Unit rationale, description and aim
As an advanced scholar in the field of literary studies, it is vital to understand the broad and increasingly popular field of life writing, and the theories that underpin it. Life writing includes the literary genres and forms that writers adopt in their attempt to represent the individual self as well as theoretical works about approach and craft. Works studied may include diaries, autobiography, memoir, testimonies, life narratives such as biography or other literary forms where appropriate from a range of contexts. The unit will explore the history of autobiographical writing and consider the role of narrative constructions in selfhood and techniques used by writers to convey that self in their chosen genre or form. The aim of this unit is to provide students with opportunities to creatively explore the relationship between the self and story.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Demonstrate broad and deep knowledge of the field ...
Learning Outcome 01
Devise, develop and communicate complex ideas and ...
Learning Outcome 02
Locate, interpret and appropriately reference a ra...
Learning Outcome 03
Critically analyse evidence and synthesise scholar...
Learning Outcome 04
Critically analyse key concepts in life writing an...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- History and theory of life writing
- Concepts of identity and subjectivity
- The ethics of self-revelation
- Life writing forms such as autobiography, memoir, biography
- Craft, ‘voice’ and dialect in writing about the self
- Authenticity and fake ‘memoirs’
- Cultural, social and historical notions of identity, subjectivity and authorship including those relevant to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and world Indigenous peoples.
Assessment strategy and rationale
In this 300-level literature unit students are expected to demonstrate the capacity for self-motivated and independent learning in researching, critically analysing and communicating key issues in life writing, and other autobiographical forms. Assessments are designed to assess knowledge of forms and deeper understanding of critical issues within this field of study.
The assessment tasks have been scaffolded and provide variety, in order to develop and measure the different learning outcomes of the unit. They have been structured to ensure that the student gains advanced knowledge and skills in the academic study of life writing as well as the opportunity to research and reflect on that knowledge.
The reflective task allows students to reflect and respond to topics in the unit. The research task builds on the first task and allows students to deepen their knowledge by researching and evaluating a text or texts, within the context of scholarship about their chosen topic. This gives them the opportunity to display sophisticated skills in applying literary theoretical concepts to an interpretation of a particular work.
The summative task provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their capacity to think broadly about issues raised in the unit, and to integrate their understanding of those issues into a fluent reflective commentary.
Overview of assessments
Reflective Task Students will be assessed on thei...
Reflective Task
Students will be assessed on their ability to reflect and respond to topics covered in the unit.
20%
Research Task Students will undertake a substan...
Research Task
Students will undertake a substantial research task which may involve formulating a topic proposal. They will undertake research and evaluate ideas through critical thinking and writing.
50%
Summative Task Students will demonstrate a brea...
Summative Task
Students will demonstrate a breadth of knowledge of ideas, concepts and writing practices studied in this unit.
30%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Students in this unit will gain a deep knowledge of the field of life writing, its history and theoretical frameworks associated with it. This will involve close critical study of representative examples drawn from autobiography, memoir, biography or other autobiographically-derived genres, as well as scholarship about life writing.
Students’ understanding of this popular field will be developed by close textual study of a range of significant works in order to deepen their level of analysis of forms and structures in life writing. They will gain knowledge of literary technique and context, and develop an understanding of issues of authenticity and voice in writing. This unit aims to enhance students’ understanding of the nuances of creative and critical writing in ‘reading and writing the self’ and creative reflection on the broader issues of ethics in life writing.
This is a 10-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the semester. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students will find it helpful to engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy.