Course Catalogue

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This course explores recent Fantastika (Fantasy, Science Fiction and supernatural fiction) across a range of lengths and forms, examining the diverse roles that stories of impossible things play in contemporary culture. In seminars, we will assess the various affordances of genre; think about how to write critically on recently published texts; analyse the cultural framing of works of art; and engage in collaborative, discursive reading. The course will pay special attention to the ways in which genre communities value texts, touching on commerce, aesthetics, politics and forms of representation. The first part of the course will explore a syllabus of texts chosen by the instructor, drawn principally from recent award shortlists. Texts for the second part of the course will be contemporary Fantastika publications nominated by students and selected by group vote during the first part of the course.

1 x 1-hour introductory lecture

9 x 2-hour seminars

1 x 1-hour essay workshop

Successful completion of Junior Honours in English Literature, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation.

None

None

Two short introductory oral contributions to seminars (2-3 mins each) - 10%

Reviewing exercise: review(s) and reflection (1500 words total) - 30%

Essay (3000 words) - 60%

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

This course aims to:

■ Introduce students to a wide range of contemporary Fantastika

■ Analyse different value systems at play in modern genre culture (aesthetic, commercial, political, representational, community-based)

■ Explore how a toolbox of academic approaches can be employed to shed light on newly published works

■ Consider how Fantastika is assessed by fans, in reviews and in scholarly discourse

■ Employ a co-created syllabus to examine the richness of modern genre writing and to reflect critically on the shaping of reading lists and seminar conversations

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Analyse the social and cultural affordances of recent genre fiction

■ Discuss recently published texts using a variety of critical and theoretical frameworks

■ Assess the qualities of works of contemporary Fantastika in oral discussions, review discourse and academic prose

■ Scrutinise the value systems within which contemporary genre fictions operate

■ Critically reflect on the process of selecting syllabus texts and on what makes for a productive seminar discussion

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.