LIT324 Australian Children's Literature (8)
CSU Discipline Area: English (ENGLI)
Duration: One session
Abstract:
LIT324 addresses issues that pertain to literature for children and teens in the Australian context - for example, the slow development of Australian fantasy, the contesting of Anglocentrism and gender bias, the growth of Indigenous literature and concerns about boys' literacy. As well as including the exploration of broader issues such as these, it takes advantage of CSU's unique perspective and offers an emphasis on regional issues in children's literature.
+ Subject Availability Modes and Locations
| Session 1 | |
|---|---|
| Internal | Albury-Wodonga |
| Internal | Wagga Wagga |
| Distance | Wagga Wagga |
Continuing students should consult the SAL for current offering details: LIT324
Where differences exist between the Handbook and the SAL, the SAL should be taken as containing the correct subject offering details.
Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:
- be able to explain the slow development of Australian fantasy
- be able to discuss the impact of the digital environment on Australian children's literature
- be able to identify some of the innovations in Indigenous publishing for children and teens
- be able to demonstrate an understanding of the impact of the education market on Australian publishing for children and teens
- be able to choose texts that embrace diversity and inclusion
- be able to discuss the censorship of children's literature
- be familiar with the construction of regional Australia in information texts and in fiction
- be able to demonstrate an understanding of the challenges and innovations in the regional use of libraries and the internet for children and teens
- be able to discuss the impact of writers' centres and literary festivals in regional Australia
- be able to devise and assess their own research topic
- be able to compare their own research with that of scholars in the field
- be able to articulate their responses and findings accessibly and logically in written and spoken English
Syllabus:
The subject will cover the following topics:
- The historical context for Australian realism and the development of Australian fantasy
- The town mouse and the country mouse
- Nostalgia and the construction of 'the Bush' in Australian children's literature
- Diversity and inclusion: Indigenous publishing and multiculturalism
- The education market: sales and censorship
- The impact of the digital space
- Contesting distance: author tours, literary festivals, libraries, e-publishing, shopfront and online retailing
- gender and reading: snips and snails and boys' literacy
The information contained in the 2013 CSU Handbook was accurate at the date of publication: 24 April 2013. The University reserves the right to vary the information at any time without notice.