Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LI Imagined Worlds: Genre Fiction and Popular Culture
School	Eng, Drama, & Creative Studies
Department	English Literature
Module Code	09 39935
Module Lead	Dorothy Butchard
Level	Intermediate Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-10 hours Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	Spaceships, dragons, magnifying glasses, and windswept clifftops – these and many others are the clichés of genre fiction. But what lies beneath them? How do these imagined worlds emerge and adapt across different kinds of texts, platforms, and environments? And, most of all, how can we use them to understand ourselves and diverse cultural contexts? Imagined Worlds will introduce students to a cross-section of genres from the recent history of literature and popular culture, organised by theme rather than chronological appearance. We will draw on relevant theoretical approaches to investigate the expansion of genre-based storytelling across multiple spaces of culture and communications, from early print editions up to innovative commercial and digital platforms in the present day. Students will explore a range of media and genres, which may include fantasy, crime/mystery, science fiction, and romance.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of examples of genre fiction from across the last two hundred years, situating them within wider trends and contexts. Identify and analyse a range of genre tropes through attention to individual works. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of appropriate critical and theoretical approaches to genre fiction and popular culture. Critically examine the history of genre and its place in wider literary and publishing contexts.
Assessment
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: Students must choose any two of these four options: Digitally recorded individual presentation (audio or video) (10 mins) (50%) Essay (1750 words) (50%) Cover design with 500 word reflection (A4 image + 500 words) (50%) Poster (A3 image) (50%) To be submitted as a combined portfolio on the same date via Turnitin. Reassessment: Failed component only (same as original assessment)
Other
Reading List