The writing major will enable you to gain an understanding of a range of writing practices in the context of communication and media studies, contemporary cultural theory, and analyses of literary and other media forms. Through the study of writing you will become familiar with different kinds of contemporary writing, especially prose forms, and acquire detailed knowledge of a range of techniques associated with contemporary cultural production. Upper-level units offer the opportunity to reflect critically on your own writing practices while developing and applying skills and techniques though individual and collaborative projects. The emphasis throughout the major is on exploring the many forms and possibilities of writing by contextualising writing practice through reflecting on a range of textual histories and cultural theories.
Availability
Writing is listed in the Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences at Malaysia as a minor or major.
Outcomes
In addition to achieving the broad outcomes of their course broadly, students successfully completing this major will:
- appreciate the symbiotic relationship between the content of writing and the formal features of writing (i.e. generic type, deployment of devices, etc.) during the act of interpretation.
- understand the way in which writers negotiate with, represent and address, social, political, cultural and ideological issues through various overt (social criticism, lampoons, parodies etc.) or covert (satires, allegories, etc.) writing styles.
- recognise the significance of the target audience's role in determining the motivations and direction underscoring the writing process.
Minor requirements (24 points)
No more than 12 points at level 1 may be credited to the minorminor (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2017handbooks/undergrad/arts-07.html).
Students complete:
- Two level 1 gateway unitsgateway units (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2017handbooks/undergrad/arts-08.html) (12 points):
- Two units (12 points), including at least one level 2 or level 3 unit, from the cornerstone or capstone unitscapstone units (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2017handbooks/undergrad/arts-08.html) in the major or from the following:
Major requirements (48 points)
No more than 12 points at level 1 may be credited to the majormajor (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2017handbooks/undergrad/arts-07.html) and at least 18 points must be at level 3.
Students complete:
- Two level 1 gateway unitsgateway units (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2017handbooks/undergrad/arts-08.html) (12 points):
- Two level 2 cornerstone unitscornerstone units (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2017handbooks/undergrad/arts-08.html) (12 points):
- AMU2498 Contemporary fiction
- AMU2832 Postcolonial and diasporic literature
- At least one level 3 capstone unit (6 points) chosen from:
- AMU3575 Task force: Responding to global challenges
- AMU3650 A world in crisis: Multilevel responses to global emergencies
- AMU3857 Writing techniques
- AMU3858 Writing experiments
- Three units (18 points), including at least two additional level 3 units, from the remaining capstone unitscapstone units (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2017handbooks/undergrad/arts-08.html) or the electives below:
Successful completion of the minor or major can be counted towards meeting the requirements for the following single degree:*
- A2006 Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences
Students in other single bachelor's degrees may be eligible to complete the minor or major by using 24 or 48 points of their free electives.