This course introduces students to diverse concepts of literature from a number of traditions from the Asian and Pacific region. The materials range from ancient to contemporary texts, which will all be presented in accessible English translation. Works studied will vary from year to year, and may include such forms as oracle bones, religious narratives, poetry, puppet theatre, classic novels, oral storytelling, folk tales and/or recent fiction, among others. Students will have the opportunity to critically reflect on the similarities and differences between literary forms from the Asian and Pacific region and European categories, such as the novel, poem, or epic. The course examines how and why literary forms have been significant within different Asian or Pacific societies and considers what it means to translate such literary works across language, history and culture. The course further explores aspects of the social and literary environments that have shaped the production and interpretation of literary texts in historical and contemporary cultures, and considers the impact of a writer's nationality, cultural background, gender, social class and historical situation on the shaping of a work of literature.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Describe how practitioners of literary studies have approached the study of the Asian and Pacific region;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the breadth, diversity and significance of literary forms within the Asian and Pacific region;
3. Apply concepts and analytical tools from literary studies in ways that demonstrate critical thinking;
4. Interpret primary sources in the context of scholarly debates and relevant intellectual traditions;
5. Evaluate how the study of the Asian and Pacific region has influenced, and might influence, global literary studies;
6. Communicate complex ideas in writing, speech, and/or multimedia, justifying methods and approaches as appropriate, individually and/or collaboratively.

Required Resources

See Wattle

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction: What is Literature? Asian Perspectives	Meet the author: TBC
2	Chinese Lyric Poetry: From The Book of Songs to Song Dynasty Poetry (Dr Michael Schimmelpfennig)	Tour of Asia and the Pacific Collection at ANU Menzieslibrary
3	Sensory overload: Introduction to North Indian poetry (Dr Christopher Diamond)
4	Korean oral literature (Prof Roald Maliangkay)
5	Classical literatures of Indonesia and the Malay World (Dr Jarrah Sastrawan)
6	Female perspectives on the Ramayana and its retellings overtime (Assoc Prof Shameem Black)
7	Buddhist Storytelling: Jataka tales (Prof McComas Taylor)
8	Women’s writing from Japan’s Heian period (Dr Meredith McKinney)
9	Stories from the Pacific (TBC)
10	Stories from Southeast Asia (Dr Ying Xin Show)	Meet the author: TBC
11	Cold War and the Birth of Thai Teenagers, a Literary Representative (Dr Janit Feangfu)
12	Conclusion: Literary Adaptation and Translation	Film: The Handmaiden

Tutorial Registration

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Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Class Participation (10%)	10 %	*	*	1,2,3,4,5,6
Discussion posts (20%)	20 %	*	*	1,2,3,4,5,6
Tutorial presentation (15%)	15 %	*	*	1,2,3,4,5,6
Reflective essay: Story of a book (15%)	15 %	24/04/2025	08/05/2025	1,2,3,4,5,6
Final project (40%)	40 %	06/06/2025	24/06/2025	1,2,3,4,5,6

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using 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. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Class participation is important for this course.

Examination(s)

No exams

Assessment Task 1

Class Participation (10%)

This assessment is to encourage students to effectively engage with in-person classes. Participation involves consistently demonstrating that you have read and reflected on the weekly course materials, actively contributing to lectures, seminars and tutorials, participating meaningfully in individual and group activities during class, sharing your ideas and work, and thoughtfully engaging with the ideas and work of your peers.

Assessment Task 2

Discussion posts (20%)

This assessment task is designed to foster critical thinking and thoughtful reflection on the weekly course materials.

Each week (from Week 2 to Week 11), students will submit two online posts, each 100 words in length. The first, due before class (9am Thursday), should present one to three questions based on the week’s readings. The second, due after class (5pm Friday), requires choosing a question from the class question bank and providing a response in your own words.

Assessment Task 3

Tutorial presentation (15%)

The purpose of this assessment is to help students develop their presentation and critical thinking skills.

Students will choose a week to deliver a 15-minute tutorial presentation. For the selected week, you are expected to complete the optional readings as well. The presentation should focus on one or two of the readings and highlight one focus point of critical analysis, which may include several sub-points. Allocate 10 minutes for presenting your ideas and 5 minutes to facilitate a discussion with the class.

Assessment Task 4

Reflective essay: Story of a book (15%)

This assessment task is to encourage students to explore ANU collection on Asian and Pacific literature and to develop skills for analysing their reading experience.  

Students will join a tour of the Asia and Pacific collection at the Menzies library, after which they will select and borrow a book for reading at home. After reading, students will write a 1000-word reflective essay about the book they chose, which will include a description of the book, a central research question, key literary concepts discussed in class, and an interpretation of their reading experience. Essay due on Week 8 (24 Apr 11:55pm). Further details to be provided in class and on Wattle.

Assessment Task 5

Final project (40%)

For this assessment, students will have the opportunity to choose not only their research topic but also the medium in which they feel they can best present their ideas. Students can choose one of the following options. (Note that the instructor does not favour any particular medium—choose what best supports your learning)

(1) Write a research essay of 2000 words (excluding footnotes and bibliography) in which you review current literature on your chosen topic, develop your own arguments, and critically analyse the subject in academic standard. The essay will be assessed on the quality of its research, analysis, structure, formatting and writing style.

(2) Create an ‘Unessay’—a project in any format other than a traditional paper. This could include an infographic, podcast episode, fictional piece, zine, content video, Wikipedia entry, artwork, meme collage, or any other creative format. Along with the project, you will submit a 500-word statement explaining your approach to producing the unessay. The unessay will be evaluated based on the quality of its research, interpretation, communication and creativity.

The essay/unessay is worth 30% of the final grade. In addition, students must bring a 500-word proposal by the last class (Week 12) and exchange it with peers for feedback and discussion. The proposal is worth 10% of the final grade. Further details about the final project will be provided and discussed in class and on Wattle.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

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.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students