AJL28087 The Lie of the Land: Australia in Literature and Film

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025

The course is not taught in Spring 2025

Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Martina Horáková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Martina Horáková, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course examines some of the intricacies of social, historical and cultural life in Australia, focusing on how Australian myths, identities and places have been constructed in order to provide a sense of a nation. It uses various concepts ranging from ethnicity and race, gender and sexuality, to representation of land and multiculturalism to analyze the ways in which multiple meanings of “Australianness” are played out. Primary materials include literary texts and films/documentaries, secondary materials are aimed to provide interdisciplinary background, including history, social sciences and literary and film theories.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students will: gain a better understanding of the formation of Australian culture; learn to implement critical vocabulary; improve their knowledge of various cultural representations of Australia.
Syllabus
  • Syllabus:
  • Session 1: Narrating the Nation: Introduction to course policies and assignments; Film: Australia, dir. Baz Luhrman (2008)
  • Session 2: A Postcolonial Nation?: Settler Belonging; Novel: Andrew McGahan, The White Earth (2004)
  • Session 3: A Maturing Nation?: Memories of Anzacs; Films: Gallipoli (1981); Anzacs miniseries (1985)
  • Session 4: An Environmental Nation?: A Sense of Place and Landscape; Novel: Tim Winton, Dirt Music (2001)
  • Session 5: A Gendered Nation?: Australian Masculinities, Femininities and Queerness; Films: Crocodile Dundee (1986), Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), Alexandra’s Project (2003)
  • Sesion 6: A Nation of Immigration?: White Australia Policy; Novel: Eva Sallis, Hiam (1998); documentary Immigrant Nation (Ep. 1, “White Australia Policy”)
Literature
    required literature
  • Andrew McGahan, The White Earth
    not specified
  • Luhrmann, Baz. Australia (film).
  • Eva Sallis, Hiam
  • ELDER, Catriona. Being Australian : narratives of national identity. 1st pub. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, 2007, x, 390. ISBN 9781741149289. info
  • CARTER, David A. Dispossession, dreams & diversity : issues in Australian studies. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Longman, 2006, x, 446. ISBN 1740910966. info
  • WINTON, Tim. Dirt music. London: Picador, 2003, 465 s. ISBN 0330490265. info
Teaching methods
mini-lectures, class discussions, student presentations
Assessment methods
Class discussion 20% Response papers (5x) 30% Final Essay 50%
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2021, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/AJL28087