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ENG32860

Academic Year 2025/2026

Literature & Publishing (ENG32860)

Subject:
English
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
English, Drama & Film
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Dr Tim Groenland
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module will introduce students to theories and the practice of literary production as well as providing them with a deeper understanding of contemporary publishing industries in Ireland and abroad.

Drawing on approaches from the burgeoning scholarship on recent book history and literary sociology, the module will survey the dynamics of literary publishing in the twenty-first century, considering publishing in different modes and scales (commercial publishing, small and micro-presses), formats (print and online), genres (poetry, literary fiction, commercial and genre fiction), and national contexts. It will also introduce students to key publishing figures and mediators – the literary editor, the agent, the magazine editor, the translator, the sensitivity reader – and invite them to analyse their place within structures of literary production.

Students may be given the opportunity to engage with Dublin-based literary institutions on field trips, as well as to discuss contemporary literary culture with visiting publishing professionals.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

● Demonstrate knowledge of contemporary publishing industries in Ireland and abroad
● Identify and analyse the contribution of key mediators in literary culture: editors, agents, translators
● Evaluate the role of particular literary institutions – funding agencies, bookshops, literary prizes – in publishing ecosystems
● Produce comprehensive and relevant individual research on literary texts, forms, and genres in relation to their publishing contexts
● Develop confidence in primary and secondary research skills – undertaking research, application of research, transmission of research

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

60
Autonomous Student Learning

116
Seminar (or Webinar)

24
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Teaching will primarily take place in a weekly seminar. This will feature a lecture and/or talk followed by discussion and small group work directed towards the weekly topic: students might be invited, for example, to discuss a particular literary form in relation to its publishing context, an example of literary prize culture, or a literary journal they have been asked to survey.

For 3 of the weeks, the lecture will take the form of a talk by a visiting publishing professional – an editor at a publishing house or literary journal, an agent, a publicist, a representative of a literary organisation such as Literature Ireland, or of a festival. (Sample organisations: Publishing Ireland, Skein Press, Penguin Sandycove, Gill, The Stinging Fly, Tolka, Holy Show).

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Participation in Learning Activities: Continuous Assessment, comprising attendance and participation in class; includes participation in occasional weekly research tasks (to be outlined in class). Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No
20
 No
Individual Project: Critical reflection (1,000 words), focused on one of the two guest talks (Weeks 3 and 5). Further instructions will be provided in the opening weeks. Week 7 Graded No
20
 No
Individual Project: Final written assignment. A choice of possible approaches will be provided, including an essay, case studies, and a report on a field trip. More details will be provided before Reading Week. Week 15 Graded No
60
 No

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Thurs 12:00 - 13:50
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