What is the Anthropocene? What does it mean to have our geological era renamed specifically for the impact that humans have had globally on the planet? This module digs deep into the history of our modern world by asking questions like: where did the Anthropocene first emerge? When might it be said to have begun? Why does it matter? By reading, interrogating, and using poetry, prose, fiction, and other media, this module will look at how writers, and creatives from across the globe and through history (from the medieval to the present), interpret and respond creatively to environmental breakdown. Covering theoretical ground that frames climate crises and their associated ecological catastrophes as a consequence of colonialism and capitalism, the module will include discussions of how resource extraction, fossil-fuel use, and the spread of industrialisation have seen the exploitation of people, non-human animals, and land, creating a global 'eco-apartheid' based on lines of race, class, gender, and ethnicity. It will explore how the human-made environment is changing our world but is also having an identifiable impact (detectable across all five continents) on human physiology, psychology and mental health. It looks at how the arts have interpreted climate crises, and how climate crises have shaped the arts.
Private Study: 278
Contact Hours: 22
Total: 300
Main assessment methods
Creative project/essay (5,000 words or equivalent) (100%)
Reassessment methods
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The University is committed to ensuring that core reading materials are in accessible electronic format in line with the Kent Inclusive Practices. The most up to date reading list for each module can be found on the university's reading list pages: https://kent.rl.talis.com/index.html
The intended subject specific learning outcomes. On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1 Comprehensively identify the major concerns of contemporary ecocriticism, and develop an understanding of key terms such as 'Anthropocene'
2 Evaluate critically, current research and scholarship in the field of ecocriticism as a global and a historical concern
3 Interpret a range of formal and aesthetic features relating to the study of prose, and/or poetry and/or other creative media
4 Evaluate methodologies (such as postcolonialism, ecocriticism, and Marxism), develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, propose new hypotheses
The intended generic learning outcomes. On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1 Demonstrate the ability to synthesise complex information with precision and subtlety
2 Demonstrate the ability to comprehend, analyse, and interrogate a variety of texts and assess the value of diverse critical approaches and ideas
3 Demonstrate the capacity to mount complex arguments lucidly and persuasively in a range of contexts
4 Demonstrate their capacity to carry out independent research
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