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 English2. 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, 62. 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
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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. Tuition fees are indexed annually. 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 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $2604 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $3576 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
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