Program Overview

Publishing and Comparative Literature (LITC0022)

Key Information

The module is part of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, specifically the School of European Languages, Culture and Society. It has a credit value of 15.

• Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Humanities
• Teaching department: School of European Languages, Culture and Society
• Credit value: 15
• Restrictions: This module is restricted to students studying in SELCS programmes. Not available to Affiliate Exchange Students.

Alternative Credit Options

There are no alternative credit options available for this module.

Description

This module provides literature students with essential knowledge about the publishing industry, focusing on the UK. It combines historical and practical approaches, covering the development of the book industry and modern practices in initiating, producing, and selling books. The course includes lectures, practice-oriented seminars, and panel discussions.

The module aims to:

• Provide comprehensive knowledge of the publishing industry and practical skills connecting academic learning with workplace learning.
• Combine a general understanding of the publishing context with language and/or area studies expertise acquired during the degree.
• Allow students to produce a small-scale publication directed at an audience, following it through all stages of its publishing cycle.

Teaching Delivery

The course will be taught through a combination of lectures, practice-oriented seminars, workshops, group tutorials, and panel discussions with invited guest speakers from the publishing industry. Students will work individually and in groups to research, write, design, pitch, and produce their own publishing project.

Recommended Reading

In preparation for the module, students are advised to familiarize themselves with the following texts:

• Banou, C. (2017). Re-inventing the Book: Challenges from the Past for the Publishing Industry. Cambridge, MA: Chandos Publishing.
• Bowman, K. (2004). Systems Analysis: A Beginner's Guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Brown, S. (ed.) (2006). Consuming Books: The Marketing and Consumption of Literature. Abingdon: Routledge.
• Feather, J. (2003). Communicating Knowledge: Publishing in the 21st century. Munich, K.G. Saur.
• Feather, J. (2006). A History of British Publishing. London: Routledge.
• Gordon, J. et al. (2006). Learn Adobe InDesign CC for print and digital media publication. Adobe Press.
• Greco, A. N. et al. (2014). The Book Publishing Industry. New York and London: Routledge.
• Schreibmann, S. and Seimens, R. (2007). A Companion to Digital Literary Studies. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
• Schreibmann, S. et al. (2004). A Companion to Digital Humanities. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
• Smith, K. and Ramdarshan Bold, M. (2018). The Publishing Business. A guide to starting out and getting on. Second edition. London and New York: Bloomsbury.
• Squires, C. (2007). Marketing Literature: The Making of Contemporary Writing in Britain. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Thompson, J. B. (2012). Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-first Century. Cambridge: Polity.

Module Deliveries for 2026/27 Academic Year

Intended Teaching Term: Term 1

• Undergraduate (FHEQ Level 6)

Teaching and Assessment

• Mode of study: In person
• Methods of assessment:
  • 80% Coursework (2 assessments)
  • 20% Group activity
• Mark scheme: Numeric Marks

Other Information

• Number of students on module in previous year: 15
• Module leader: Professor Jakob Stougaard-nielsen