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Unit of study_

ENGL2676: Climate Fictions

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Climate change raises fundamental challenges for the reading, writing and study of literature. This unit investigates the ways in which 'climate' features in, or shapes, fictional texts across place and time, into the present era, attending also to the texts, knowledges and perspectives of First Nations peoples. Can climate fiction shape public debate Are its forms implicated in fossil-fuel-driven capitalism We will ask how novels, films among other types of texts engage cultural, popular and scientific discourses to represent and imagine the environmental, social justice, existential, intercultural and interspecies implications of climate change at regional, national and planetary levels.

Unit details and rules

Unit code ENGL2676
Academic unit English and Writing
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
12 credit points at 1000 level including 6 credit points from English
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Meg Brayshaw, meg.brayshaw@sydney.edu.au
Guest lecturer(s) Louise Katz, louise.katz@sydney.edu.au
Peter Minter, peter.minter@sydney.edu.au
Isabelle Hesse, isabelle.hesse@sydney.edu.au
Briohny Doyle, briohny.doyle@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Research Project
See Canvas
55% Formal exam period
Due date: 13 Jun 2023 at 23:59
2500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Participation Online Activities
See Canvas
10% Multiple weeks Variable
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Reading Journal
See Canvas
35% Week 07
Due date: 06 Apr 2023 at 23:59
2000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO4 LO3 LO2

Assessment summary

  • Reading Journal: This assignment will require you to produce a series of short written responses that illustrate your critical and/or creative engagement with texts and topics covered up to and including week 7.
  • Research Project: This assignment will require you to develop a meaningful argument through reasoned, critical analysis of texts and topics covered in this unit.
  • Participation: This assignment is a pass/fail task based on your completion of at least 4 of the online activities. 

See Canvas for full descriptions of each assessment.

Assessment criteria

Please see Canvas for marking rubrics for each assessment task.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

5% per calendar day late

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction: what is climate fiction and what can it do? Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Week 02 Climate change as spectacle: The Day After Tomorrow (2004), directed by Roland Emmerich Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Climate change as spectacle: The Day After Tomorrow (2004), directed by Roland Emmerich Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Online Activity: The Day After Tomorrow Independent study (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 03 Anthropocene fictions Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Anthropocene fictions Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Online Activity: Anthropocene fictions Independent study (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 04 Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Online Activity: Reading Journal preparation Independent study (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 05 Writing climate fiction Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Writing climate fiction & reading journal workshop Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Online Activity: writing climate fiction Independent study (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 06 Animal fictions Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Animal fictions Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Online Activity: Animal fictions Independent study (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 07 Petrofiction: Oil on Water by Helon Habila (online only) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Petrofiction: Oil on Water by Helon Habila Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 08 Online Activity: Oil on Water Independent study (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson (Part 1) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson (Part 1) Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 09 Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson (Part 2) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson (Part 2) Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Online Activity: Ministry for the Future Independent study (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 10 First Nations' speculative fictions Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
First Nations' speculative fictions Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Online Activity: First Nations' speculative fictions Independent study (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 11 Climate realism: Still Life (2006), directed by Jia Zhangke Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Climate realism: Still Life (2006), directed by Jia Zhangke Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Online Activity: Still Life (2006) Independent study (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 12 Spring by Ali Smith Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Spring by Ali Smith Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Online Activity: Research Project preparation Independent study (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 13 Conclusions Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Conclusions & research project workshop Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

There are four novels you are required to read for this unit:

  • Amitav Ghosh, Gun Island (John Murray, 2019).
  • Helon Habila, Oil on Water (Penguin, 2011)
  • Kim Stanley Robinson, Ministry for the Future (Orbit, 2020).
  • Ali Smith, Spring (Penguin, 2019).

There are two films you are required to view:

  • Roland Emmerich, dir. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
  • Jia Zhangke, dir. Still Life (2006).

Screenings will be held on campus in week 1 (The Day After Tomorrow) and week 10 (Still Life).The Day After Tomorrow is available on paid streaming platforms. Still Life is available on DVD to borrow from Fisher library.

All other readings are available via Canvas.

 

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Comprehend a range of ways in which imaginative texts, past and present, represent climate and climate change
  • LO2. Understand key concepts relevant to the representation of climate and climate change in literature and culture generally, applying these to both personal reflections on and close analysis of selected texts;
  • LO3. Combine the reasoned, critical analysis of representations of climate change with awareness of wider implications in sustained personal, imaginative and/or scholarly writing;
  • LO4. Engage in ethical and inclusive communication with peers both online and face-to-face.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is the first time this unit has been offered.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

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