Overview

This unit explores why specific story styles remain eternally popular in the bestseller lists and on our bookshelves. It introduces students to a deeper understanding of the history, conventions, and social and political underpinnings of popular fiction genres. These will help to inform the development of their own critical reading and creative work, irrespective of medium. The unit will examine the history and development of a popular genre each week from a variety of theoretical perspectives and also include workshops where students apply genre ideas studied to their own creative projects

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
29-July-2024
27-October-2024
Last self-enrolment date
11-August-2024
Census date
31-August-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
13-September-2024
Results released date
03-December-2024

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Demonstrate critical understanding of theoretical and creative approaches to genre writing and production
  • Critically evaluate a range of genres and conventions
  • Apply ideas and perspectives from genre studies to their own creative output

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Live Online
Lecture
1.00 12 weeks 12
On-campus
Class
2.00 12 weeks 24
Specified Activities
Various
3.00 12 weeks 36
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning
6.50 12 weeks 78
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
EssayIndividual 30% 1,2,3 
Genre Writing ProjectIndividual 40% 1,2,3 
In-Class ExercisesIndividual 30% 1,2,3 

Content

  • Genre theory
  • Romance
  • Crime
  • Speculative fiction
  • Fantasy
  • Gothic and horror
  • Historical fiction
  • Literary fiction
  • Postmodern genres
  • Literary analysis techniques

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.