| Unit name | Utopian Literature |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL20058 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Tamsin Badcoe |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
How can literature be used to envision a perfect world? Is it possible to conceive of an ideal society and what might be required to enable human flourishing? What do the different kinds of worlds invented by different authors tell us about the preoccupations and ideologies of their time? This unit invites you to engage with various utopian – and dystopian – thought experiments and to consider the ways in which literature can hold up a mirror to how we live, hope, and imagine.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Specialisation units challenge and empower you to engage with specific elements of advanced literary study. Specialisation units include taught options, which are closely informed by the world-leading research of individual academic staff, as well as final-year dissertation units that will enable you to pursue your own research or creative interests. Specialisation units cultivate ambition and independent learning, and showcase the department’s wide-ranging and varied expertise.
An Overview of Content
This unit approaches utopian writing in various genres from a historical perspective in order to interrogate what is at stake in utopian thinking, from its origins in classical literature and the prose fiction of the early modern period, through to the traces it leaves on the fiction-making of the present day. Students will engage with theoretical conceptions of utopian and dystopian thought and primary texts that engage with, question and/or satirise politics and governance, liberty and labour, gender dynamics, science and technology, the use and misuse of the environment, and, finally, what it is to be human. Utopian literature describes places that are potentially ‘good’ but also ultimately ‘placeless’, and the ideas we explore will be seen to move through a variety of genres and forms, from the philosophical dialogue and the scientific treatise, to poetry and modern novel.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
On completion of the unit, students will have an increased understanding of the role of utopian thinking within many different aspects of cultural production. Students will refine their understanding of key academic skills and disciplines (comparative analysis/contextual analysis/interdisciplinarity) in ways that not only connect to the content of this unit, but that will present a meaningful consolidation as they complete their programme.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1. demonstrate a detailed knowledge and critical understanding of utopian forms and their evolution;
2. apply relevant theoretical and historical contexts pertaining to the relationship of utopian writing to questions concerning what it means to live well, the use and misuse of the environment, gender, language, and social justice;
3. analyse and evaluate differing critical accounts of the primary literature and identify and evaluate pertinent evidence in order to illustrate/demonstrate a cogent argument;
4. express ideas and arguments that interrogate utopian and/or dystopian thinking in literature in a sustained piece of writing in line with the expectations of level I/5.
Teaching will involve asynchronous and synchronous elements, including group discussion, research and writing activities, and peer dialogue. Students are expected to engage with the reading and participate fully with the weekly tasks and topics. Learning will be further supported through the opportunity for individual consultation.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Students will be given the opportunity to submit an outline of your final summative essay, and receive formative feedback.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
Essay, 3,000 words (100%) [ILOs 1-4]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ENGL20058).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
