TEXTS

Australia:
Peter Carey: True History of the Ned Kelly Gang
Phyllis Fahrlie Edelson, ed.: Australian Literature: An Anthology
Richard Flanagan: Death of a River Guide
Kate Grenville: The Idea of Perfection
David Malouf: Dream Stuff
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 midterm and final examinations.

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: you will sign up for a specific topic on a specific day. These presentations will be evaluated on the basis of thoroughness, clarity and interest--or, in other words, information and entertainment.

For your final presentation, you will read an additional novel or collection of short stories not assigned for the course. This could be an additional work by one of the authors we've read, or a work by an author not on our syllabus. Whatever you propose, I need to approve the author and the work, both to assure quality and to avoid duplication.

Your presentation will be at heart a book review, enabling everyone in the class to expand their knowledge of Australian and New Zealand authors. But it should be a well-shaped review with a point. It could relate the work in question to one or more of the "strands" of the course: indigenous people, cultural identity, gender issues, natural environment. If you read a second work by an author on our syllabus, you could focus on adeeper understanding of the way in which that author addresses, say, gender issues, or compare it to the work we've read.

This final presentation should rely on your own insights and analysis. It can--and should--be butressed by research, but steer away from simply arranging ideas and quotations from reviews or scholarly articles. Whatever research you do should be included in an annotated bibliography to be handed in. This presentation, too, will be evaluated on the basis of thoroughness, clarity and interest.

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--20%
Group Presentation--10%
Class Participation, quizzes, misc.-15%
Midterm Exam--20%l Exam--15%
Final Presentation--15%
Final Exam--20%