Offered
Caulfield Second semester 2008 (Day)
Clayton Second semester 2008 (Day)
South Africa Second semester 2008 (Day)
Synopsis
The concepts of the 'primitive' and the 'civilised' and the relationships between them as depicted in literary texts from the Renaissance to the present. The 'worlds' of the unit's title include individuals (eg the country-dweller and the city-dweller) and national cultures (eg aboriginals and white settlers); in the latter particularly, the conflict between the two is examined in the context of post-colonialism.
Objectives
Students successfully completing this subject should:
- Have developed a sense of how literary texts relate to the periods in which they are written, particularly in relation to the concepts of 'primitive' and 'civilized'.
- Be able to recognize the qualities of the genres fiction, drama and poetry, and be familiar with the appropriate theoretical and critical concepts employed in the discussion of literary texts.
Assessment
Exercise (1000 words): 20%
Essay (1500 words): 30%
Examination (2 hours): 40%
Class participation: 10%
Contact hours
2.5 hours (1 lecture and 1 tutorial) per week
