching and learning perspectives in relation to a first-year English Literature module on foundational literary texts and considers the value of certain assessment modes. The essay discusses methodological and pedagogical questions and argues that the module provides a contextual platform from which first-year students are able to appreciate issues of cultural and textual transmission. The article concludes that the material and the assessment format contribute to furthering an undergraduate research agenda and provides students with the opportunity to reflect on their own learning.

Talking Together, Learning Together: The Story of English PGCE Student Teachers’ Adventures in Classics

“…Working with student teachers and their mentors, we seek to promote access to both these classical texts and the 'essence of storytelling' (Beyer 2013) and thereby embed yet more deeply this approach to English pedagogy in a new generation of teachers. Susan's epiphany, early in her teaching experience, is worth striving for:…”