ENG42150 Energy, Modernity, Culture
Academic Year 2023/2024
Energy is the dirty substrate of modernity, turbo-charging not only our infrastructures, but also our affects, desires, and imaginaries. Taking on Patricia Yaeger’s provocative call to read for the “energy unconscious” fuelling our cultural works, this module will consider how energy generated by sources like coal, oil, nuclear, solar, water, and wind register in contemporary texts from sites like Australia, the Caribbean, Ireland, the Niger Delta, North America, the North Sea, and the UK.
Critical literary and environmental topics covered in the syllabus may include petro-modernity, hydro-fictions, solarities, aeolian (wind) imaginaries, cli-fi, resource fictions, extinction, slow violence, and/ or the Anthropocene, as we examine the aesthetics of texts from the global hotspots of energy extraction and global warming. We will also probe the uneven impact of energy pollution and climate change; and may draw on additional critical insights from fields like eco-feminism, queer ecology, environmental racism, postcolonial ecocriticism, world-ecology, the blue humanities, and/ or animal studies.
The energy humanities is one of the most exciting strands of environmental criticism to emerge in recent years, and throughout this module you will be prompted to engage with cutting edge criticism and texts, such as poetry, short stories, TV shows, film, and novels, all with a view to querying how the humanities can mediate, and perhaps even intervene in, our climate changed world.
Show/hide contentOpenClose All
Curricular information is subject to change
Learning Outcomes:
- Knowledge of key concepts and critical approaches in the energy and environmental humanities
- Advanced ability to analyse global texts in terms of their aesthetic features as well as in relation to their socio-ecological contexts
- Ability to understand, analyse and critically evaluate cultural theory in relation to energy extraction and climate change
- Proficiency in synthesizing a range of materials and perspectives in the production of a coherent, well-researched argument
- Ability to produce a cogent, high level piece of academic research/writing
Student Effort 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, lecturer overviews, critical writing, close reading.
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Not applicable to this module.
Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
Assessment Strategy
Essay: 5000 word research essay |
Coursework (End of Trimester) |
n/a |
Graded |
No |
80 |
Continuous Assessment: essay proposal |
Throughout the Trimester |
n/a |
Graded |
No |
10 |
Continuous Assessment: contribution, participation, presentation |
Throughout the Trimester |
n/a |
Graded |
No |
10 |
Carry forward of passed components Yes
Feedback Strategy/Strategies
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
How will my Feedback be Delivered?
Not yet recorded.
Dr Patrick Brodie |
Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |
Dr Tomas Buitendijk |
Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |
Assoc Professor Sharae Deckard |
Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |
Caleb O'Connor |
Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
|
|
|
|
Lecture |
Offering 1 |
Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks |
Thurs 10:00 - 11:50 |