TEXTS

Australia:
Thea Astley: It's Raining in Mango
Phyllis Fahrlie Edelson, ed.: Australian Literature: An Anthology
Richard Flanagan: Death of a River Guide
Kate Grenville: The Idea of Perfection
David Malouf: The Great World
Kim Scott: True Country

New Zealand:
Janet Frame: Owls Do Cry
Patricia Grace: Potiki
Witi Ihimaera: The Whale Rider
Marion McLeod, ed.: New Zealand Short Story Collection

Requirements

>To do the assigned reading every day and come to class prepared to discuss it;
>To write reading responses as assigned and send them via e-mail to the course alias (english-215) before class;
>To participate actively in class discussion and activities;
>To make one team presentation on background for one of the novels;
>To make a final presentation with annotated bibliography;
>To take the final examination.

Discussion

Since much of our time in class will be spent in discussion, you will all gain from thoughtful and active participation--your own and that of others. You should come prepared with questions, ideas, aspects of the reading you wish to talk about. We will work to create an atmosphere in class that respects everyone's views and allows each person to feel free to offer his or her ideas.

Class Presentations

For your background presentation you will work with others to make a presentation to the class on a topic relevant to one of the readings, this topic to be selected from a list of biographical, historical and cultural issues. These presentations will be evaluated on the basis of thoroughness, clarity and interest--or, in other words, information and entertainment.

For your final project, you will propose a topic relating particular authors or texts to one or more of the "strands" of the course: indigenous people, cultural identity, gender issues, natural environment. Alternatively, you may propose a topic comparing works or authors across geographical boundaries.

For example, you might read more by one of the authors we're reading in the course, and develop a deeper understanding of the way in which that author addresses, say, gender issues. You might read and research one or more Australian and New Zealand authors we are not reading in this class and show how they illuminate your chosen focus. You might make comparisons between indigenous Australian and/or New Zealand authors, or with indigenous American (or other English-language) novels or writers. You might investigate WWI and/or WWII as a watershed of cultural identity, show how this is reflected in one or more works of fiction, possibly comparing Australian and American novels. You might analyze the geography of New Zealand and demonstrate its effect on a particular author or authors.

Your final presentation should be based on research, but can take various forms: a straight academic presentation; a monologue in the voice of, say, a 19th century scientist; an annotated slide show... .

These are general suggestions. You will need to narrow your topic to manageable proportions;I will be glad to help with this process.

The end product will be an oral presentation of about 10 minutes, supported by an annotated bibliography to be handed in.

Reading responses

In your reading responses you should let us know what you think of the reading; what comparisons, reflections, observations it prompts; what questions it raises. These responses can be informal in tone, but they should still be well written, specific, and thoughtful. Reading responses should be developed on your own, without recourse to secondary sources. It's a plus if you respond to what other students have written in their reading responses.

Evaluation

Reading Responses--25%
Group Presentation--10%
Class Participation, quizzes, misc.--25%
Final Project--25%
Final Exam--15%