AJL18083 Australian literature and culture

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2023
Extent and Intensity
0/2. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Martina Horáková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Martina Horáková, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 10:00–11:40 G31, except Tue 14. 11.
Prerequisites (in Czech)
AJL01002 Practical English II
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 8/20, only registered: 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course is taught fully in English.
This course focuses on Australian fiction and non-fiction since the 1980s and foregrounds the diversity of themes which present Australia as increasingly contested space of diverse histories, knowledges, ethnicities and cultural practices. In several units dedicated to multicultural and immigrant writing, Aboriginal counter-narratives, portraits of mythologized landscapes, history of colonization and nation-building, students will analyze narratives that critically explore Australian identities, and challenge the myth of a homogenous, white, gendered, Anglo-Saxon settler nation.
Learning outcomes
Students will gain a better understanding of literature and culture in one of the settler colonies and English-speaking countries other than Great Britain and USA. They will also be introduced to Australian history and culture, including the main topics and themes which resonate in conteporary Australian literature. The course will also improve student's analytical skills, academic writing skills, and ability to integrate key theoretical concepts framing the course into their work.
Syllabus
  • Week 1: Introduction to course policies, assignments and readings; Defining Australia in Writing: National Identity and “Australiannes”; selection of Australian poetry
  • Week 2: Defining Australia in Writing: History and Place; Kate Grenville, The Secret River (2005).
  • Week 3: Aboriginal Voices: The Stolen Generations; Doris Pilkington, Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence (1996).
  • Week 4: Aboriginal Voices: Contemporary Urban Experience; Alf Taylor, “The Last Drop” and “Charlie” from Long Time Now (2001).
  • Week 5: Australian Myths: Bush and Outback; extracts from Robyn Davidson’s Tracks and films Walkabout (1971), Japanese Story (2003) and Film Australia’s Outback (2002).
  • Week 6: Australian Myths: Ned Kelly – Outlaw or Hero?; Peter Carey, True History of the Kelly Gang (2001).
  • Week 7: Postcolonial Australia: Resistance and Complicity; screening of The Tracker, dir. Rolf de Heer (2002).
  • Week 8: Postcolonial Australia: Resistance and Complicity; The Tracker, dir. Rolf de Heer (2002).
  • Week 9: Gendered Australia: Women and the Bush; “Drover’s Wife” short story cycle (Henry Lawson’s “The Drover’s Wife”, Barbara Bayton’s “The Chosen Vessel”, Murray Bail’s “The Drover’s Wife”, Barbara Jefferis’ “The Drover’s Wife”, Anne Gambling’s “The Drover’s De Facto”, Mandy Sayers “The Drover’s Wife”).
  • Week 10: Gendered Australia: Women and Space/Place; Gail Jones, Sixty Lights (2004).
  • Week 11: The Other Australia: Australian-Chinese Heritage; Brian Castro, Birds of Passage (1982).
  • Week 12: The Other Australia: Writing Multiculturalism; Merlinda Bobis, “White Turtle”; Ania Walwicz, “Wogs” and “New World”;
  • Week 13: Conclusion and Evaluation of the course
Literature
  • Castro, Brian. Birds of Passage (1982)
  • GRENVILLE, Kate. The secret river. 1st pub. Edinburgh: Canongate, 2006, 366 s. ISBN 9781841958286. info
  • PILKINGTON, Doris and Nugi GARIMARA. Rabbit-proof fence. New York: Hyperion, 2002, xiv, 136. ISBN 0786887842. info
  • CAREY, Peter. True history of the Kelly gang. Pbk. ed. London: Faber and Faber, 2002, 424 s. ISBN 0571209874. info
  • DAVIDSON, Robyn. Tracks. 1st Vintage Books ed. New York: Vintage Books, 1995, 256 s. ISBN 0679762876. info
  • GOODWIN, K. L. The Macmillan anthology of Australian literature. Melbourne: Macmillan Company of Australia, 1990, xxii, 629. ISBN 0333501594. info
Teaching methods
mini-lectures and powerpoint presentations; students presentations; group and class discussions, textual analyses;
Assessment methods
assignments guidelines and evaluation:
readings and discussion: students must read assigned texts before the class and be prepared to discuss them in class;
response papers/oral presentations: see guidelines in the syllabus;
final essay: see detailed guidelines in the syllabus
evaluation: attendance and contribution to group and class discussions 20%; response papers/oral presentation 30%; final essays 50%; Important Note: to pass the course, students MUST pass ALL of the assignments in the course (i.e. have more than 60% score in response papers, presentation, final essay, etc.)
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2020.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2023/AJL18083