ATS1903 · Introducing literature: Ways of reading

Overview

What is literature? Does it have more to do with the texts we read, or the way we read them? In this unit you will develop foundational skills in the close reading and critical analysis of literary texts from a range of periods and genres that will also advance your understanding of the role of critical reading in shaping ideas of literary value. Through a selection of works by celebrated authors, you will learn key skills and concepts in Literary Studies, including an appreciation of how different ways of reading reveal different aspects of literary texts in relation to broader sociopolitical, economic, and cultural forces. By engaging critically with genres such as fiction, poetry, drama, and/or non-fiction, you will develop crucial skills in analysing literary language and understanding the relationship of literary form to broader cultural, political, and historical forces. By engaging in class discussion and group activities, you will build your skills in communicating ideas about both individual literary texts and the role of literature in a changing world, with opportunities for creative writers to reflect critically on their practice through exercises based around texts studied in the unit.

Areas of study: Literary studies

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. apply strategies of close reading to a range of literary texts, identifying how language, form, and genre shape meaning;
2. explain key concepts and approaches in literary studies, including debates about literary value and canon formation;
3. analyse how literary texts engage with their wider cultural, political, and/or historical contexts;
4. clearly communicate reasoned interpretations of literary texts, using textual evidence and scholarship effectively at an introductory level;
5. participate effectively in collaborative discussion and groupwork activities as modes of critical and/or creative engagement with literature.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.