Literary Studies: From Romanticism to the Present (11153.1)

Please note these are the 2026 details for this unit
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Literary Studies: From Romanticism to the Present
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
 Bruce, Canberra
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Arts And Design
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
School Of Arts And Communications Level 2 - Undergraduate Intermediate Unit Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
Literary Studies: From Romanticism to the Present focuses on a shifting range of literary texts from the last two hundred years. Students can expect to read and think about books as diverse as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land or Alison Bechdel's recent, autobiographical account of growing up in a funeral parlour (Fun Home). The unit offers an historical framework in which to approach such diversity: the rise, around the start of the nineteenth century, of the idea that anything can become the substance or form of art, from Byron's wild and free speech through to the emergence of women's biography, indigenous science fiction, the rise of the graphic novel and more.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Discuss literary texts in an historical framework extending from the Romantics into the present;
2. Identify how literary texts of this period work to expand our understandings and empathies; and
3. Assess new literary texts in terms of their intellectual, emotional and political ambitions.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas


Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2026 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 28 July 2025 On-campus Dr Rachel M.Campbell
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 10 August 2026 On-campus Ms Eve Nucifora-Ryan
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

Set Literary Texts — you must purchase and read these:

1                      Alison Bechdel, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, any edition.

2                      Safdar Ahmed, Still Alive, any edition.

3                      Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, preferably in the following edition: The Original Frankenstein (Vintage Classics), ed. Charles Robinson (New York: Vintage, 2008). But if you cannot obtain the Robinson edition, please attempt to secure a version based on Shelley's original, 1818 edition. See notes below.

4                      James Joyce, Finnegans Wake, any edition. 

 Set Literary Texts, on Canvas — you must read these:

 5                      Lord Byron, Don Juan, Cantos I & II.

 Required Tutorial Readings, on Canvas — you must read these too:

 Please see the list of weekly readings in the Timetable of Activities above.

Notes on set literary texts:

  • The total cost of the first four set texts (the Byron text is free on Canvas) is approximately $80. 1, 2 and 4 are readily available for purchase from bookstores and online vendors. See the note immediately below on text 3, the Shelley.
  • Limited copies of each will be available on 3hr and 3 day loan.
  • With regard to the Shelley text, please obtain The Original Frankenstein (Vintage Classics, Charles E Robinson, Ed.) if you can, as it distinguishes between the words Mary wrote and her husband Percy's editorial additions. It is not available everywhere, but you can order in a copy Amazon . If you do not obtain The Original Frankenstein, please make sure you are reading the 1818 Edition rather than the 1831 edition, which Mary revised quite heavily, tempering some of the earlier version's radicalism in the process. There are a number of copies of the 1818 version online. The Romantic Circles website features a reputable, annotated version:  you can also find the 1831 version there, plus various study tools. See too the interesting MIT "frankenbook" which is annotated by and for scientists and engineers.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Participation requirements

None.

Required IT skills

This unit may involve online meetings in real time using the Virtual Room in your UCLearn teaching site. The Virtual Room allows you to communicate in real time with your lecturer and other students. To participate verbally, rather than just typing, you will need a microphone. For best audio quality we recommend a microphone and speaker headset. For more information and to test your computer, go to the Virtual Room in your UCLearn site and 'Join Course Room'. This will trigger a tutorial to help familiarise you with the functionality of the virtual room.

In-unit costs

Approx. $80 for books.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None.

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