This course will build on students’ research skills and knowledge in literary and cultural studies, drama and creative writing, and will equip them with the tools needed to write a well-researched and critically-engaged thesis at honours level and beyond. The Semester 1 iteration of the course will focus on guiding students through the initial research and writing of a portion of their own thesis project. This will involve three elements: 1) locating and evaluating secondary material relevant to their topic; 2) developing a critical framework which is appropriate for the discussion and analysis of their primary text/s (whether poetry, fiction, drama, film, or other cultural texts); and 3) drafting and revising a section of the thesis itself. The Semester 2 iteration of the course will build on the skills developed in Semester 1, continuing to provide a space where students can share, present on, and workshop portions of their thesis across the second half of the honours year. It will help students to collectively troubleshoot elements of their thesis writing; refine their research skills and argumentative structure and their skills at professionally presenting their work. Through each stage of the process students will exchange their work with their peers for discussion and feedback. The aim of the course is to enable and encourage students to position their work clearly in relation to existing scholarship and critical debates on their topic, and to articulate their own intervention with clarity and persuasiveness.
In 2024 the course will run in both Semester 1 and Semester 2. In Semester 1 it will run as an intensive in weeks 7-12. In S2 it will be taught across the semester.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- conduct bibliographic and/or archival research in the field of literary studies, including drama and creative writing;
- analyse and critically evaluate primary and secondary material from a range of sources;
- apply knowledge of appropriate theories and methodologies to primary texts and position this analysis in relation to existing research in the field; and
- outline their research topic and situate their research question or critical approach in relation to existing scholarship in the field.
Other Information
In 2024 this course will run in both Semester 1 and Semester 2.
In Semester 1 it will run as an intensive in weeks 7-12.
In S2 it will be taught across the semester.
Indicative Assessment
- Writing task e.g. Annotated Bibliography, Discussion paper (1,500 words) (20) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Oral presentation (10-minutes) (10) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Writing task, constituting either a draft chapter or draft introduction from a student’s thesis (3,000-5,000 words) (70) [LO 1,2,3,4]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 24 hours of contact: 24 hours of seminars, and;
b) 106 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
You will need to contact the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics to request a permission code to enrol in this course.
Prescribed Texts
No prescribed texts
Preliminary Reading
No set readings
Specialisations
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $4080 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $5280 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2423 | 19 Feb 2024 | 26 Feb 2024 | 05 Apr 2024 | 24 May 2024 | In Person | View |
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9346 | 22 Jul 2024 | 29 Jul 2024 | 31 Aug 2024 | 25 Oct 2024 | In Person | N/A |