2017 Undergraduate Courses
  • Students are to follow the requirements of the Handbook for the year they commenced the course.

    However, the subject links below do not contain the subject information for the current year. You can view current subject information through the new Course Handbook.

English Literatures Major | 2017

This information is for students commencing their course in 2017. Students follow the rules and requirements for the year they commenced their course. Please refer to the Archives link in the menu for years prior to 2017.

The English Literatures major introduces you to a broad range of texts—novels, poetry, essays, short stories, film, diaries and letters—from medieval times to the modern. The major in English Literatures teaches you to analyse what you read with sharp critical skills and cultural sensitivity, and to articulate your response with power and precision. A strong international focus underpins our subjects and our ways of teaching them: you will be encouraged to enquire into the politics of the writing and reception of texts, and to understand aesthetics and the value of literature within a range of cultural contexts.

The core subjects within the degree ensure a grounding in the historical development of English Literatures at 200 level and an engagement with literary theory at 300 level. English Literatures may be combined with any other approved Bachelor of Arts major. It is often taken as a major in Bachelor of Arts - Bachelor of Laws double-degree, and is an ideal second major for Journalism and Professional Writing students in the Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies.

Major Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this major students will be able to:

  1. Acquire knowledge of literary texts from a range of periods and places and an understanding of the importance of social, cultural, historical and geographical contexts;
  2. Understand and deploy changing theories, methods and concepts in literary studies;
  3. Read, understand and interpret complex literary texts;
  4. Locate, assess and use appropriate scholarly resources; 
  5. Construct coherent arguments and communicate them effectively in oral and written form; 
  6. Apply relevant skills and knowledge to recognise and reflect on the significance of literary texts in imagining and interpreting the social world.

Subjects Required for Major Study

A major study in English Literatures is made up of at least 48 credit points as outlined in the table below:

Subject Code Subject Name Credit Points Session(s)
Core
ENGL120An Introduction to Literature and Film6Autumn
ENGL379Desiring Bodies: Gender & Sexuality in Literature & Film6Not offered in this year
ENGL383Contemporary Fiction and Film (Capstone)6Not offered in this year
Plus TWO from the following:
ENGL271The Romantics6Autumn
ENGL274Victorians6Spring
ENGL276Dreams and Visions in Literature and Film6Autumn
Plus THREE electives from the following. At least TWO must be at 300 level.
ENGL131Australian Fiction and Film6Spring
ENGL272Introduction to Poetry6Not offered in this year
ENGL273Text and Transformation6Not offered in this year
ENGL275US Literature6Autumn
ENGL277Literatures of Migration, Displacement and Refuge6Autumn
ENGL278Scrolls Books and Blogs: The History of Books and Readers6Spring
ENGL279Exploring Popular Literature6Not offered in this year
ENGL300Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature6Not offered in this year
ENGL357Sex, Power, and Chivalry - Medieval to Modern Literature6Not offered in this year
ENGL361The Modernists6Not offered in this year
ENGL378Special Topic in English Literature6Not offered in this year
ENGL382Social Justice and Children's Literature6Not offered in this year
ENGL381Animals and Ecology in Literature and Film6Not offered in this year
Students may count the following towards the English Literatures major:
LANG335Literature and Society in Renaissance Europe6Not offered in this year
CACW104Text and Context6Spring
CACW231Writing, Representation and Power6Autumn
CACW232Writing and Critical Theory6Spring

Minor Study

A minor in English Literatures is available and consists of at least 24 credit points of subjects from the schedule of the English Literatures major. Students must complete at least 12 credit points of subjects at the 200 level or higher. 

Honours

See Bachelor of Arts (Honours).

Credit Arrangements

Credit and articulation arrangements are available from the Course Finder. Refer to UOW's credit arrangements for information on how to apply for credit.

Other Information

Further information is available at:
UOW Course Finder
Email: lha-enquiries@uow.edu.au

Last reviewed: 20 December, 2017