This course rethinks ‘Australian literature’ as it is often conceived by foregrounding First Nations creative and critical production. It will not tell a story about the spirit of the pioneers or being at home in landscape. Instead, it takes students on a less-travelled path through Australian cultural history. From 19th-century gothic writing to contemporary novels, poems and television, this course will question nationalist frameworks for thinking about this body of work and offer new approaches to examining the relationship between literature and the nation state, and the role of our writers, theatre- and film-makers in shaping our social worlds. Students will be invited to examine works in a range of genres and forms which may include essays, creative nonfiction, novels, poetry, plays, film and television, developing skills in analysing these narrative forms and understanding of the breadth of cultural production in Australia today.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- demonstrate familiarity with a range of Australian literary texts from the early nineteenth century to the present;
- write and speak critically about literary texts in a range of genres;
- identify and discuss key critical and creative works by Aboriginal writers, playwrights and/or filmmakers; and
- read carefully with attention to detail and to the ways in which literary, dramatic and cinematic narratives are constructed.
Indicative Assessment
- Participation (10) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- (2000 word) essay (35) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- (2000 word) essay (45) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Reading Journal (10) [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) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures/film screenings and 12 hours of tutorials, and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Not applicable
Preliminary Reading
Evelyn Araluen, Dropbear
Diana Reed, Love and Virtue
Lisa Gorton, Mirabilia
Christina Stead, The Man Who Loved Children
Deadloch (television series)
Assumed Knowledge
It is recommended that the student has completed 12 units of English.
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 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3541 | 23 Feb 2026 | 02 Mar 2026 | 31 Mar 2026 | 29 May 2026 | In Person | N/A |