Program Overview

Unit of Study ENG00406 - Theories of Text and Culture

Unit Snapshot

• Unit type: UG Coursework Unit
• Credit points: 12
• AQF level: 7
• Level of learning: Advanced
• Former School/College: Former School of Arts and Social Sciences
• Pre-requisites:
  • Have completed units:
    • ENG00400 - Introduction to Written Texts
    • ENG00401 - Issues and Themes in Contemporary Writing
    • WRI10001 - Contemporary Reading and Writing Practices

Unit Description

Guides students through the major contemporary theoretical debates about the relationship between written texts and the production of cultural and social meanings. Students will do a detailed study of the theories of Postmodernism, Post-colonialism, and Feminism.

Unit Content

Module 1: Mapping Literary Engagement

• Introduction
• Deconstruction, Derrida, and beyond
• New Historicism in the literary landscape

Module 2: Ethical Engagements in Literary Criticism

• A question of authorship
• Power and ethics
• Theorising whiteness
• Subjectivity and power

Module 3: Beyond the Postmodern

• Subjectivity in the 21st century
• Space and time after 9/11
• Postmodernity in the 21st century

Availabilities

Learning Outcomes and Graduate Attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand, and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes.

On Completion of This Unit, Students Should Be Able To:

1. Differentiate between major contemporary theories about writing and written texts and the relationship of texts to cultural practices
2. Recognise the theoretical positions underlying particular critical approaches to writing and textual analysis
3. Understand the significance of the social and cultural contexts in which texts are made and read
4. Analyse texts from a number of theoretical perspectives

Prescribed Learning Resources

Session 1

• Prescribed Texts: No prescribed texts.

Graduate Attributes

• GA1: Intellectual rigour - A commitment to excellence in all scholarly and intellectual activities, including critical judgement.
• GA2: Creativity - An ability to develop creative and effective responses to intellectual, professional, and social challenges.
• GA3: Ethical practice - A commitment to sustainability and high ethical standards in social and professional practices.
• GA4: Knowledge of a discipline - Command of a discipline to enable a smooth transition and contribution to professional and community settings.
• GA5: Lifelong learning - The ability to be responsive to change, to be inquiring and reflective in practice, through information literacy and autonomous, self-managed learning.
• GA6: Communication and social skills - The ability to communicate and collaborate with individuals, and within teams, in professional and community settings.
• GA7: Cultural competence - An ability to engage with diverse cultural and Indigenous perspectives in both global and local settings.