Literature, Ecology, Catastrophe (ENGL30047)
Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
The Humanities have always been interested in Nature and the non-human or ‘other’, and this has gathered momentum with our increasing awareness of the planet’s vulnerability and our responsibility for averting environmental disaster. The term ‘ecocriticism’ was applied in the mid-1990s to the study of literature and the environment; since then, ecological approaches to critique have rapidly expanded into other areas, encompassing ‘dark ecology’, ‘ecological materialism’, ecofeminist and queer ecological perspectives. This subject covers Romantic conceptions of Nature, evolution, science and species, the ‘wilderness’, human-animal relations, new environmentalisms, utopias, Indigeneity, and narratives about extinction, apocalypse and the posthuman.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this subject, students should have:
- a broad understanding of literary conceptions of Nature and the physical world from the Eighteenth Century to the present day;
- an understanding of relations between literature, science and natural history;
- an understanding of literature’s capacity to imagine and inhabit life-sustaining worlds; and
- an understanding of literature’s capacity to think beyond the ‘human’ in the framework of ecological catastrophe.
Generic skills
At the completion of this subject, students should gain the following generic skills:
- acquired a transportable set of interpretative skills;
- developed their capacity for independent research;
- developed their capacity for critical thinking and analysis; and
- developed their ability to communicate in writing.
Last updated: 4 April 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 4 April 2025
Assessment
Additional details
- A 1,500 word essay (35%), due mid-semester
- A 2,500 word essay (55%), due in the examination period
- Class participation, including a presentation (10%), throughout semester
- Hurdle: This subject has a minimum hurdle requirement of 80% attendance and regular participation in tutorials. Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.
Last updated: 4 April 2025
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Principal coordinator Deirdre Coleman Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours Total 30 hours: a 1 hour lecture and a 1.5 hour tutorial per week. Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 23 July 2018 to 21 October 2018 Last self-enrol date 3 August 2018 Census date 31 August 2018 Last date to withdraw without fail 21 September 2018 Assessment period ends 16 November 2018 Semester 2 contact information
Email: colemand@unimelb.edu.au
Time commitment details
170 hours
Last updated: 4 April 2025
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Tennyson, In Memoriam, Norton Critical Edition
H G Wells, The Island of Dr Moreau, Penguin
Jack London, The Call of the Wild, Penguin
Kafka, Metamorphosis, Penguin
Rachel Carson, The Silent Spring
Alexis Wright, Plains of Promise, Penguin
Cormac McCarthy, The Road, Vintage
Paolo Bacigalupi, The Windup Girl, 2009
Margaret Atwood, The Year of the Flood, (Little Brown)
Susan Glaspell, 'The Verge—a Play in 3 Acts - (available for online reading from the Baillieu Library)
There will also be a Reader for this course.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Major English and Theatre Studies Specialisation (formal) English and Theatre Studies Specialisation (formal) Graduate Certificate in Arts - English and Theatre Studies - Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Biomedicine
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Environments
- Bachelor of Music
- Bachelor of Science
- Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Last updated: 4 April 2025