James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2000

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EL1006:03

The Motives for Fiction

Townsville

Inadmissable Subject Combination: EL1000

26 lectures, 10 tutorials. First semester.

Staff: Professor P Pierce, Mr J Gray, Dr G Manning.

A selection of novels, short stories and narrative poems organised to assist inquiry into the pleasures and rewards of both writing and reading fiction of various kinds.

Learning Objectives:

  1. a detailed knowledge of each of the texts set for study;
  2. an understanding of the concept of “fiction” and its relation to such categories as “narrative”, “novel” and “story”;
  3. an understanding of the concepts “realism”, “escapism” and “reflexivism” with reference to fiction;
  4. a sense of the roles of fiction in society;
  5. an ability to organise an argument of 1,500 words in length making use of at least one interpretive reading of a work of fiction;
  6. an ability to develop ideas in small group discussion.

Assessment by two assignments of 750 words each and one essay of 1,500 words (40%); tutorial participation (20%); one three-hour end-of-semester examination (40%).


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