ATS3312 - Foreign bodies: Reading world crime fiction - 2018

This unit investigates crime fiction from England, the U.S., Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. In addition to providing an introduction to the genre's development, the unit seeks to understand the relationship between crime, culture and community across different national traditions. It will explore the social function of crime stories, the intersection of gender, ethnicity and ideology, the production and circulation of national myths, and the interactions between written fictional narratives and narratives in other media.

At the conclusion of the unit, students should be able:

1. To discuss and analyse crime fiction critically, using contemporary methodologies;
2. To explain the relations between culture and the crime fictions which circulate in it;
3. To understand, feel comfortable with and be able to articulate the analytical skills, theoretical vocabularies and conceptual apparatuses studied;
4. To demonstrate a sense of their own personal and cultural reflexivity as they observe and interpret the theories, concepts and texts analysed in the unit;
5. To write clear, grammatically and syntactically appropriate, independent essays on topics provided or chosen for assessment.

Within semester assessment: 100%

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

Literary studies