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AustLit

Description

Telling Stories: The Art of Narrative will introduce you to the ways in which stories are created, constructed and realised by their authors. Through a study of texts, films, visual and other forms of story telling you will examine and respond to the world of the writer. You will critically examine writing in its many forms and will create your own narratives.

The course will cover a number of key aspects of the art of storytelling, such as:

1) telling stories verbally

2) telling stories with images alone

3) telling stories with words and images

4) telling stories with sound, images and words.

You will be asked to create many different stories via different modes. Narrative as art will also be studied.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Through a series of lectures, tutorials, creative writing workshops and independent writing projects and exercises, you will explore and develop your own writing skills.

The course relies on your engagement with ideas and a preparedness to work independently as well as in structured class exercises.

You will read widely and will explore texts from a range of genres, forms and cultures. You will examine texts from a narrative, cultural and philosophical perspective.

In workshop groups you will examine your own and others’ work, offering feedback and suggestions.

You will also attend off-campus activities including visits to museums and writer events.

During the semester you are expected to demonstrate your widening engagement with a diverse range of texts and to understand the nature of narrative and story telling.

These approaches will build a range of capabilities including:

• independent research and critical writing skills

• analysis

• creative writing skills

• questioning and examining works in detail and in a social, narrative and philosophical context

• peer support, feedback and critical responses to texts

• understandings about the life of writers

• critical skills for reading contemporary text.

On successful completion of the course you will be able to:

• compare and contrast various storytelling modes, including oral, print and screen

• critically analyse storytelling in all its different modes

• examine and interpret the essential elements of various storytelling forms and structures

• research theoretical aspects of storytelling to inform and reflect on your own writing

• apply various storytelling techniques to create stories in different modes.

Assessment

Assessment in this course aims to test your ability to tell stories in different ways. Creative writing skills, including developing, writing and editing your work are assessed. You will also be tested on your ability to reflect on your work by engaging critical and analytical skills.

Other Details

Offered in: 2010, 2009
Current Campus: City
Levels: Undergraduate
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