Write a critical evaluation of two articles (available from the LIT 855 iLearn site):

1. Juliet O’Conor,  “From Colonial Superstition to the Hairyman: Aboriginality and the Politics of Race”
2. Debra Dudek, “Desiring Perception: Finding Utopian Impulses in Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing”

This evaluation, of approximately 1500 words, should:

• Provide a brief summary of each article’s main arguments,
• Examine the extent to which these articles are informed and/or shaped by concepts employed by their authors to position themselves in relation to the texts they discuss, and
• Whether such concepts/ideological frameworks enhance reading or limit it.

Your work will be assessed according to the following criteria:

1. Ability to provide a brief and accurate summary of the articles’ main arguments
2. Ability to evaluate the articles critically (such as identifying flaws or weaknesses in the argument, suggesting new ways in which the research could be developed)
3. Ability to make an effective comparison of the two articles (their methodologies; the relationship of their conceptual frames to their textual analysis, etc)

Please select a topic from those listed below and write an essay of approximately 3000 words:

1. 'The usual response to the shocking discovery that human order is vulnerable, contingent and devoid of reliable foundations is an effort to make order solid, obligatory and reliably founded.' Either(a) Compare the ways in which this response is articulated in any two novels set for seminar discussion. Or(b) Compare from this perspective the uses of the city and the country as settings.
2. 'Although all literature, including realistic fiction, needs a sense of a tradition, it is in the creation of fantasy that its lack is most obviously felt.'  (Niall) Either (a) Has the lack of an Australian tradition been a problem for Australian fantasy? Or (b) Choose one or two realistic texts and use them to examine the idea of 'a sense of a tradition' in realism.
3.  'It must mean something, surely, that there have been no witches worth mentioning, nor wizards, in Oz, and that our one undeniable classic of fantasy [The Magic Pudding] is about food.'  (Niall, 203) What are some of the implications for Australian children's literature of the phrase 'our one undeniable classic of fantasy'?
4. The idea of the 'bush' in Australia is a cultural symbol with a wide variety of diverse, sometimes contradictory, meanings. Examine the constructions of such meanings in any two or three novels set for seminar discussion.
5. 'Suburbs are a good place to grow up.' (Hugh Stretton [more or less]). Has Australian children's literature found convincing ways to represent the essentially suburban life of its audience, or is it stranded in 'other' places (the past, the future, the country, fantasy settings)? What's the problem?
6. 'The assessment of writing by or about Indigenous Australians will inevitably be subjective; the important issue is whether it communicates Indigenous feelings and attitudes so that readers are enabled to see things as Indigenous Australians see them.' Discuss this claim with reference to two or three books and/or films about or by Indigenous Australians.
7. Do the social values informing contemporary Australian children's literature successfully reflect the changes in the 'ethnic mix' of Australian society in the second half of the twentieth century?  Examine two or three novels.

A threshold requirement for participation marks is attendance and involvement in all the seminars. Attendance is mandatory in LIT855—there is no quota of classes you can miss without impact on your participation grade. Absences will be excused only under exceptional (documented—i.e. with a medical certificate and a Professional Authority Form) circumstances.

In addition to attendance and involvement, participation entails completing all the readings before class and reflecting on those materials (make notes).

In particular, you should think about the discussion questions posed under each week’s heading in this Unit Handbook and arrive at your own answers synthesized from what you’ve read, listened to and thought about. You will be called upon to answer these questions in class, and you should prepare to speak to the broader issues they raise

Notes on Class Participation for External Students:

External students must participate in online discussions via the LIT 855 iLearn site.  One post per week is the minimum participation requirement. External students should read the weekly texts and prepare the seminar discussion topics in advance, then post responses to the seminar questions and respond to the postings of other students, to facilitate an active discussion such as would occur in a face-to-face seminar. Students are also encouraged to raise other relevant points of interest in their online discussions. Be prepared to question the opinions of others, to have your opinions challenged and to participate actively in discussion. Please also be aware that overly-long posts DO NOT encourage discussion. Keep your posts short and to the point – and encourage others to respond.