Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Portfolio/Essay 1 2000 Words | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | Portfolio/Essay 2 2000 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Portfolio/Essay 1 2000 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Portfolio/Essay 2 2000 Words | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of a range of Speculative Fiction texts.
Consider the interdisciplinary nature of both literary studies and creative writing.
Demonstrate an understanding of how contextual features of 'the now' feed into fictive visions of the future.
Engage in critical self-reflection in order to identify better ways of working.
Demonstrate an understanding of the confluence of critical and creative thinking.
Brief description
This module will act as an introduction to the genre(s) of speculative fiction. It will engage with a range of short stories and fiction produced in the last century, each text acting as an entry point into a topic of speculation. Topics include: space travel, the climate crisis, the future of AI, aliens and otherness, space colonisation, utopianism, and genetic manipulation. Students will also consider theoretical approaches, concepts and ideas with regard to speculative fiction from a range of writers, such as Timothy Morton, Donna Haraway, Darko Suvin, and Ursula Le Guin. Alongside this, students will collaborate in creative and critical responses to tasks within teaching sessions.
Content
Session Two: What is out there? Cosmic Horror
Session Three: Should I stay or should I go? Space colonisation
Session Four: The space workshop
Session Five: Am I human? Selfhood
Session Six: Are you human? Subjectivity
Session Seven: The cyborg workshop
Session Eight: Where do we go? Escaping existential threats
Session Nine: When will it happen? First contact and climate change
Session Ten: Were we right?
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Co-ordinating with others | Students will be required to work in groups, reading and discussing complex and challenging material and responding to informally set tasks. |
| Critical and analytical thinking | Students will consider a variety of texts and theories, and look to respond originally to them. |
| Digital capability | Students will be consider texts from different medias and will need to access digital material. |
| Professional communication | Students will be required to produce work that is of a high written quality, investigating complex ideas clearly, coherently and formally. |
| Reflection | Students will be required to discuss their working practices and consider how effective these are. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students will need to show their ability to consider text, theory and contexts effectively. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 4