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ENG32910

Academic Year 2026/2027

Reading the Energy Humanities (ENG32910)

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

Curricular information is subject to change.

Energy is the hidden engine of modern life, rarely visible in our cultural narratives. As Szeman and Boyer write: ‘Recent critical scholarship has had to account for the ways in which fossil fuels have managed to hide in plain sight, evading inclusion in our economic calculations as much as in our literary fictions’ (2017).

This module makes energy visible by tracing its usage in modern and contemporary literature and culture. Through a series of material case studies—from the turf fireplace to the Aga stove—we’ll consider how energy, and the gendered labor it requires, uniquely shapes our sense of identity, home, and national consciousness. Looking at examples from across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, we’ll see how energy usage and environmental concerns have changed over time, and how this history informs contemporary debates.

The module has a comparative approach, including Irish, British, North American and European literature by a diverse range of authors. We will look at texts in a range of forms, including short stories, novels and novellas, selected poetry, films and graphic novels.

No prior knowledge of ecocriticism or the energy humanities will be assumed.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

To understand ecocritical and environmental humanities approaches to literature and culture

To place prior knowledge of modern and contemporary culture in a new historical context

To consider cultural differences between British and North American and Irish and European cultures in relation to energy

To reflect on energy usage in the past and imagine energy futures

To analyse texts with attention to contexts and conceptual frames

To produce an extended essay on a topic related to the module.

Indicative Module Content:

Key texts will be drawn from this list of authors/directors:

James Joyce, D. H. Lawrence, Jean Toomer, Upton Sinclair, Patrick Hamilton, Ralph Ellison, Mary Lavin, Maeve Brennan, Edna O’Brien, Christa Wolf, Octavia E. Butler, Paul Muldoon, Mike McCormack, Benedikt Erlingsson, Kate Beaton, Joe Sacco, Daniel Goldhaber, Clare Keegan, Tim Mielants

Texts will include a range of forms, including short stories, novels and novellas, selected poetry, films and graphic novels.

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

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. 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

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 3

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 3

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

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 4

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

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 4

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 3

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 4

Reduce inequality within and among countries 4

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 4

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 4

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 4

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 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 4

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

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

78
Autonomous Student Learning

100
Seminar (or Webinar)

22
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module uses a variety of teaching and learning strategies, including class discussion, group work, short lectures, critical writing and reflection. Students will be asked to lead class discussions via presentations or online posts as part of an assessment task.

AI Policy: The use of AI tools is not permitted in this module. Students are expected to engage directly with module materials and activities without the use of AI tools.

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
Assignment(Including Essay): End-of-term research-based 3000-word essay that draws on one or two course texts and critical readings
 Week 14 Graded No
60
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Short (max 1000 word) close reading exercise on a chosen passage from the course texts. Week 7 Graded No
20
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Each week 2-3 people will be assigned to lead the class discussion by responding briefly to questions circulated in advance. You can choose to present in class or by post online in advance of class. Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10 Graded No
20
 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, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Written feedback will be provided in the first instance followed by individual oral feedback (in person or by zoom, as per student preference). Students may send a brief essay plan for informal feedback in advance of the final essay. Students will also have the opportunity to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of submitted assessments with the tutor as a class.

D. H. Lawrence, ‘The Odour of Chrysanthemums’ (short story, 1911)

Jean Toomer, Cane (novel/poetry, 1923)

Patrick Hamilton, Gaslight (play, 1938)

Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (novel, 1952)

Mary Lavin, ‘In the Middle of the Fields’ (short story, 1961)

Maeve Brennan, ‘The Beginning of a Long Story’ (short story, 1961)

Octavia E. Butler, The Parable of the Sower (novel, 1993)

Daniel Goldhaber (dir.) Woman at War (film, 2018)

Kate Beaton, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands (graphic novel, 2022)

Tim Mielants (dir.), Small Things Like These (film, 2024)

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 Thurs 10:00 - 11:50
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