| Unit name | Contemporary Literature and Science |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL30049 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Josie Gill |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit explores the relationship between science and literature since 1990. Reading a range of contemporary literary texts and best-selling popular science writing, we will examine representations of genetics, evolutionary theory, neuroscience and physics. As we consider key critical debates about the relationship between the disciplines, we will address: differences between literary and scientific ways of knowing the world; the extent to which contemporary literature and science constitute ‘two cultures’; the role of literature in a period dominated by scientific explanations of human life; the ethical challenges posed by contemporary science and writers’ responses to them; literary language and metaphor in science; and the influence of scientific ideas and methodologies on literary form.
On successful completion of this unit students will have
(1) developed a detailed knowledge of a wide range of literary and non-fiction texts that engage with science;
(2) developed a critical understanding of the key debates about the relationship between literature and science;
(3) acquired an understanding of major critical approaches to the primary texts;
(4) demonstrated their ability to analyse and compare scientific and literary texts;
(5) strengthened their skills in academic writing, argumentation, and evaluation of evidence from primary texts and critical literature.
1 x 2-hour seminar per week.
The 2000 word summative essay assesses ILOs 1-3 and 5. The 3000 word summative essay assesses ILOs 1-5.
Ian McEwan, Saturday (London: Jonathan Cape, 2005)
Zadie Smith, White Teeth (London: Penguin, 2000)
Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go (London: Faber and Faber, 2005)
Michael Frayn, Copenhagen (London: Samuel French, 2000)
Richard Dawkins, A Devil's Chaplain: Selected Essays, ed. Latha Menon (London: Phoenix, 2003)
Sharon Ruston (ed.), Literature and Science , Vol. 61. Essays and Studies (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 2008)
