| Unit name | Writing the Anthropocene 1945-Present |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL30124 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Pippa Marland |
| 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 |
N/A |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
The ‘Anthropocene’ – the unofficial name for the current geological epoch - is a contested term. Nevertheless, it is one that has a particular bearing on our time, reflecting a growing awareness of the impacts of human activity on Earth’s systems. In ‘Writing the Anthropocene’ we will read a broad range of post-1945 British, American and Commonwealth poetry, fiction and nature writing, investigating how authors working in different social and geographical contexts are responding to an environmentally changing world. We will explore depictions of human-animal encounters, investigate the relationship between literature and science, evaluate the persistence and reshaping of literary modes such as the pastoral, and ask what the ‘Anthropocene’ might mean in environments that have been degraded in the wake of settler colonialism and oil extraction.
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
Taking a broadly chronological approach, the unit will examine changing representations of the natural world and the human place within it in a range of British, American and Commonwealth literature published between 1945 (the beginning of the ‘Great Acceleration’ of Anthropocene effects) and the present day. Drawing on contemporary ecocritical approaches, and with attention to social and cultural context, we will examine depictions of environments and their human and non-human inhabitants in genres such as prose nature writing, science fiction, nature poetry and eco-fiction.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
This unit will enable students to critically examine and reflect on contemporary discussions of the Anthropocene, and to contextualise these discussions within a range of British, American and Commonwealth poetry, fiction and non-fiction published between 1945 and the present day. Students will develop an awareness of changing ideas of ‘nature’ during this period and their theorisations in critical theory. They will have an increased understanding of the evolving theoretical field of ecocriticism, including a good grasp of the field’s current and past debates. This will substantially increase their confidence and competence in using ecocriticism as a theoretical and analytical tool. The unit will prepare students very well for dissertations in the field of Literature and Environment, for future study in the field of the Environmental Humanities at MA Level, and for careers outside of academia, in which anthropogenic Climate Change and ‘the Anthropocene’ are increasingly on the agenda.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
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.
How you will be assessed
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 of up to 1,500 words and to receive feedback on this.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
essay, 3,500 word (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. ENGL30124).
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.
