| Unit name | Literature and the Environment: Diverse Perspectives |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGLM0066 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Murray |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
At a time of rapid and dangerous man-made changes to the climate, what role might literature play in developing sustainable perspectives and ways of life? What can writing do to help create resilience? This unit introduces a range of authors and critics whose work is shaped by these questions: the poets Mary Oliver and Kathleen Jamie, the new nature writers Helen Macdonald and Robert Macfarlane. It studies the ecocritical writing which advocates ‘green literature’ and those critics also who challenge or interrogate its claims. It moves beyond a eurocentric point of view by studying postcolonical ecocriticism, and beyond the humanistic focus on mankind to consider critical animal studies. Attending principally to modern and contemporary work, the unit will show too the historical depth of environmental concerns. It will explore the gender implications of an ecocritical approach and its relation to spirituality.
Primary and secondary material will be set and discussed alongside each other. Seminars will cover a range of genres, historical periods and thematic concerns, including animal studies, ecospirituality, medieval writing, postcolonialism, romantic period poetry and blue humanities.
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. gain an understanding of ecocritical readings – their variety and underlying assumptions
2. relate ecocritical perspectives to specific issues articulated in literary texts
3. discriminate between ecocritical and other critical perspectives on the literature studied
4. identify and present pertinent evidence to develop a cogent argument in written form appropriate to level M
5. present findings in a coherent and communicable form orally
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities. These can include seminars, lectures, class discussion, formative tasks, small group work, and self-directed exercises.
Tasks which do not count towards your unit mark but are required for credit (zero-weighted)
1,000 word presentation (0%, required for credit) [ILO 5]
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
4,000 word essay (100%) [ILOs 1-4]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ENGLM0066).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
