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ENG32800

Academic Year 2026/2027

Wasted Wor(l)ds (ENG32800)

Subject:
English
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
English, Drama & Film
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Dr Treasa De Loughry
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

What happens when we take decay, breakdown, and contamination as starting points for our investigations into world literature? This module focuses on depictions of waste and wasted landscapes in global texts — and considers what it means to write from amidst the ruins of our modern world. We will explore texts from around the globe (such as Brazil, India, the Pacific Islands, West Africa, the UK, and the US), that register the impact of toxic seep from landfill, plastics, oil, and/or nuclear detritus; and consider the peculiar formal features of ‘broken world’ texts. Through contemporary short fiction, novels, and films we will consider genres like the documentary, science fiction, excremental realism, the eco-gothic, eco-apocalypse, and/ or the toxic sublime. These will be put into dialogue with theories from waste scholarship, discard studies, postcolonial ecocriticism, and world-ecology; and we will also explore how toxicity and rubbish are central to the reproduction of hierarchies based on class, caste, race, and gender. The module will conclude on a hopeful note by engaging with critical work on decolonizing waste and repair.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
• analyse a range of literatures and concepts related to waste, and connect their concerns and modes of expression to their cultural, socio-ecological, and theoretical contexts;
• demonstrate a basic understanding of the contours of contemporary waste literary criticism;
• evince an advanced ability to perform close-reading of different textual forms leading to nuanced comparative analyses;
• enter into scholarly conversation with secondary work in the fields of waste scholarship, postcolonial-ecocriticism, and world literary studies;
• develop confidence in primary and secondary research skills – undertaking, applying, and transmitting research.

Indicative Module Content:

Readings will be grouped by region and theme (landfill, nuclear, pesticides, carbon emissions). They may include some (not all) of the following, but an updated reading list will be provided from Autumn 2026:

• Short stories by authors like Italo Calvino, Romesh Gunesekara, Duanwad Pimwana.
• Novels by Mulk Raj Anand, Indra Sinha, Karen Tei Yamashita.
• Poetry by Khairani Bharokka, Adam Dickinson, Craig Santos Perez, Kathy Jetnil Kijiner.
• Films/ Television Shows like Wall-E, Wasteland (Lucy Walker), Anthropocene (Jennifer Baichwal), Chernobyl (TV series).

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

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Advanced Beginner

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Advanced Beginner

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. Advanced Beginner

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

End poverty in all its forms everywhere 1

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture 1

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

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 1

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 1

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 1

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 1

Reduce inequality within and among countries 1

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 1

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 1

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 1

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss 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
Seminar (or Webinar)

22
Specified Learning Activities

78
Autonomous Student Learning

100
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module is seminar-based, with a strong emphasis on group discussion and class participation. Approaches in this module may include: student-led discussion, group work and group-led discussions, discussion forums, lecture overviews, critical writing, close reading.

AI Use Permitted for Limited Support: Students may use AI tools for limited support in this module (e.g. in generating works cited or suggesting secondary reading). However, students remain fully responsible for the accuracy and reliability of their learning. Any use of AI must be cited appropriately.

Moderation: A proportion of written assignments in each module in the School of English, Drama and Film are subject to moderation, meaning they undergo a second layer of review by another grader. This is to promote consistency within and between modules in the same level and discipline.


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
Quizzes/Short Exercises: Essay proposal assignment. 750 words total. A template will be provided. Feedback through Brightspace & meeting. Week 9 Graded No
15
 No
Quizzes/Short Exercises: 2 x discussion posts (750 words total) submitted on brightspace. Posts must provide critically informed reflections on readings and discussion prompts for class. Sign up for a slot in advance. Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10 Graded No
15
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): 3500 word research essay. Students compare and contrast at least 2 readings from the module in response to an essay question. Week 14 Graded No
70
 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
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
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 in-person for discussion posts and for the essay proposal. Any assignment submitted through the Brightspace assignment portal will also be given written feedback.

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