Australian Cultural Module

The course consists of three parts:
Lectures A Survey of Australian literature
Seminar Australian literature
Tutorials Australian society and culture

1. A Survey of Australian literature
The colonial period in Australian literature, the beginnings of the novel, poetry and short story, and the significance of the “nationalistic” period at the end of the 19th century.
The concepts of expatriation, exile, spiritual (de)colonization and mythopoesis in the Australian literature of the 20th century, the development of literary criticism and the formation of the literary canon.
The analysis of certain selected texts of different genres, written by the most representative Australian authors, including those from the multicultural and indigenous traditions.
Slovene emigrant literature in Australia and the issue of contemporary literary multiculturalism.
2. Australian literature
Knowledge of the selected Australian authors, with special regard to contemporary literary creativity.
Knowledge of the basic features of New Zealand literature within the framework of South Pacific literatures written in English.
The ability to understand as well as gaining the knowledge of the various critical approaches to individual Australian literary genres.
Presentation of seminar papers in class.
3. Australian society and culture:
Representations of culture in Australia (tradition & the unconscious vs. habits & social rules and laws/ language and society/ the system of values/ literature, film, music etc.)
Man and nature (the geography of Australia, history of Australia, city and bush, ecological themes, economy etc.)
People between themselves (family and society, the first inhabitants, immigrants, refugees, racism and nationalism, the icons of Australian society etc.)