This module explores what it means to think and write about nature at a time of massive environmental change and technological advancement. . We will consider the ways in which different forms, modes and genres ̶ including poetry, science writing, film, visual art and, of course, science fiction ̶ have tackled questions surrounding biology, extinction, technology, climate change and what it means to be human.
Over the course of the module we will explore the relationship between fact, fiction and speculation; the past, future (and potentially the end) of humanity; questions of energy, ecology and sustainability; and the political and ethical dilemmas that emerge alongside new scientific discoveries and technologies that shape humans’(and other animals’) lives on micro and macro scales.