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Monash University

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English - Faculty of Arts

This area of study is offered by two separate schools of the faculty - the School of English, Communications and Performance Studies and the School of Humanities, Communications and Social Sciences - there are differences in the sequences and units offered in each school. Please see the separate entries for each of these schools below.

 

Offered by the School of English, Communications and Performance Studies

Campus availability: Caulfield, Clayton, South Africa*

*NOTE: Students cannot complete a minor or major in English at South Africa campus.

Relevant courses

  • 2438 Diploma in Arts (English)
  • 0002 Bachelor of Arts (and associated double degrees)
  • 3907 Bachelor of Arts (English Language)
  • 3910 Bachelor of Arts (Global)
  • 3793 Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) - at Caulfield
  • 1366 Bachelor of Arts (Languages)
  • 1275 Bachelor of Communication (and associated double degrees)
  • 0202 Bachelor of Letters
  • 1144 Bachelor of Performing Arts (and associated double degrees)

The English section offers a variety of units in the literatures of Britain, Australia, America, Asia, and in a range of related areas including academic, professional and creative writing.

In first year, students are introduced to the study of English through a choice of units. Each unit has a different focus, either on some aspect of literature in English or on the study of effective writing. Each aims to introduce students to a variety of modes of reading and to a number of ways of speaking and writing about what they read. Students choose two units, one of which must be a literature unit if they wish to major in English.

Second and third-year units in literature introduce students to the literature and culture of different historical periods. Related units are offered in the following fields: Australian studies, the theory and practice of children's literature, war literature and travel writing, critical theory, feminist theory and women's writing, postcolonial theory and literature, the languages of literature, literary and visual semiotics and performance studies, creative writing and professional writing. Students may select from these areas to develop their major in English.

Students will find the expectations of English outlined in unit handbooks as they proceed through the degree. The school provides consultation and advice on choice of units at first, second, third and fourth-year levels to ensure that students choose suitable and coherent sequences.

It is expected that students intending to major in English will choose units which will provide them with:

  • a familiarity with a range of literary genres across a broad historical and cultural spectrum
  • an understanding of contemporary and historical modes of literary and critical theory
  • an understanding of the nature and construction of the discipline, including its historical and contemporary forms.

Sequences

First year sequence

Caulfield and Clayton
A first year sequence in English for students enrolled on these campuses consists of two of the following units:
South Africa

A first year sequence in English for students enrolled on this campus consists of both of ENH1200 (Reading Africa) and ENH1220 (Worlds in conflict). Students can also complete one later-year level unit ENH2195/ENH3195 (The poetics of memory).

NOTE: Students cannot complete a minor or major in English at South Africa campus.

Minor sequence

A minor sequence in English consists of a first year sequence as listed above, followed by two second-year units (ie 12 points) chosen from the units listed below for Caulfield and/or Clayton.

Major sequence

Students complete a standard major chosen from the units listed below for Caulfield and/or Clayton.

Units

Caulfield

First-year level
Second/Third-year level

NOTE: Caulfield students intending to complete a major sequence may need to take at least two units from those offered at second and third year levels on the Clayton campus.

Clayton

First-year level
Second/Third-year level

** Not offered from 2007.

Contact details

Telephone +61 3 9905 2140

Email ECPS.Enquiries@arts.monash.edu.au

Visit http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ecps or http://www.arts.monash.edu/english

Offered by the School of Humanities, Communications and Social Sciences

Campus availability: Gippsland and Off-campus learning

Relevant courses

  • 0002 Bachelor of Arts (and associated double degrees)
  • 1708 Bachelor of Arts (Communication) (and associated double degrees)
  • 2396 Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) (and associated double degrees)

English offers a sequence of units focusing on English language as it is used for a range of communicative and cultural purposes. The approach is interdisciplinary (drawing on linguistics, philosophy, sociology, communications as well as traditional disciplines of literary criticism) and the range of texts studied is diverse (including contemporary and canonical literature, formal and academic writing, popular fiction, poetry and journalism). The emphasis is on the complex relations between the texts we read for pleasure or craft to communicate with others and the social and intellectual conditions which give birth to them. In this way, English combines a love of reading with a passion for thinking to provide a chance to understand and debate the significance and purpose of communication and culture in its many varied forms.

The English minor has been designed specifically to meet the needs of writing students and education students enrolled at Gippsland or via off-campus learning, but may be of interest to any students studying the humanities and seeking to improve their English literacy - an attribute increasingly valued by a range of employers. The English program aims to equip students with high levels of English language skills and cultural literacy, including developed aptitudes for the understanding and use of English for a variety of purposes, advanced skills in critical reading and interpretation, and an appreciation of the cultural and social history which has shaped the world we live in.

On completion of the English minor, students will have:

  • general competence in the understanding and use of English for a variety of purposes
  • a range of effective reading strategies, including strategies of evaluation, and advanced skills in close and critical reading
  • an appreciation of the complex relations between cultural and material history and between literature, life and society
  • an ability to debate the significance of literature and the various ways of engaging in literary interpretation
  • Detailed knowledge of the aesthetic form and social context of production of a selection of key works in literary history.

Sequences

Minor sequence

Students complete an advanced level minor consisting of two core units and two electives chosen from the units listed below. While the units listed as electives are offered at both second and third levels, students must complete the electives at third level to complete the minor.

Units

Core

Electives

  • AIS3035 Australian Indigenous literature
  • ENH3404 Popular writing and criticism
  • ENH3405 Contemporary fiction
  • ENH3407 Authorship and writing

NOTE: Prerequisites are required for second and third year level units.

Contact details

Enquiries (Gippsland): Room 283, building 2W

Telephone +61 3 9902 6339

Email humcass.info@arts.monash.edu.au

Visit http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/humcass