LANG 3059 Law, Literature and Culture
Credit Points 10
Legacy Code 102416
Coordinator Christopher Conti Opens in new window
Description This unit explores the common origin of law and literature in rhetoric, narrative, interpretation, and culture. Students will study literary representations of justice, violence and morality and explore an interpretive understanding of the law. Core unit texts will usually be drawn from 19th century world literature to the present, though Film and Television texts may also be selected for analysis.
School Humanities & Comm Arts
Discipline Literature
Student Contribution Band HECS Band 1 10cp
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Level Undergraduate Level 3 subject
Restrictions Successful completion of 60 credit points of study in currently enrolled program.
Learning Outcomes
- Explore the diverse representations of the law in literature.
- Investigate the different ways law and literature address moral questions.
- Demonstrate the usefulness of literary studies and close reading to an understanding of law.
- Examine the idea of literature as critique of law.
Subject Content
- Force, Law and order in Melville
- Confession and testimony in Dostoevsky
- legal authority and interpretation in Kafka
- Distributive versus retributive justice in Coetzee
- literature as critique of Law
- The relation of justice and violence
- The use of literature to improve legal Understanding
- The modernist predicament of legal theory and Critical legal studies
Assessment
The following table summarises the standard assessment tasks for this subject. Please note this is a guide only. Assessment tasks are regularly updated, where there is a difference your Learning Guide takes precedence.
| Item | Length | Percent | Threshold | Individual/Group Task |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation | 5 mins presentation plus 500 words (per student) | 20 | N | Individual |
| Essay | 1500 words | 35 | N | Individual |
| Essay | 2000 words | 45 | N | Individual |
Prescribed Texts
- Franz Kafka, The Trial. Trans. Breon Mitchell. New York: Shocken, 1998.
- J.M. Coetzee, Disgrace. London: Secker & Warburg, 1999.
Teaching Periods
Autumn
Bankstown
Day
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Parramatta - Victoria Rd
Day
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