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ENG32690

Academic Year 2026/2027

Writing Habits (ENG32690)

Subject:
English
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
English, Drama & Film
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Mr Mark Ronan
Trimester:
Autumn and Spring (separate)
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

Addiction is a highly prevalent aspect of the human condition which affects the lives of a huge proportion of people worldwide. This prevalence is reflected in the large body of literary engagement, through verse, drama, prose fiction and memoir, with the lived experience of addiction. Literary criticism, however, has been slow to engage with and respond to Addiction Literature as a distinct genre. The relatively few critical engagements which have been made tend to emphasise both the phenomenon’s supposed essential modernity and its exclusive association with the specific issue of substance-use. When looked at as a literary genre, however, the roots of the common figurative and narrative tropes of Addiction Literature can be witnessed in texts which vastly predate any modern, medicalized articulations of substance-addiction. As Barbara Christian says in her “Race for Theory,” “where that language does not yet exist, it is our poetry which helps to fashion it.”
This Level 3 seminar module closely examines some seminal and representative texts of Addiction Literature, considers the development and uses of the main conventions of narrative and language which defines the genre, and reflects on what types of behavioural depictions and which literary periods can be considered under a generic classification of Addiction Literature.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

1. Demonstrate an ability to identify and analyse recurring generic tropes of narrative, language and imagery within a wide range of texts from across a broad historic period.
2. Develop the ability to read and write on a wide variety of texts through different theoretical, thematic and generic lenses.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of historic and contemporary addiction discourses, and an ability to situate literary texts within their historical contexts.
4. Cultivate the ability to construct original and insightful comparative analyses of addiction narratives and conceptual theories.

Indicative Module Content:

This module will focus on considerations of the lived experience of addiction and the themes and tropes through which this is represented in Literature and other creative media. In-class discussions will be based around representative weekly assigned texts.

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Competent

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Competent

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Competent

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Competent

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Competent

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Competent

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Competent

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 1

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 1

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 1

Reduce inequality within and among countries 1

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 1

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

80
Autonomous Student Learning

100
Lectures

20
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module will be delivered via weekly two-hour seminars which will be structured as short lecture-style introductions to set texts and relevant themes and theories, followed by group discussion/debate informed by essay-style questions, close reading exercises, and peer supported development of critical writing.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): A final comparative essay (3,000 words) which analyses two examples of Addiction Literature from two different time periods makes up 70% of the module's overall grade. Week 12 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
70
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Attendance, in-class contributions, and short written assignments (200-800 words) will make up 30% of the module's overall grade. Week 12 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
30
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
Repeat Within Two Trimesters
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback will be provided on the assignment on Brightspace and, if requested, in one-to-one meetings

Indicative Material
Primary:
Trainspotting (Danny Boyle film)
Requiem for a Dream, Hubert Selby Jr.
The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
Goblin Market, Christina Rossetti
Doctor Faustus, Christopher Marlowe
The Rape of Lucrece, William Shakespeare
Selected Fables, Robert Henryson
“The Canon’s Yeoman’s Prologue and Tale,” Geoffrey Chaucer
Secondary:
Addiction and Devotion in Early Modern England, Rebecca Lemon
Addiction Literature’s Past and Present, Mark Ronan
The Cures for Love, Ovid
DSM-V
Selected Fables, Aesop
The Urge, Carl Erik Fisher

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Fri 12:00 - 13:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Fri 12:00 - 13:50
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