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.
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Organisational Unit
Chief examiner(s)
Coordinator(s)
Unit guides
Notes
- This unit is an international study programinternational study program (http://future.arts.monash.edu/learning-abroad) at Prato that requires an application to be enrolled and may incur additional cost.
- The unit may be offered as part of the Summer Arts ProgramSummer Arts Program (http://www.monash.edu/students/courses/arts/summer-program.html).
- The unit may be offered in non-standard teaching periodsnon-standard teaching periods (http://www.monash.edu/enrolments/dates/census).
Synopsis
The unit will explore a selection of fiction and non-fiction texts that treat Italy as a site for transformations of the self. These self-discoveries are usually cast as positive but are on occasion of a more unsettling or disturbing kind. The unit will investigate why Italy has been a key site of renewal and 'undoing' in literature and will track the changes in the way such transformations of the self have been achieved. It will also account for the popularity of such narratives with readers past and present. In this unit there will be an emphasis on 'geo-located' reading experiences and writing exercises. For this reason there will be a particular focus on 'Tuscan transformations'; we will visit the actual sites and scenes of our texts and there will also be regular in situ writing excursions in Prato and surrounds.
Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit students will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the representation of Italy generally (and Tuscany in particular) as a site of personal transformation in range of texts.
- Critically describe the diverse history of cultural investments in Italy as an agent of personal transformation for non-Italian writers.
- Produce a piece of Creative Writing, either fiction or non-fiction, that explores the transformational potential of Italy.
- Appreciate and articulate the relationships between environment, literary criticism and creative practice.
Assessment
Within semester assessment: 100%
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.
See also Unit timetable information