Gwybodaeth Modiwlau
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Assessment 2 Portfolio/Essay of 1,500 words + 500 words of commentary 2000 Words | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | Assessment 1 Portfolio/Essay of 1,500 & 500 word commentary 2000 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Assessment 2 Portfolio/Essay of 1,500 words + 500 words of commentary 2000 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Assessment 1 Portfolio/Essay of 1,500 & 500 word commentary 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 study six core texts the graphic novel. These are: The Wandering Earth (adapted by Christopher Bec and illustrated by Stefano Raffaele from Cixin Liu’s novella), Nnedi Okorafor’s novel, Lagoon, Kazou Ishiguro’s novel, Klara and the Sun, D.A. Xiaolin Spires’ novelette, ‘But, Still, I Smile’, and Mary Robinette Kowal’s novella, ‘The Lady Astronaut of Mars’, and the video game, Detroit: Become Human. Each text acts as an entry point into a topic of possibility: space travel, the climate crisis, the future of AI, aliens and otherness, and space colonisation. Students will also consider theoretical approaches, concepts and ideas with regards to speculative fiction, such as Timothy Morton’s theory of hyperobjects in The Ecological Thought, Donna Haraway’s ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’, Darko Suvin’s theory of cognitive estrangement as outlined in ‘On the Poetics of the Science Fiction Genre’ and Object-oriented ontology. Alongside this, students will collaborate in creative and critical responses to tasks, within teaching sessions.
Content
Session Two: What is out there? Cosmic Horror in ‘But, Still, I Smile’
Session Three: Should I stay or should I go? Space colonisation in ‘The Lady Astronaut of Mars’
Session Four: The space workshop
Session Five: Am I human? Selfhood in Klara and the Sun
Session Six: Are you human? Subjectivity in Detroit: Become Human
Session Seven: The cyborg workshop
Session Eight: Where do we go? Escaping existential threats in The Wandering Earth (graphic novel)
Session Nine: When will it happen? First contact and climate change in Lagoon
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