Modules

Reading for Life: Literature, Emotion and Community (EAS3410)

30 credits

Why do we, or should we, read? This Level 3 module engages with the crucial contemporary question of the value of literature – and specifically, of reading – in society. It aims to be practically engaged in the usefulness of reading for the benefit of the individual, and for the community. The module will introduce the history of reading, reading’s mechanics (such as the practice of reading aloud, and reading in the digital age), and the social role of literary criticism. Ultimately the module explores why reading (poetry and fiction) plays such a central role in our lives, why it continues to enthral at all ages, and how it positively impacts in a variety of social and cultural contexts and challenges. The module will therefore engage with new research into the social, ethical, medical, and therapeutic effects of reading.