This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2016 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.

ATS3502 - Contemporary literature

6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Undergraduate - Unit

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

Faculty

Organisational Unit

Coordinator(s)

Offered

Second semester 2016 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit examines literature produced since WWII. We will be especially interested in tracking formal experiments and thematic developments in this period in light of world-historical events and shifts in the relationship of writers and readers. There will be a focus on 21st century literature, with the aim of asking questions about how canons get made, movements establish themselves and interpretations become standard. Topics and themes might include: irony and sincerity; metafiction; maximalism and minimalism; 9/11 literature; the death and return of the author; the rise of creative nonfiction;; the impact of 'Theory' and Creative Writing programs on literature and criticism; book ends and book futures.

Outcomes

To develop a working knowledge of some of the most influential writers and texts of the second half of the 20th century to now.
To recognise what makes contemporary literature distinctive.
To understand the set texts in their social, political and cultural landscape.
To produce high level criticism and commentary in oral and written form on literature.

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 60%
Exam: 40%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.