Bush Mechanics
( dir. David Batty
)
Lindfield
Yuendumu
Australia
:
Film Australia
Warlpiri Media Association
ABC Television
,
1998
Z1662471
1998
series - publisher
film/TV
humour
(taught in 4 units)
'This off-beat series follows the exploits of the Bush Mechanics, a group of engaging Aboriginal characters, as they travel through central Australia.
'In each episode, the Bush Mechanics from the remote Warlpiri community of Yuendumu are presented with a new set of challenges - catching a car thief, getting a nephew out of jail, racing to an outback rock concert and travelling thousands of miles to gather pearl shells for a rainmaking ceremony. As they travel through the desert in their clapped-out vehicles, they solve multiple car problems with wacky and inventive bush repair techniques.'
Source: ABC TV Documentaries (http://www.abc.net.au/tv/documentaries/stories/s359476.htm). (Sighted: 12/10/2012)
The Twyborn Affair
London
:
Jonathan Cape
,
1979
Z448841
1979
single work
novel
(taught in 14 units)
'Eddie Twyborn is bisexual and beautiful, the son of a Judge and a drunken mother. With his androgynous hero - Eudoxia/Eddie/Eadith Twyborn - and through his search for identity, for self-affirmation and love in its many forms, Patrick White takes us into the ambiguous landscapes, sexual, psychological and spiritual, of the human condition.' (From the publisher's website.)
Praise
North Sydney
:
Allen and Unwin
,
1992
Z563591
1992
single work
novel
(taught in 16 units)
'Praise is an utterly frank and darkly humorous novel about being young in the Australian of the 1990s. A time when the dole was easier to get than a job, when heroin was better known than ecstasy, and when ambition was the dirtiest of words. A time when, for two hopeless souls, sex and dependence were the only lifelines.' (from back cover)
Blue Murder
( dir. Michael Jenkins
)
Sydney
:
Southern Star Entertainment
ABC Television
,
1995
Z1359650
1995
series - publisher
film/TV
detective
crime
(taught in 1 units)
This two part mini-series is based on the events that led to the Wood Royal Commission on Police Corruption in New South Wales (1996). It focuses on both the intricacies of corruption in the police force and the sometimes Byzantine behaviour and 'moral' codes of the organised crime world. Roger Rogerson, a larrikin detective with an egalitarian, blokey demeanour, builds a lucrative alternative career based on bribery, drug money, and murder. He join forces Arthur 'Neddy' Smith, one of Australia's most notorious underworld thugs who, by being the conduit between the police and the criminal underworld, has built an extensive drug empire in Australia. Their activities are threatened when a young police officer declines a bribe offered to him by the police chief. His refusal to engage in illegal activities results in an escalating war, with police and criminals committing increasingly desperate and murderous acts.
Head On
( dir. Ana Kokkinos
)
Australia
:
Head On Productions
,
1998
Z796585
1998
single work
film/TV
(taught in 6 units)
Set over the course of one night, Head On focuses on Ari, a handsome nineteen-year-old boy of Greek descent who finds himself torn between his traditional upbringing and his sexual identity. As he attempts to come to terms with where he fits in, Ari careens between hanging out with his friends and bickering with his family while also becoming involved in several heterosexual and homosexual encounters.
The Boys
( dir. Rowan Woods
)
Surry Hills
:
Arenafilm
,
1998
Z917499
1998
single work
film/TV
(taught in 1 units)
Inspired in part by Sydney nurse Anita Cobby, who was gang raped, tortured and murdered by five men who kidnapped her as she waited for a bus to take her home late one night, The Boys takes the viewer into the world of a violent and dysfunctional family controlled by the intelligent, malevolent, violent, and manipulative eldest son.
After being released from a twelve-month prison sentence, Brett Sprague returns to his mother's suburban Sydney home and the tension within the family rises almost immediately. His mother tries to keep the peace, only to see her three sons turn on her new boyfriend. The narrative climaxes when after eighteen hours of drinking and fighting, the boys go out and cruise the streets, looking for trouble. It is then that they see a girl waiting for a bus on her own.
[Source: Australian Screen]
A Difficult Young Man
London
:
Cresset Press
,
1955
Z500015
1955
single work
novel
(taught in 2 units)
' Handsome, proud, reprehensible, misunderstood. Dominic Langton is the dark heart of A Difficult Young Man. His brother Guy can scarcely understand where he fits into the pattern of things or what he might do next. Martin Boyd’s much loved novel is an elegant, witty and compelling family tale about the contradictions of growing up.' (Publication summary)
read across a range of theoretical materials;
contextualise and articulate your own critical position;
develop a critical argument in relation to theoretical debates raised in the course;
conduct research in the area of contemporary critical theory;
write a clear and fluent essay engaged with theoretical issues.
The minor assignment (Research Task) - 15% - assesses your ability to:
read across a range of theoretical material;
compare various theoretical positions and approaches
assess critically the disciplinary context of a range of secondary material.
The Symposium - 25% - assesses your ability to:
contextualise and articulate your own critical position;
deploy theoretical texts in literary analysis;
compare various theoretical positions and approaches;
develop a critical argument in relation to theoretical debates raised in the course.
The seminar participation mark - 20% - reflects the importance of students capacity to:
read across a range of theoretical materials;
identify connections between intellectual traditions and cultural practices;
contextualise and articulate your own critical position;
develop a critical argument in relation to theoretical debates raised in the course.
