Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis This is the compulsory core unit for the coursework masters degree in English. Normally it is taken at the Part II level (ie the second year of the MA program) but it may, with the head of department's permission, be done at the Part I level. This may be of advantage to those students contemplating a more empirical type of thesis in Part II. The aim of the subject is to analyse critically the profession of literature, to explore some of the professional uses to which literature is put, and the values and assumptions embodied in our ideas about literature and literary education. It will offer graduate students the opportunity to evaluate critically their own literary education in the context of the current `crisis of identity' in the discipline while also offering a more empirical study of various aspects of the profession of literature within the Australian cultural context. In 1996, it will focus on the following questions: current theoretical and pedagogical developments in the profession, the theory and practice of literary reviewing; and the role of politics and patronage in the literary profession.
Assessment (8 points) Assignment/s (2500 words): 40% + Essay (3500 words): 50% + Class performance: 10%
Assessment (12 points) Seminar paper, oral presentation (15-20 mins): 20% + Short essay (2500 words): 30% + Long essay (5000 words): 40% + Seminar participation: 10%