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Literature, Environment, Crisis (ENGL30047)
Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable (login required)(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 2
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’, bioregionalism, ecofeminist and queer ecological perspectives. This subject begins with some classical and early modern conceptions of the natural world; it goes on to cover Romantic and Victorian conceptions of Nature, evolution, science and species, and concludes with texts focused on ‘wilderness’, human-animal relations, Indigeneity, 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
- 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
- Developed their ability to communicate in writing
Last updated: 11 April 2024
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: 11 April 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
An essay
| Mid semester | 35% |
An essay
| During the examination period | 55% |
Class participation, including a presentation | Throughout the teaching period | 10% |
Hurdle requirement: Attendance hurdle requirement: This subject has a minimum requirement of 80% attendance at tutorials, seminars, or workshops. There is an expectation that students attend lectures. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Hurdle requirement: Late Penalty and Assessment hurdle requirement: Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at five per cent (5%) of the possible marks available for the assessment task per day or part thereof. All pieces of assessment must be submitted to pass the subject. Each submitted assessment must be complete, constitute a genuine attempt to address the requirements of the task and will not be accepted after 20 University business days from the original assessment due date without written approval. | Throughout the semester | N/A |
Last updated: 11 April 2024
Dates & times
- Semester 2
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 22 July 2024 to 20 October 2024 Last self-enrol date 2 August 2024 Census date 2 September 2024 Last date to withdraw without fail 20 September 2024 Assessment period ends 15 November 2024 Semester 2 contact information
Time commitment details
170 hours
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 11 April 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
H G Wells, The Island of Dr Moreau (1896). Any edition.
Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis (1915). Any edition.
Virginia Woolf, Street Haunting: A London Adventure (1930). PDF available.
Don DeLillo, White Noise (1985). Any edition.
Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake (2003). Any edition.
Cormac McCarthy, The Road (2006). Any edition.
Alison Whittaker, Blakwork (Magabala Books, 2018)
Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun (Vintage, 2021)
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Bachelor of Arts Course Graduate Certificate in Arts Course Graduate Diploma in Arts Major 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 Fine Arts (Acting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Production)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art)
- 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.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 11 April 2024