Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis This subject is concerned with the struggle to form a national identity, and with recurring patterns of repression and domination. Texts range from the colonial period to the present day. They focus on racial issues, seen from white and black perspectives, on gender codes and sexual conflicts, on the historical record as a site of contention, and on shifting Australian attitudes to its place in the Asia-Pacific region. They also represent local responses to landscape and conventions of realism; contemporary experimentation; and the critical perspectives offered by women's writing.
Assessment Essay (3000 words): 50% + Essay (1500 words): 30% + Class paper and participation: 20% + Students whose written work and participation are satisfactory will be excused an examination.