Key facts
UNE unit code: ENGL382
*You are viewing the 2026 version of this unit which may be subject to change in future.
- Not offered in 2026
- Yes
- No
- No
- 6
Unit information
Explore the relationship between human life and the non-human world through literature.
This unit examines the distinctive thematic, rhetorical and formal features of environmental literature and ‘nature writing’, and encourages you to consider the non-human in relation to anthropogenic historical processes such as colonisation and industrialisation, and curious aspects of the human condition such as desire and emotion.
The set texts will enable you to rethink conventional distinctions between ‘nature’ and ‘culture’, ‘human’ and ‘animal’, ‘subject’ and ‘object’, and consider how the environment is part of human history, society, politics and bodies. Incorporating insights from the fields of ecocriticism, feminism, queer theory, science and technology studies, indigenous studies and the environmental humanities, you will develop a wide range of skills for interpreting how ‘nature’ and ‘the environment’ are represented in literature.
Intensive schools
There are no intensive schools required for this unit.
Enrolment rules
Notes
Please refer to the student handbook for current details on this unit.
Unit coordinator(s)
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- identify and evaluate debates within the field of environmental literature;
- demonstrate advanced knowledge of the ways by which literary texts engage with their cultural, geographic and historical contexts through an extended and integrated argument written according to disciplinary conventions;
- coherently communicate a critical analysis and evaluation of a range of works of environmental literature; and
- apply advanced reading, writing, and research skills through the independent exposition of environmental literature.
Assessment information
Assessments are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
| Title | Must Complete | Weight | Offerings | Assessment Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Project | Yes | 55% | All offerings | No. Words: 2500 (equivalent) |
| Final Project Plan | Yes | 30% | All offerings | No. Words: 1500 (equivalent) |
| Online Assessment | Yes | 15% | All offerings | No. Words: 1000 (equivalent) |
Learning resources
Textbooks are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
Note: Students are expected to purchase prescribed material. Please note that textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.
The Word for World is Forest
ISBN: 9781399607797
Ursula K LeGuin, Text 2023
Text refers to: All offerings
On the Beach
ISBN: 9780099530251
Neville Shute, Vintage Classics 2009
Text refers to: All offerings
Elegy, Southwest
ISBN: 9781761153136
Madeline Watts, Ultimo Press 1st 2025
Text refers to: All offerings
See Note
Text refers to: All offerings
See Note
Text refers to: All offerings
Heat and Light
ISBN: 9780702253218
van Neerven, E., University of Queensland Press 2015
Text refers to: All offerings
Note: Recommended material may be held in the University Library — purchase is optional.
Maralinga: The Anangu Story
ISBN: 9781742378428
Yalata and Oak Valley Communities, Mattingley, C., Allen and Unwin Reprint 2012
Text refers to: All offerings
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