Key facts
UNE unit code: ENGL381
*You are viewing the 2027 version of this unit which may be subject to change in future.
- Trimester 2 - On Campus
- Trimester 2 - Online
- Armidale Campus
- Yes
- No
- No
- 6
Unit information

In this unit, you read iconic works of the 20th century alongside award-winning texts from the 21st century. You examine how literature across these periods links to politics and history, while exploring the formal innovations of the period in short stories, poems, novels and films.
The period covered by the unit incorporates major historical changes, including industrialisation, urbanisation, both world wars, the long legacy of European colonisation and the rise of the United States as a dominant global power after World War II. You also learn about major counter cultural movements as well: feminist, gay and lesbian, civil rights movements and anti-racist and anti-colonial struggles. As you move through this period, you consider how these forces reshape the economy, everyday life and the human condition and how this change manifests in literature.
Offerings
For further information about UNE's teaching periods, please go to Principal Dates.
| Teaching period | Mode/location |
|---|---|
| Trimester 2 | On Campus, Armidale Campus |
| Trimester 2 | Online |
*Offering is subject to availability
Intensive schools
There are no intensive schools required for this unit.
Enrolment rules
Notes
Please refer to the student handbook for current details on this unit.
Unit coordinator(s)
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- identify and critically evaluate several key debates within the fields of modernist, postmodernist and contemporary literature;
- demonstrate advanced knowledge of formal and thematic developments in literature in English from the early 20th century to the present;
- coherently communicate a critical analysis of a modernist, postmodernist and/or contemporary text; and
- apply advanced reading, writing, and research skills through the independent exposition of modernist, postmodernist and contemporary literature.
Assessment information
Assessments are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
| Title | Must Complete | Weight | Offerings | Assessment Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project with Iterative Supervision - Assurance Task | Yes | 55% | All offerings | Research Project with Iterative Supervision. Independent research essay or equivalent developed from the Proposal task 2, accompanied by oral interview (fifteen-minutes (approx.)). Students must obtain at least 50% in the Assurance Task (and at least 50% overall) to receive a pass or better in the unit. No. Words: 2000 (equivalent) |
| Research Proposal and Annotated Bibliography | Yes | 20% | All offerings | No. Words: 1000 |
| Writing Task | Yes | 25% | All offerings | No. Words: 1500 (equivalent) |
Learning resources
Textbooks are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
Note: Students are expected to purchase prescribed material. Please note that textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.
Mrs Dalloway
ISBN: 9780007934409
Woolf, V., 2013
Text refers to: All offerings
The Hours
Daldry, S., 2002
Text refers to: All offerings
A Minor Chorus
ISBN: 9780702266164
Billy Ray-Belcourt, UQP 1st 2023
Text refers to: All offerings
All Fours
ISBN: 9781838853457
Miranda July, Canongate 1st 2024
Text refers to: All offerings
Beloved
ISBN: 9781400033416
Morrison, T., 2004
Text refers to: All offerings
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street
ISBN: 9781911475217
Melville, H., 2019
Text refers to: All offerings
Theory & Practice
ISBN: 9781923058149
Michelle de Krester, Text 1st 2024
Text refers to: All offerings
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