2018 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 | 2018

This Major is available for students studying the Bachelor of Arts. 

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 CodeSubject NameCredit Points
Both:
ENGL120An Introduction to Literature and Film6
ENGL383Contemporary Fiction and Film (Capstone)6
Plus a minimum of TWO from the following:
ENGL271The Romantics6
ENGL274Victorians6
ENGL276Dreams and Visions in Literature and Film6
Plus a minimum of FOUR from the following. At least THREE must be at 300 level.
ENGL131Australian Fiction and Film6
CACW104Text and Context6
ENGL272Introduction to Poetry6
ENGL273Text and Transformation6
ENGL275US Literature6
ENGL277Literatures of Migration, Displacement and Refuge6
ENGL278Scrolls Books and Blogs: The History of Books and Readers6
ENGL279Exploring Popular Literature6
CACW231Writing, Representation and Power6
CACW232Writing and Critical Theory6
ENGL300Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature6
ENGL384Debt, Money and the Market in Literature and Film6
ENGL361The Modernists6
ENGL378Special Topic in English Literature6
ENGL379Desiring Bodies: Gender & Sexuality in Literature & Film6
ENGL382Social Justice and Children's Literature6
ENGL381Animals and Ecology in Literature and Film6
LANG335Literature and Society in Renaissance Europe6

Timetables 

Click on subject codes in the above table for information on sessions of offer for each subject.  To find out specific information on timetables, tutorials, and classes, visit the Timetable page.

Minor Study

A minor in English Literatures is available. 

Students cannot complete both a major and minor in English Literatures.

Information regarding minors, including which subjects to take to complete a minor, are available on the 2018 General Schedule of Minors page.

Minors appear on the transcript (i.e. academic record), but do not appear on the testamur. To have a minor study recorded on their transcript, students need to declare their minor study by submitting an Application to Declare or Change Intended Major/Minor
 

Work Integrated Learning

Undertaking a work integrated learning (WIL) experience during your university education is now a significant contributor to being competitive in securing employment in your field of choice when you graduate from UOW.

The Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts internship program provides students with an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in their degree in a workplace setting.

Students are also encouraged to consider CRLP200 (6cp). CRLP200 includes a quality assured workplace internship or industry project to give you that competitive edge by developing your professional skills through authentic learning in a real world context. You will focus on your career goals and receive career direction guidance, strengthen your resume and gain skills to navigate the rapidly changing world of work, develop your communication skills and begin to build a professional network.

Honours

See Bachelor of Arts (Honours).

Entry Requirements & Credit Arrangements

Information on academic and English language requirements, as well as eligibility for credit for prior learning, is available from the UOW Course Finder.

Other Information

For further information email: lha-enquiries@uow.edu.au

Last reviewed: 17 June, 2019