• 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
    • Dr Shameem Black
  • Mode of delivery In Person
  • Offered in Second Semester 2014
    See Future Offerings

This course will examine the cultural politics of modern South Asian fiction in English. It will explore how Anglophone writing from South Asia has emerged in dialogue with the region’s colonial history, developed into a distinctive literary tradition, and fostered powerful ideas in modern postcolonial writing. Topics may vary from year to year, but may include such emphases as the relationship between literature and nationalism, historical controversies over the place of English in South Asia, the reinvention of Western and South Asian literary and storytelling forms, the representation of historical trauma, the politics of gender, and the role of South Asian literature in English within a globalized marketplace.  Students will have the chance to engage both critically and creatively with the distinctive histories and forms of South Asian Anglophone fiction, with options of using written, visual, and multimedia approaches to the subject.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Develop an understanding of the cultural politics of modern South Asian fiction in English
2. Think critically and creatively about these cultural politics
3. Look closely at literary texts to produce your own interpretations
4. Create coherent analytical arguments with the key concepts of the course 
5. Engage creatively with the literary tradition of South Asian fiction in English
6. Reflect on and discuss your own learning as it relates to the course 

Indicative Assessment

1. Creative Autobiography (students will be asked to write a short piece of memoir using the stylistic approaches of a particular novel from the course; the goal is to foster greater understanding of how literary forms work and of how students’ personal histories shape their approach to this literature) 750 15% 1, 2, 3, 5, 6

2. Cultural Analysis (students will be asked to develop an argument about the cultural politics of a particular novel, which might include such emphases as its role within discourses of nation, gender, or globalization; its publication and reception history; or its connection to broader historical events) 1500 25% 1, 2, 3, 4

3. Capstone Project: Research Essay OR Creative/Critical Project (students will be asked to choose between two options: the first, a research essay, will ask students to combine close reading, cultural analysis, scholarly research, and original argument in an examination of two or more texts; the second, a creative/critical project, will ask students to design a 2000-word or equivalent creative project that engages with the history of South Asian writing in English and to compose a 1000-word exegesis that explains how this creative project effectively uses key concepts and key questions raised in the course)   3000 50% 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

4.Workshop Participation (students will be asked to participate regularly in workshops in ways that demonstrate their close attention to the texts, their reading of the secondary material, and their preparation of oral or brief written materials that form the staging ground for the other assessments) n/a 10% 1, 2, 5, 6

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.

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.

Second Semester

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
9268 21 Jul 2014 01 Aug 2014 31 Aug 2014 30 Oct 2014 In Person N/A

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