Studying online

There are now 2 possible online modes for units:

Units with modes Online timetabled and Online flexible are available for any student to self-enrol and study online.

Click on an offering mode for more details.

Unit Overview

Description

This unit offers advanced specialist studies in the literature and culture of the modern period, defined as the period from the Enlightenment onwards (approximately 1750 to the present). Students study a selection of Anglophone writings from Britain and Ireland, America or other societies shaped by British colonisation and drawn from particular periods within the modern era. The text selection and the period focus may vary from year to year, depending on staff availability. The unit aims to enable students to experience a deeply contextualised encounter with writings and other texts of various kinds, and to understand their textual and material forms, their engagement with the wider social, intellectual and political disruptions of modernity, and their cultural influence.

Credit
6 points
Offering
AvailabilityLocationMode
Not available in 2025UWA (Perth)Face to face
Details for undergraduate courses
  • Honours option in English and Literary Studies [Bachelor of Arts (Honours)]
Outcomes

Students are able to (1) read and critique a range of discursively complex texts; (2) recognise and analyse dominant ideologies of the period, as manifested in the set texts, and relate these to current ideological formations today; (3) understand the major philosophical, political and historical conflicts of the period; (4) critically assess literary-historical arguments, and contribute to debates in the field; and (5) present informed original interpretations of texts in the studied genres.

Assessment

Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) critical exercise; (2) essay; and (3) seminar participation. Further information is available in the unit outline.



Student may be offered supplementary assessment in this unit if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Unit rules
Prerequisites
sufficient units to ensure admission to Honours in English and Cultural Studies
  • The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change.
  • All students are responsible for identifying when they need assistance to improve their academic learning, research, English language and numeracy skills; seeking out the services and resources available to help them; and applying what they learn. Students are encouraged to register for free online support through GETSmart; to help themselves to the extensive range of resources on UWA's STUDYSmarter website; and to participate in WRITESmart and (ma+hs)Smart drop-ins and workshops.
  • Visit the Essential Textbooks website to see if any textbooks are required for this Unit. The website is updated regularly so content may change. Students are recommended to purchase Essential Textbooks, but a limited number of copies of all Essential Textbooks are held in the Library in print, and as an ebook where possible. Recommended readings for the unit can be accessed in Unit Readings directly through the Learning Management System (LMS).
  • Contact hours provide an indication of the type and extent of in-class activities this unit may contain. The total amount of student work (including contact hours, assessment time, and self-study) will approximate 150 hours per 6 credit points.