Speculative Fiction and Climate Justice: Imagining Futures, 7.5 Credits
Common sense tells us that we do not know what the future holds. But as many scholars and writers have noted, we often talk of the future as already set, or even as already here. We live in a world where climate change, loss of biodiversity, and social and economic inequality can generate feelings of hopelessness. In this course, we explore English language literature, film, and tv-series from different parts of the world, from the 1970s to the present, that imaginatively reinvent our futures. We take as our starting point the idea that fiction can be a resource for change, through making us abandon the idea of the future as just more of the same. We will discuss works that challenge our ideas of what the future can hold and in doing so also asks us to re-examine our present. The futures imagined may not always be hopeful, but they all encourage us to think imaginatively and critically about the kind of future that could be possible. We employ and critically examine concepts and theories within cultural or literary studies that speak to the potential and problems of narratives of the future.
ECTS Credits
7.5 Credits
Level of education
Second cycle, has only first-cycle course/s as entry requirements (A1N)
School
School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences
When is the course offered?
-
Prerequisites: A first-cycle qualification comprising at least 180 credits of which at least 90 credits are for specialised study within the field of humanities or social sciences including an independent project of at least 15 credits . The applicant must also have qualifications corresponding to the course English 6 or English B from the Swedish Upper Secondary School.
Selection: Academic points
Additional information: Teaching methods
The course can be made up of lectures, laboratory work, seminars, field studies, exercises, placement studies, web-based discussions and/or workshops.Assessment
The course can be assessed through written examination, take-home examination, compulsory course components, paper, essay and/or oral examination.Application code: X1800