Module Information
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 five core texts – the graphic novel, 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 – with each acting as an entry point into five different contemporary issues – space travel, the climate crisis, the future of AI, aliens and otherness, and space colonisation, respectively. 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 2: The Wandering Earth and Space Travel
Session 3: ‘The Lady Astronaut of Mars’ and Space Colonization
Session 4: The Space Laboratory – students discuss and respond to different sources.
Session 6: Klara and the Sun, Artificial Intelligence, and The Self
Session 7: Detroit: Become Human, Artificial Intelligence and Otherness
Session 8: Lagoon and the Climate Crisis
Session 9: The Climate Crisis Laboratory – students discuss and respond to different sources.
Session 10: Other Possibilities – the future (of Speculative Fiction).
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