The Secret River
Melbourne
:
Text Publishing
,
2005
Z1194031
2005
single work
novel
historical fiction
(taught in 69 units)
'In 1806 William Thornhill, a man of quick temper and deep feelings, is transported from the slums of London to New South Wales for the term of his natural life. With his wife Sal and their children he arrives in a harsh land he cannot understand.
'But the colony can turn a convict into a free man. Eight years later Thornhill sails up the Hawkesbury to claim a hundred acres for himself.
'Aboriginal people already live on that river. And other recent arrivals - Thomas Blackwood, Smasher Sullivan and Mrs Herring - are finding their own ways to respond to them.
'Thornhill, a man neither better nor worse than most, soon has to make the most difficult choice of his life.
'Inspired by research into her own family history, Kate Grenville vividly creates the reality of settler life, its longings, dangers and dilemmas. The Secret River is a brilliantly written book, a groundbreaking story about identity, belonging and ownership.' (From the publisher's website.)
That Eye, the Sky
Melbourne
:
McPhee Gribble
,
1986
Z426161
1986
single work
novel
young adult
(taught in 8 units)
Ort knows the sky is watching. He knows what it means to watch; he spends long hours listening at doors and peering through cracks. Things are terribly wrong. His father is withering away, his sister is consumed by hatred, his grandmother is all inside herself, and his mother, a flower-child of the 1960s, is brave but helpless. Then a strange man appears at their door. That Eye, the Sky is about love, about a boy's vision of the world beyond, about the blurry distinctions between the natural and the supernatural. All this, and more, begins at the moment the ute driven by Ort Flack's father ploughs into a roadside tree, throwing the whole world out of kilter. (Source: Bookseller's website)
Students will be introduced to a range of interpretative approaches appropriate to the study of Literature and Film as tertiary disciplines. Research and essay writing skills will be emphasised and developed. The method of delivery is by face to face teaching, with some opportunity for group discussion.
Reflection Task: Brief individual reflection on the group presentation.
Examination: Formal
Final Examination: Assesses overall proficiency in this course. To be held during the University examination period.
Presentations - Group Group Oral
Presentation: The purpose of this exercise is to encourage students to cooperate in a group in researching material and delivering it to the class.
Quiz - On-line
Online Quizzes: A series of short online quizzes based on each of the set texts
