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AustLit

Literature for Children and Adults (ALL153)
Semester 1 / 2012

Texts

Persepolis:The Story of Childhood!$!Satrapi!$! !$!!$!
Digger Jones!$!Frankland!$! !$!!$!
Into the Forest!$!Browne, A!$! !$!!$!
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian!$!Sherman!$! !$!!$!
Twighlight!$!Meyer, S.!$! !$!!$!
y separately published work icon The Little Refugee Anh Do , Suzanne Do , Bruce Whatley (illustrator), Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2011 Z1800202 2011 single work picture book children's (taught in 4 units)

'Giant waves crashed down on our little boat. I was terrified but my mum hugged me tight and told me, "Everything will be okay. Don't worry, it will be okay." Anh Do nearly didn't make it to Australia. His entire family came close to losing their lives as they escaped from war-torn Vietnam in an overcrowded boat. It was a dangerous journey, with murderous pirates and terrifying storms, but they managed to survive. Life in suburban Australia was also hard for a small boy with no English and funny lunches. But there was a loving extended family, lots of friends, and always something to laugh about for Anh, his brother Khoa, and their sister Tram. And eventually for a young Anh, who tried hard to see the bright side of life no matter what the difficulty, there was triumph.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Description

Children learn about themselves and others from their families, their educational settings and from texts the books, films and other media they consume. Our focus in this unit is on representations of identity in texts for children, paying specific attention to the gender roles, sexual identities, racial politics and social class dynamics depicted in the fictional narratives children engage with for pleasure or in schools. Students will analyse childrens texts using narrative theory models that interrogate endings, character perspectives and audience positioning. This first year unit introduces students to key concepts essential to the analysis of childrens texts.

Assessment

Exercise (1000 words) 20%, Two essays (1500 words each) 40% each.

Other Details

Offered in: 2011, 2010
Current Campus: Burwood (Melbourne), Geelong, Warrnambool, External
Levels: Undergraduate
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