Australian Literature

Australian Literature is situated within the Department of English and forms part of the School of Letters, Art, and Media (SLAM).

The Australian Literature program commences at senior level after the completion of two junior units of study (12 credit points). Students are not restricted in their choice of subjects at junior level, although units offered by the Department of English, particularly ENGL1008 Australian Texts: International Contexts, form an
appropriate basis for entry into an Australian Literature major (six senior units of study). Students are offered a wide range of approaches to the discipline and are prepared for entry into an honours year in which they specialise in an area of their choice.

Australian Literature units are designed for students with native language ability and, although there are no formal prerequisites, all units are based on the assumption that students will have completed one of the more demanding courses for the Higher School Certificate, or the equivalent. Senior level units are normally rotated on a two-year basis to allow full-time students a larger number of choices in their two senior years.

The Australian Literature resources Room (N411) is situated on level 4 of the John Woolley Building. This is a valuable collection of reference works and files relating to Australian Literature designed for the use of students, staff and visiting scholars. It includes works of Australian poetry, prose, drama and fiction, reference books of
literary criticism and literary history, doctoral theses, and files of the leading Australian literary journalists.

Major
Students wishing to major in Australian Literature begin with two junior level units in any subject area (12 credit points). At senior level they complete six Australian Literature units of study (36 credit points).

Cross-listing
A number of units in other departments are cross-listed to the Australian Literature major and up to three cross-listed units may be included as part of the major (18 credit points). For information on cross-listed units please see the Faculty of Arts website sydney.edu.au/arts

Pathways
Students are advised to consult the Possible Pathways document on the Department of English website which offers them guidance in their English studies by organising the large range of junior, senior, Advanced, and Honours units on offer to students of English and Australian Literature into areas reflecting the historical, generic, national, and thematic diversity of linguistic and literary citites in English.

Students majoring in other disciplines may also return to individual ASLT units of study at later stages in their degree.

Honours (see chapter 5 for further information)
Honours in Australian Literature allows students to specialise further in their area of interest. It offers students the opportunity to work independently and creatively in a community of scholars that includes both their peers and the staff of the department. A number of honours graduates each year continue to postgraduate study in Australia or abroad.

Students wishing to enter honours must have achieved grades of Credit or above in their senior units and there is one compulsory unit, ENGL3655 The Literary in Theory. Units of study include Australian Poetry and the Symbolists, Undisciplined Histories, Australian Classic Works, and Reading Suburbia.

During their honours year students will write a thesis as well as completing four honours options. The detail regarding prerequisites and the nature of the honours year is described in chapter 5 of this handbook.

Contact/further information
For comprehensive information see the English department website: sydney.edu.au/arts/english
Convenor: Professor Robert Dixon, phone +61 2 9036 7231, email