EL2055 - Literature, Print and Society in Comparative Contexts 1920-50
Credit points: |
3 |
Year: |
2021 |
Student Contribution Band: |
Band
1
|
Administered by: |
College of Arts, Society & Education |
Offered in even-numbered years, next offered in 2020
The study of print culture is an exciting interdisciplinary field that considers texts
in their broad material, cultural and social contexts. Comparative print cultures
expands the traditional study of comparative literature to consider the historical
and social conditions of authorship, writing, printing, publishing, circulating, and
reading in two or more national contexts. In this subject, students with a background
in English or History will receive an introduction to print culture studies, and draw
from these fields to develop a broad and applied understanding of texts and their
contexts in a wide range of print material ranging from famous authors to best-sellers
of their time now forgotten. Students will receive training in using primary sources
such as newspapers, periodicals, and personal and institutional materials housed in
Special Collections at James Cook University Library and in using digital tools in
their research. A focus on the interwar period and its immediate aftermath (1920-50)
will frame an exploration of our tropical region in a world context. While the 1920s
and 30s are commonly associated with either The Great Gatsby or The Great Depression,
the period between the wars embodies spectacular tensions and cultural changes that
came to characterise modernity in the first half of the twentieth century. The North
Queensland region was connected to these global changes in fascinating ways that this
subject considers. A thematic approach will allow students to explore a variety of
issues during this period in print cultures from Anglophone nations such as Australia,
New Zealand, Canada, and the USA. Themes include literature and mass culture; art
and entertainment; work and leisure; mobility and insularity; home and travel; urban
and rural development; technology and the environment; and nationalism and cosmopolitanism.
The interdisciplinary and transnational approach of this subject fosters new perspectives
on national history and literature that can lead into innovative projects for future
honours and postgraduate research.
Learning Outcomes
- develop an understanding of comparative literature;
- possess a deeper historical understanding of our tropical region in a world context;
- understand fundamental approaches to print culture studies;
- access a variety of primary sources to evaluate and link findings with a wider body
of research;
- use digital tools to locate, sort, or showcase findings.
Subject Assessment
- Oral > Presentation 1 - (30%) - Individual
- Participation > Class participation - (25%) - Group & Individual
- Field notes/proposal/essay - (45%) - Individual.
Assumed Knowledge:
|
Students enrolling in this subject should possess a basic understanding of English
literature or History. They will be expected to undertake close analysis of primary
sources and locate their findings within a broader context of disciplinary understanding
and secondary research. Students must possess research and academic writing skills
at or beyond the basic expectations of level 2 Arts subjects.
|
Note:
Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process,
and in case
of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest
official information.