ATS2551 · Writing resistance: Understanding the power of Indigenous story-telling through literature

Overview

In this unit you will explore and examine the critical importance of literature in developing an understanding of Indigenous story-telling and Indigeneity across the world. You will gain an appreciation of the ways in which Indigenous literatures tell the stories of Indigenous peoples in their own voices and on their own terms, instead of being represented by mainstream assumptions. You will learn how Indigenous literatures negotiate issues of aesthetics and ethics, authenticity and identity, voice and representation, individual authorship and community accountability. Studying a diverse range of prose (fiction and non-fiction) and poetry from across the world, including from Australia, Canada, India and the US, you will learn how to understand these powerful narrative traditions in a comparative framework. You will build upon critical analytical skills in literary studies that will help in evaluating how Indigenous sovereignty is determined through story-telling in the face of hegemonic discursive and representational practices.

Areas of study: Indigenous studies Global Asia 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. analyse the development of Indigenous literary texts across different aesthetic/cultural/linguistic traditions and historical/geopolitical/national contexts;
2. discuss the ways in which knowledge about literary comparison enables us to be critically aware of our own literary assumptions, expectations, judgments and representational practices;
3. develop the written skills to critically evaluate literary genres such as fiction, poetry, memoir, with special reference to Indigenous story-telling traditions and practices;
4. undertake independent research in literary studies, by learning how to interpret primary and secondary texts, decipher theoretical terms and concepts, and formulate your own positionalities.
5. apply a range of approaches and critical reading and writing skills in the field of Indigenous literary studies in a comparative framework.

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.