Unit Overview
- Description
The aim of the unit is for students to develop a sense of the globalised world as it appears in literature and film. Literature and cinema today exist in a global framework in which texts are translated and circulated for multiple audiences. Contemporary literature and cinema has responded to the challenge of globalisation with an extraordinary diversity of imaginative texts that address geo-political and environmental concerns. This unit is designed to expose students to a range of literature and film from across the world and provide the interpretive capacities for dealing with the complexities that arise when reading literature and film in a transcultural context. As well as coming from different parts of the world, the texts are chosen for the way they represent the implications of a globalised world. Themes that feature in the unit include the relationship between homeland and diaspora and its complication of identity and belonging, the movement of people across borders, First Nations literature that addresses the continuing legacy of colonialism, and the emergence of writers and filmmakers whose work resonates on a global scale. At the same time, the unit also serves as an introduction, more generally, to the discipline of literary studies and its key techniques of reading closely as well as contextually. Students are introduced to important literary and cinematic genres that have global recognition including the short story, the novel, postcolonial literature, coming of age stories, migration narratives, and the defamiliarizing techniques of magic realism.
- Credit
- 6 points
- Offering
(see Timetable) Availability Location Mode Semester 2 UWA (Perth) On-campus -
The timetable for this teaching period is not currently available. Please see the Important Dates page for the timetable release date and other key date information.
- Details for undergraduate courses
- Level 1 option in the English and Literary Studies major sequence
- Level 1 elective
- Outcomes
Students are able to (1) apprehend issues of globalisation as they are expressed in creative writing; (2) negotiate cultural difference as a feature of texts in a globalised world; (3) comprehend the central critical debates that surround the emergence of global literatures; (4) identify connections between literary production and broader sociocultural, political and historical events; and (5) express in formal writing the issues that tie globalisation to literature, drawing on the evidence provided in literary works.
- Assessment
Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) tutorial or workshop participation; (2) in-class test; and (3) research essay. Further information is available in the unit outline.
Student may be offered supplementary assessment in this unit if they meet the eligibility criteria.
- Unit Coordinator(s)
- Associate Professor Ned Curthoys
- Contact hours
- 3 hours per week
- Note
- All lectures for this unit will be recorded and available online via LMS
- The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change.
- All students are responsible for identifying when they need assistance to improve their academic learning, research, English language and numeracy skills; seeking out the services and resources available to help them; and applying what they learn. Students are encouraged to register for free online support through GETSmart; to help themselves to the extensive range of resources on UWA's STUDYSmarter website; and to participate in WRITESmart and (ma+hs)Smart drop-ins and workshops.
- Visit the Essential Textbooks website to see if any textbooks are required for this Unit. The website is updated regularly so content may change. Students are recommended to purchase Essential Textbooks, but a limited number of copies of all Essential Textbooks are held in the Library in print, and as an ebook where possible. Recommended readings for the unit can be accessed in Unit Readings directly through the Learning Management System (LMS).
- Contact hours provide an indication of the type and extent of in-class activities this unit may contain. The total amount of student work (including contact hours, assessment time, and self-study) will approximate 150 hours per 6 credit points.
Face to face
Predominantly face-to-face. On campus attendance required to complete this unit. May have accompanying resources online.
Online flexible
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit is asynchronous delivery, with NO requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online timetabled
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit includes some synchronous components, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online Restricted
Not available for self-enrolment. Students access this mode by contacting their student office through AskUWA. 100% Online Unit.
NO campus face-to-face attendance. All study and assessment requirements are online only. Unit includes some timetabled activities, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times. In exceptional cases (noted in the Handbook) students may be required to participate in face-to-face laboratory classes when a return to UWA’s Crawley campus becomes possible in order to be awarded a final grade.
External
No attendance or regular contact is required, and all study requirements are completed either via correspondence and/or online submission.
Off-campus
Regular attendance is not required, but student attends the institution face to face on an agreed schedule for purposes of supervision and/or instruction.
Multi-mode
Multiple modes of delivery. Unit includes a mix of online and on-campus study requirements. On campus attendance for some activities is required to complete this unit.