LIT101: Composition and Literature
Key details
| Accredited towards | Bachelor of Arts in the Liberal Arts Diploma of Liberal Arts |
| Unit type | Core unit |
| Credit points | 6 |
| Indicative contact hours | 3 hours per week |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Offered in | Semester 1 |
| Tuition fee | Learn more |
Overview
This unit presents an introduction to the nature of language as a means of communication, and to literature as a setting and stimulus for the language arts. The unit will focus on applying the principles of effective communication through a study of various literary genres, the classical canons of rhetoric, and finally, with the production of an academic essay. Composition assignments will be inspired by the traditional ‘progymnasmata’, a series of graded and repetitive rhetorical exercises based on the reading of great works of literature, which may include fables and fairy tales, and seminal texts such as Homer’s Odyssey, Plato’s Republic, and Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The basic elements of narration – conflict and climax – will be shown to inform not only imaginative literature, but also expository discourse and persuasive argumentation, revealing an essential continuity between storytelling and effective argument.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes develop in students an awareness of the value and relevance of the study strand to basic understanding of the foundational material. Students will be able to:
- understand fundamental characteristics of human communication;
- recognise and discuss examples of different styles of written communication;
- indicate the importance of sentence structure including usage of grammar and syntax; structure and style written work;
- demonstrate the importance of clear written expression, concise logical essay structure and the appropriate use of referencing and bibliography in compliance with academic conventions;
- summarise and communicate in a logical and coherent manner;
- constructively participate in group work and tutorial events by undertaking required readings and contributing with clarity and coherence
Interested in other Literature units?
LIT101: Composition and Literature
LIT102: Literature of the Western World – Ancient
LIT201: Literature of the Western World – Medieval and Renaissance
LIT202: Literature of the Western World – Milton to Modern
LIT301: The Search for Meaning in Twentieth Century Literature
LIT302: Australian Literature
LIT303: The Catholic Imagination in Modern Literature
LIT304: Shakespeare