• Offered by School of Culture History and Language
  • ANU College ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
  • Course subject Asian Studies
  • Academic career UGRD
  • Course convener
    • Prof Kirin Narayan
  • Mode of delivery Blended
  • Offered in Winter Session 2014
    See Future Offerings
The Pleasures and Powers of Stories in South Asia (ASIA2275)

How do stories grip people’s imaginations and shape their lives? How do stories link tellers and listeners, claim status, encode values, sacralize the status quo, and also inspire change by providing imaginative alternatives? How are stories transformed through expression in different media, at different historical moments, and the goals of scholars? This two week intensive course explores oral traditions in South Asia. Studying the social life of stories, the course provides ways to think about region, gender, religion, caste, kinship, social movements, the impact of mass media, and cultural continuities in diaspora. The course also offers methods for identifying, recording, transcribing, writing up and interpreting such genres as folktales, legends, myths, epics, oral histories, family stories, and life histories. While readings will draw largely on South Asian materials, the research project may apply these insights and methods to narratives from elsewhere in Asia or the Pacific.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Engage with Asia, particularly South Asia, through its diversity of narrative traditions
2. Display an understanding of the basic coordinates of cultural diversity in South Asia, in relation to multiple versions of stories
3. Use interdisciplinary theories of narrative to identify how stories selectively reshape materials
4. Demonstrate the skills to lift stories from the flow of conversation or historical data
5. Demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively
6. Communicate knowledge about Asia through narratives and their analysis.

Indicative Assessment

1. Preparation of key words and 3 questions on readings to guide discussion for two assigned sessions
100-150 words X2 (20%) 1, 2, 3, 5

2.Field collection and transcription of an oral story OR constructing a story from archival sources
500 words (20%) 1, 2, 3, 4

3.15-minute presentation of project in class (10%) 5, 6

4.Final essay expanding on earlier paper--either on field collection or on archival reconstruction—and analytically situating the narrative in relation to class readings.
2,000 to 2,500 words (50%) 1, 2, 3, 4, 6

Students will be required to record their own presentations

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

Wednesday 25 June to Friday 4 July, 10.00-12.00 and 1.00-3.00.

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Students continuing in their current program of study will have their tuition fees indexed annually from the year in which you commenced your program. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Student Contribution Band:
1
Unit value:
6 units

If you are an undergraduate student and 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). You can find your student contribution amount for each course 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
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee Description
1994-2003 $1164
2014 $2478
2013 $2472
2012 $2472
2011 $2424
2010 $2358
2009 $2286
2008 $2286
2007 $2286
2006 $2286
2005 $2286
2004 $1926
International fee paying students
Year Fee
1994-2003 $2574
2014 $3246
2013 $3240
2012 $3240
2011 $3240
2010 $3240
2009 $3240
2008 $3240
2007 $3132
2006 $3132
2005 $3132
2004 $2916
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

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.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

Winter Session

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
5783 01 Jul 2014 18 Jul 2014 18 Jul 2014 30 Sep 2014 In Person N/A

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