Undergraduate - UnitATS2409 - Writing lives: Autobiography and historical fiction

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2014 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Offered	Not offered in 2014
Coordinator(s)	Dr Patrizia Sambuco

Notes

Previously coded CLS2045

Synopsis

The unit consists of three interrelated modules. The first focuses on the construction of the self, covering key theoretical debates on autobiography and self-invention. In the second module, we focus on biography and its relationship with evidence, documents and truth. In the third module we explore the relationship between women's life writing fictional recreation and historical interpretation and reflect on the process and implications involved in writing women's history.

Outcomes

On completion of the unit students will be able to:

have an understanding of the theoretical debate regarding autobiography and biography
develop a deeper understanding of specific examples of world literature
analyse women's writing lives with particular reference to historical interpretations and autobiography

Assessment

Essay (1500 words) or auto/biographical project agreed upon with subject coordinator (1500 words or equivalent): 30%
Research essay (2500 words): 40%
Tutorial paper in the form of an initial presentation of the research essay: 20%
Class participation: 10%
In the essay students will be expected to develop a deeper theoretical understanding of a text of their choice not studied in class.

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Patrizia Sambuco

Workload requirements

One 2-hour seminar per week or 22 hours per semester
One additional 1-hour tutorial per week (specific to the language - for language students only)

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Literary studies
Italian studies

Prerequisites

A gateway unit in Literary Studies.