Current Issues in Australian Writing
The course focuses on recent Australian literature, from the late twentieth-century and beyond. The course examines what writing and the literary mean in Australia today; and how current Australian writing relates and contributes to contemporary debates. Students examine critical responses to recent Australian writing, including literary commentary, the reviewing reception of Australian literary texts and authors, and critical discussion and interpretation. The relationship of contemporary texts and critical practice to Australian literary and critical history is discussed.
The teaching and assessment modes in this course are designed to develop skills in researching, understanding, and participating in debates about literature. The intensive study of a small number of texts aims to equip students with ways of understanding contemporary Australian writing, and the critical debates it prompts.
Attendance and participation 10%; Short Essay 1500 words 30%; Critical discussion 500 words 10%; Research essay 2000 words 50%
