Literature and the Contemporary World – B1EGC01LC

About Course

UG Common Course | Semester 3 | Sreenarayanaguru Open University

Literature and the Contemporary World introduces learners to some of the most urgent global issues of the 21st century through powerful literary texts, speeches, poems, and essays.
This course helps students understand how literature responds to—and shapes—major contemporary concerns such as climate change, technology, gender, human rights, ethics, and globalization.

By engaging with authors from diverse cultures and backgrounds, learners explore the relationship between language, culture, society, and global change. The course is designed to strengthen critical thinking, communication skills, and cultural awareness—essential competencies for all undergraduate students.

This is a compulsory UG Common Course for Semester 3 learners across all disciplines at SGOU.

By the end of the course, learners will be able to:
Understand how literature represents major contemporary global issues.
Analyze language techniques, literary devices, and thematic elements in modern texts.
Appreciate cross-cultural encounters and global perspectives through literature.
Debate current issues using appropriate literary and cultural terminology.
Examine how language, tone, and genre shape meaning and influence readers.
Develop strong textual-analysis skills and critical-thinking abilities.
Comprehend diverse viewpoints on urgent global issues affecting the modern world.

Course Content

BLOCK 1: Climate Change
Unit 1: Margaret Atwood – “The Moment” Unit 2: Greta Thunberg – “Almost Everything is Black and White” (Speech at Parliament Square, London, 31 October 2018)

BLOCK 2: Technology and Human Life
Unit 1: Gareth Southwell – “Artificial Intelligence” Unit 2: Ambrose Bierce – “Moxon’s Master”

BLOCK 3: Gender
Unit 1: Sarah Joseph – “The Masculine of Virgin” Unit 2: Malala Yousafzai – “A Daughter is Born”

BLOCK 4: Human Rights
Unit 1: Vijayarajamallika – “Injuries” Unit 2: Jawaharlal Nehru – “A Tryst with Destiny”

BLOCK 5: Ethics and Culture
Unit 1: John Lennon – “Imagine” Unit 2: Rabindranath Tagore – “Housewife”

BLOCK 6: Globalised Society
Unit 1: Pablo Neruda – “The United Fruit Company” Unit 2: Shashi Tharoor – “Globalization and the Human Imagination”

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Literature and the Contemporary World – B1EGC01LC

About Course

What Will You Learn?

Course Content

BLOCK 1: Climate Change
Unit 1: Margaret Atwood – “The Moment” Unit 2: Greta Thunberg – “Almost Everything is Black and White” (Speech at Parliament Square, London, 31 October 2018)

BLOCK 2: Technology and Human Life
Unit 1: Gareth Southwell – “Artificial Intelligence” Unit 2: Ambrose Bierce – “Moxon’s Master”

BLOCK 3: Gender
Unit 1: Sarah Joseph – “The Masculine of Virgin” Unit 2: Malala Yousafzai – “A Daughter is Born”

BLOCK 4: Human Rights
Unit 1: Vijayarajamallika – “Injuries” Unit 2: Jawaharlal Nehru – “A Tryst with Destiny”

BLOCK 5: Ethics and Culture
Unit 1: John Lennon – “Imagine” Unit 2: Rabindranath Tagore – “Housewife”

BLOCK 6: Globalised Society
Unit 1: Pablo Neruda – “The United Fruit Company” Unit 2: Shashi Tharoor – “Globalization and the Human Imagination”

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About Course

What Will You Learn?

Course Content

BLOCK 1: Climate Change Unit 1: Margaret Atwood – “The Moment” Unit 2: Greta Thunberg – “Almost Everything is Black and White” (Speech at Parliament Square, London, 31 October 2018)

BLOCK 2: Technology and Human Life Unit 1: Gareth Southwell – “Artificial Intelligence” Unit 2: Ambrose Bierce – “Moxon’s Master”

BLOCK 3: Gender Unit 1: Sarah Joseph – “The Masculine of Virgin” Unit 2: Malala Yousafzai – “A Daughter is Born”

BLOCK 4: Human Rights Unit 1: Vijayarajamallika – “Injuries” Unit 2: Jawaharlal Nehru – “A Tryst with Destiny”

BLOCK 5: Ethics and Culture Unit 1: John Lennon – “Imagine” Unit 2: Rabindranath Tagore – “Housewife”

BLOCK 6: Globalised Society Unit 1: Pablo Neruda – “The United Fruit Company” Unit 2: Shashi Tharoor – “Globalization and the Human Imagination”

Student Ratings & Reviews

BLOCK 1: Climate Change
Unit 1: Margaret Atwood – “The Moment” Unit 2: Greta Thunberg – “Almost Everything is Black and White” (Speech at Parliament Square, London, 31 October 2018)

BLOCK 2: Technology and Human Life
Unit 1: Gareth Southwell – “Artificial Intelligence” Unit 2: Ambrose Bierce – “Moxon’s Master”

BLOCK 3: Gender
Unit 1: Sarah Joseph – “The Masculine of Virgin” Unit 2: Malala Yousafzai – “A Daughter is Born”

BLOCK 4: Human Rights
Unit 1: Vijayarajamallika – “Injuries” Unit 2: Jawaharlal Nehru – “A Tryst with Destiny”

BLOCK 5: Ethics and Culture
Unit 1: John Lennon – “Imagine” Unit 2: Rabindranath Tagore – “Housewife”

BLOCK 6: Globalised Society
Unit 1: Pablo Neruda – “The United Fruit Company” Unit 2: Shashi Tharoor – “Globalization and the Human Imagination”