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 Science Fiction and the Contemporary
Code ENGL731
Coordinator Dr WG Slocombe
English
W.Slocombe@liverpool.ac.uk
Year CATS Level Semester CATS Value
Session 2018-19 Level 7 FHEQ First Semester 10

Aims

  • This module aims to:

    Introduce students to the field of science fiction writing, and some of its dominant themes and tropes

  • Enable students to consider how imaginative and speculative writing responds to its time and place of production

  • Demonstrate the ways in which science fiction texts articulate issues of “the contemporary”
    		•

    Learning Outcomes

    By the end of this module, students will be able to:

    Demonstrate advanced skills in textual analysis of a range of science fiction works with detailed attention to questions of genre, form and narrative structure

    Analyse with a sophisticated conceptual grasp how science fiction texts engage with and articulate ideas of time, and in particular, “the contemporary”

    Demonstrate a systematic understanding of ways in which science fiction texts are historically and culturally situated, reflecting their time and/or place of production

    Critically engage with academic research and/or theoretical discourses, and relate these to specific science fiction texts


    Syllabus
    1 

    Whilst the syllabus changes year by year, the core topic areas covered will not. Over the duration of the module students will study, over the four sessions:

    1. Temporality and Narrative
    2. Re-imagining the Past / Future Histories
    3. Utopias and Dystopias
    4. Speculating on the Present
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    Teaching and Learning Strategies

    Seminar -

    4 x 2 hour seminars

    Teaching Schedule
      Lectures Seminars Tutorials Lab Practicals Fieldwork Placement Other TOTAL
    Study Hours   8

    		         8
    Timetable (if known)   4 x 2 hour seminars
          		         
    Private Study 92
    TOTAL HOURS 100

    Assessment
    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
    Coursework  3,000-3,500 words  Semester One  100  Yes  Standard UoL penalty applies  Assessment 1 Notes (applying to all assessments) A 3,000-3,500 word essay written on an approved topic.  

    Recommended Texts
    Reading lists are managed at readinglists.liverpool.ac.uk. Click here to access the reading lists for this module.
    Explanation of Reading List: