Program Overview

Unit Overview

The unit ENGL110 - Reading Literature: Form and Genre is designed to provide foundational knowledge and skills in reading, categorizing, and interpreting texts of different genres. This unit aims to support the development of basic analytic methods critical to understanding and communicating about literary texts.

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

Reading, describing, and interpreting literary texts and genres are central to the work undertaken by professionals working in literary fields. In this unit, students will learn to identify and explain how genre and form influence meaning in a range of literary texts, including poems, short stories, novels, and drama. Students will also learn basic research and writing skills to identify, access, and properly incorporate scholarly material relevant to literary analysis.

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, students will be able to:

• Describe key features of literary forms and genres
• Communicate clearly in written and/or oral form
• Locate, use, and appropriately reference a variety of critical sources relevant to developing a coherent argument about writing and literature
• Apply critical reading skills to enhance understanding of literary form and genre
• Identify and reflect on debates within literary studies on form and genre

Unit Content

Topics will include:

• Literary forms such as poems, short stories, novels, and drama
• Literary genres and the idea of classification
• Tools and terms used in literary analysis
• Approaches and debates in literary analysis
• Literary research and definitions of 'literature'
• Post-colonialism, race, diaspora, indigeneity, nationalism, and multiculturalism as influences upon categories such as 'literature' and 'literary debates' and on the development of literary genres

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. The assessment tasks and their weighting for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome.

Assessment Tasks

• Short answer/Quiz Task (20%): Demonstrates knowledge of literary terms and their application
• Research Essay (40%): Applies basic terms of literary analysis while using scholarly research material to support a structured and coherent argument
• Summative Task/Exam (40%): Tests knowledge of literary terms and approaches, requiring an ability to analyze forms and genres

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

This unit will use exercises, discussions, and formal assignments to encourage a questioning approach to literature. Students will have the opportunity to explore literary forms and genres and will investigate literary terms, the various genres of literature, and strategies for developing insightful interpretations.

Mode of Delivery

This unit may be offered in different modes, including On Campus, Multi-mode, Online Unscheduled, Online Scheduled, and ACU Online.

Representative Texts and References

• Baldick, Chris. The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. 4th ed. Oxford University Press, 2015.
• Bennett, Andrew, and Nicholas Royle. An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory. 4th ed. Routledge, 2014.
• Bennett, Andrew, and Nicholas Royle. This Thing Called Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Routledge, 2015.
• Dobie, Ann B. Theory into Practice: An Introduction to Literary Criticism. 3rd ed. Wadsworth, 2012.
• Eaglestone, Robert. Doing English: A Guide for Literature Students. 4th ed. Routledge, 2017.
• Eaglestone, Robert. Literature: Why It Matters. Polity, 2019.
• Eagleton, Terry. How to Read Literature. Yale University Press, 2013.
• Goulimari, Pelagia. Literary Criticism and Theory: From Plato to Postcolonialism. Routledge, 2014.
• Jack, Belinda. Reading: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2019.
• Lynn, Steven. Texts and Contexts: Writing About Literature With Critical Theory. 7th ed. Pearson, 2016.

Locations

• Brisbane
• Melbourne
• Online
• Strathfield

Credit Points

10

Year

2026