Module Details |
The information contained in this module specification was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change, either during the session because of unforeseen circumstances, or following review of the module at the end of the session. Queries about the module should be directed to the member of staff with responsibility for the module. |
Title | Bodies in Space | ||
Code | ENGL783 | ||
Coordinator |
Dr WG Slocombe English W.Slocombe@liverpool.ac.uk |
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Year | CATS Level | Semester | CATS Value |
Session 2021-22 | Level 7 FHEQ | Second Semester | 15 |
Aims |
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This module enables students to re-conceptualise a number of established tropes of SF writing within a broader contextual and theoretical framework. Using theories and theorists of the body, of environments, and of systems, the sf texts under consideration will be interrogated for the politics they adopt, reject, or appropriate, as well as the ways in which they position the body historically, socially, and culturally. |
Learning Outcomes |
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(LO1) Students will be able to analyse the ways in which science fiction, and its associated tropes, can be situated within relevant historical, theoretical, and cultural contexts. |
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(LO2) Students will be able to reflect critically on the ways in which science fiction utilises notions such as ‘the body’ and ‘space’ to reflect social concerns and positions. |
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(LO3) Students will be able to demonstrate a nuanced understanding in which texts can be oriented in relation to their conceptions of ‘the body’ and the frameworks in which it is placed. |
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(LO4) Students will be able to engage rigorously with relevant critical debates. |
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(S1) Communication (oral, written and visual). |
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(S2) Critical thinking and problem solving. |
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(S3) Communication (oral, written and visual). |
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(S4) Information skills. |
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(S5) Research skills. |
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(S6) Skills in using technology. |
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(S7) Research skills. |
Syllabus |
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This module considers the ways in which various kinds of ‘bodies’ might be said to occupy various kinds of ‘spaces’ across science fiction. This includes considerations of planetary bodies (and space ships!), in relation to attitudes towards colonisation, space travel, and terraforming; embodiment and presence in sf environments, including virtual environments and alternative physical and political spaces; and the various ways of considering the relationship between human and non-human bodies and their environments. Texts may vary from year to year but an indicative list of writers includes: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Naomi Mitchison, Marge Piercy, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Nnedi Okorafor. |
Teaching and Learning Strategies |
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Teaching Method 1 - Seminar Teaching Method 2 - Assessment Workshop Seminars planned to be delivered face-to-face but will pivot to remote synchronous delivery if necessary (due to COVID-19). |
Teaching Schedule |
Lectures | Seminars | Tutorials | Lab Practicals | Fieldwork Placement | Other | TOTAL | |
Study Hours |
11 |
2 |
13 | ||||
Timetable (if known) |
60 mins X 1 totaling 11
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120 mins X 1 totaling 2
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Private Study | 137 | ||||||
TOTAL HOURS | 150 |
Assessment |
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EXAM | Duration | Timing (Semester) |
% of final mark |
Resit/resubmission opportunity |
Penalty for late submission |
Notes |
CONTINUOUS | Duration | Timing (Semester) |
% of final mark |
Resit/resubmission opportunity |
Penalty for late submission |
Notes |
4,000-word academic assignment. There is a resit opportunity. Standard UoL penalty applies for late submission. This is an anonymous assessment. | 3500-4000 words | 100 | ||||
1,000-word critical literature review. | 750-1000 words | 0 |
Recommended Texts |
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Reading lists are managed at readinglists.liverpool.ac.uk. Click here to access the reading lists for this module. |