ENGL 2047 - World Literatures in English

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2017

This course is designed to provide an understanding of a range of recent world literatures in English. The particular countries, authors and genres covered will vary from year to year, depending on staff availability. We will focus on narrative fiction, but will sometimes also include drama, film and poetry. Here you will gain an understanding of literary works in both their local context and their global transformations. We will consider the key questions of postcolonial theory, assess the usefulness of key postcolonial concepts and concerns in relation to the set texts, and at the same time focus on the rich specificities of the selected literary works in order to answer for ourselves why so many of them have been so highly acclaimed internationally, and why each of them is worth studying.

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Course Details

Course Code	ENGL 2047
Course	World Literatures in English
Coordinating Unit	English, Creative Writing, and Film
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	At least 12 units of level 1 undergraduate study
Incompatible	ENGL 2022
Assumed Knowledge	Familiarity with the reading & analysis of literary texts equivalent to Level I English standard
Assessment	participation 10%, seminar presentation 15%, presentation report and annotated bibliography 25%, take-home exam 50%

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Meg Samuelson

The Course Co-ordinator for 2017 is Dr Meg Samuelson
meg.samuelson@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Analyse a range of world literatures in relation to key debates in literary studies
2. Think rigorously about the relationship between colonial and postcolonial context and the production and interpretation of literature
3. Knowledge of major debates and concerns in postcolonial world literatures
4. Prepare coherently and logically argued written material based on effective use of evidence
5. Learn to prepare discussion questions that open up enriching ways of engaging with the primary texts
6. Collaborate effectively with peers in group discussion
7. Use contemporary technologies relevant to participation in the course

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1,2,3,4,5,6
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1,2,3,4
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	3,4,5,6
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	4,5,6
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	1,2,3,4
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	4,5,6

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Set Texts

Caryl Phillips, Crossing the River (1993)
Romesh Gunesekera, Reef (1994)
Abdulrazak Gurnah, By the Sea (2001)
Amitav Ghosh, The Hungry Tide (2004)
Natasha Soobramanien, Genie and Paul (2012)
NoViolet Bulawayo, We Need New Names (2013)

Short fiction (in Reader)
Poetry (in Reader)

Film:
Tusi Tamases, dir. O Le Tulafale (The Orator) (2011) (screening TBA)

Recommended Resources

Additional readings or recommendations of texts available in the library will be placed on MyUni in advance of each teaching week.

A useful general resource on postcolonial literatures is:
Bill Ashcroft et al. Post-Colonial Studies: The Key Concepts. London: Routledge, 2000.

Online Learning

Course material will be available through MyUni as will course announcements and email communications

Learning & Teaching Modes

Lectures will introduce key concepts related to the set texts to be covered each week. Seminars will provide a forum for discussing these key concepts and the primary texts while engaging in collaborative learning.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Reading set texts – 5 hours / week (x 12)	60 hours
Lecture – 1 hour / week (x 12)	12 hours
Seminar - 2 hours / week (x 10)	20 hours
Assignment preparation & research - 4 hours / week (x 12)	48 hours

Total	140 hours

Learning Activities Summary

Week	Week begins	Focus
1	27 Feb	Introduction to the course (no seminars this week)
2	6 Mar	Caribbean Poetics
3	13 Mar	(Holiday Monday) Caribbean Poetics
4	20 Mar	Crossing the River
5	27 Mar	Reef
6	3 Apr	By the Sea
		Mid-semester break (10-21 April)
7	24 Apr	The Hungry Tide
8	1 May	Maori Worlds and Words
9	8 May	O Le Tulafale (The Orator)
10	15 May	Genie and Paul
11	22 May	We Need New Names
12	29 May	Conclusion and Review (no seminars this week)

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due Date	Weight	Learning Objectives
Journal	Formative	Weekly (weeks 2, 4-12)	35%	1,2,3,4,5,6
Short Assignment	Summative	27 March	15%	1,2,3,4,5
Essay	Summative	9 June	50%	1,2,3,4,5

Assessment Related Requirements

Students are expected to attend seminars having read the text set for the appropriate week. All students are expected to attend and participate in all seminars for the course. Students may not be allowed to continue with the course if they miss more than three seminars.

Assessment Detail

Journal – 35%
Weekly journal entries (weeks 2, 4-11) of 150 words in length that include: (a) one discussion question for the seminar class; and (b) a brief reflection on a point of interest in the work as a whole or a particular passage. And a concluding 250 word entry (week 12) that reflects on the course and course material as a whole. Total: 1,600 words.
Assignment – 15%
Analysis of a poem. Total: 600 words.
Essay – 50%
An analytic and discursive essay on one or two of the set texts. Total: 2,200 words.

Submission

Journal entries should be submitted through your journal page on MyUni.
Assignment and Essay to be submitted through Turnitin on MyUni.

Late submission of assignments and essays: Two marks will be deducted from the percentage mark for every day (or part thereof) the work is late to a maximum of 7 days (including weekends and public holidays). For example, an assignment that is 3 days late: raw score of 80% - 6 marks lateness deduction = 74% final mark. For work with a formal extension, lateness policy will apply from the extended due date. After the cut-off date of 7 days the work will not be accepted, and a mark of zero will automatically be awarded. Extensions can only be sought under the provisions of the Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy or the Reasonable Adjustments for Teaching and Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy.

Turn-around time for marking and feedback on written work is approximately two weeks. Journal entries will be marked in two batches (mid semester and end semester), with entries 1-4 and entries 6-10 comprising, respectively, 15% and 20% in your gradebook.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator