ENG10170 Contemporary Dystopian Fiction

Academic Year 2022/2023

This module will explore how the contemporary is represented through speculative, dystopian fiction and imagined futures. We will analyse key texts from the past 35 years in terms of their visions of the future, and the concerns they represent. This module will ask how dystopian fictions critique contemporary concerns and structures: politics, patriarchy, racism, climate change, poverty, technology? We will ask if dystopian fiction can produce utopias or offer solutions? Or warnings about the contemporary moment?

Texts include:
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland
Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
Lois Lowry, The Giver
Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower
Kevin Barry, City of Bohane
Cheri Dimaline, The Marrow Thieves

PLEASE NOTE that the School of English, Drama and Film reserves the right to withdraw modules in the period up to and including the first week of the teaching trimester.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

Understand and identify contemporary dystopian fiction
Demonstrate a critical understanding dystopian fiction
Comprehend how dystopian themes speak to the contemporary moment
Critically analyse the contemporary dystopian novel
Submit a critical research-led essay on contemporary dystopian literature.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

12
Specified Learning Activities

36
Autonomous Student Learning

52
Total

100
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Continuous Assessment: < Description > Varies over the Trimester n/a Graded No

30
Essay: 2000 Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

70

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Spring
      
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 10:00 - 11:50
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 29 Thurs 10:00 - 11:50
Spring