ENG4439 – Speculative Fictions in English
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
"Speculative Fiction" is a broad term that encompasses several imaginative genres: science fiction, horror, climate fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, fantasy, "weird fiction," and more. Many writers working with speculative genres engage with some of the biggest existential issues of our contemporary moment: the climate crisis, the possibilities of world building, definitions of monstrosity, multispecies formations, technology and the future, to name just a few issues. These speculative genres often reveal the anxieties, hopes and fears of the current moment, and offer several alternatives to thinking about identities, (post)humanity, and the future.The focus of the course will change from semester to semester, foregrounding different sets of topics as well as different literary and visual texts within the speculative genres.
Possible topics include: Feminist futures, Posthuman Fictions, Science Fiction Studies, Climate Futures, Afro and Indigenous Futurisms, Cities of the Future.
Learning outcome
- Mapping the various ways that fiction imagines the future by working with some of the major issues of our time, including climate change, mass surveillance, the advancement of technology, identity politics
- Understanding what "Speculative Fiction" can tell us about the fears, anxieties, and hopes of our current time
- Understanding how speculative fiction engages with philosophical and cultural debates, both now and historically
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester?register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for?in Studentweb.
This course is for students admitted to European Languages (master) and UVM5-LEP, masterspesialisering i engelsk. Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements and procedures.
Teaching
Seminars, 2 hours per week for 10 weeks.
- You will come up with your research topic for the term paper and have this approved by the course teacher, and submit a first draft by set deadlines. Read more here about rules concerning valid excuses and how to apply for postponements. Information about guidelines for obligatory activities.
- It is obligatory to show up for a minimum of 60% of the teaching. In this course you have to attend 6 of 10 seminars. The requirement is absolute.
The allowed absence limit will cover all absences, including illness. You will not be granted valid absences with documentation, even when the absence is due to something beyond your control.
If the course has in-person teaching, and you are signed up for an in-person seminar group, you are to attend the teaching in the location found in the schedule.
If the course has digital teaching, and you are signed up for a digital seminar group, you must attend via Zoom with your camera on.
In certain circumstances, i.e. serious or chronic illness, you could apply for special needs accommodations.
Fulfilled course requirements are only valid the semester you attend the course.
Examination
The form of assessment?is?a term paper of 10 standard pages (a standard page consists of 2,300 characters).?References and bibliography comes in addition.
You will be offered individual term paper supervision.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F?is a fail. Read more about?the grading system.
Resit an examination
A term paper or equivalent that is passed may not be resubmitted in revised form.
If you?withdraw from the exam?after the deadline, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.