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Unit outline_

SLCS4205: Cross-Cultural Literature and Film

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Remote

This unit will look at theoretical approaches to the notion of cross-culturalism and its realisations in literature and film. We will examine how these media are able to combine and create elements from different cultural perspectives. We will also examine questions such as: how do cross-cultural perspectives manifest themselves in literary and cinematic productions? What do the notions of the familiar and the foreign entail?

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Languages and Cultures
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
ARBC3998 or ARBC3999 or ASNS3998 or ASNS3999 or CHNS3998 or CHNS3999 or EUST3998 or EUST3999 or FRNC3998 or FRNC3999 or GRMN3998 or GRMN3999 or BBCL3998 or BBCL3999 or HBRW3998 or HBRW3999 or JCTC3998 or JCTC3999 or INMS3998 or INMS3999 or ICLS3998 or ICLS3999 or ITLN3998 or ITLN3999 or JPNS3998 or JPNS3999 or KRNS3998 or KRNS3999 or MGRK3998 or MGRK3999 or SPAN3998 or SPAN3999
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Lea Vuong, lea.vuong@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Mats Karlsson, mats.karlsson@sydney.edu.au
Lea Vuong, lea.vuong@sydney.edu.au
Vek Lewis, vek.lewis@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Research essay
Individual research essay
45% Formal exam period 1x2500wd research essay (45%)
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Small continuous assessment Online discussion board
Weekly online discussion board, equivalent to 2000wd
30% Ongoing Assessed throughout semester (30%)
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Presentation Individual presentation
1 presentation
25% Week 13 1x1500wd presentation (25%)
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2

Assessment summary

1x2500wd research essay (45%), 1x1500wd presentation (25%), 1x2000wd discussion board (online) (30%)

Details on assessment will be provided on Canvas

Assessment criteria

Akari Curriculum

Assessment grading

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

 
 

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Please refer to Coursework Policy 2014

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
- Week 1 to Week 2: Introduction, Dr Léa Vuong * What is cross-culturalism? Reading and viewing the world across cultures and genres *Cross-cultural perspectives: tools, concepts and debates Seminar (4 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 3 to Week 5: Literature and film in contemporary Latin America, Dr Vek Lewis *please note weekly schedule is subject to change, final schedule will be available on Canvas site Seminar (6 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 6 to Week 8: Japanese cinema across cultures, Dr Mats Karlsson *please note weekly schedule is subject to change, final schedule will be available on Canvas site Seminar (6 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 9 to Week 11: Cross-cultural perspectives and the Francophone world, Dr Léa Vuong * please note weekly schedule is subject to change, final schedule will be available on Canvas site Seminar (6 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 12: Conclusion and Research Project Workshop, Dr Léa Vuong Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 13: Student presentations, new perspectives and collective discussions, Dr Mats Karlsson, Dr Vek Lewis, Dr Léa Vuong Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance to all weekly tutorial (Zoom live tutorials) is required.

 

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Secondary reading list (indicative and subject to change, final bibliography will be on Canvas)

 Alessandrini, Anthony C. (Anthony Charles). Frantz Fanon and the Future of Cultural Politics : Finding Something Different. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2014. Print.

  Alessandrini, Anthony C. Frantz Fanon Critical Perspectives . New York: Routledge, 1999. Print.

  Arnold, A. James. et al. A History of Literature in the Caribbean Volume 3: Cross-Cultural Studies. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 1997. Print.

  Austin, Thomas. The Films of Aki Kaurismäki Ludic Engagements . New York, NY: Bloomsbury Academic, 2018. Print.

  Della Coletta, Cristina. When Stories Travel : Cross-Cultural Encounters Between Fiction and Film . Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012. Print.

Frantz Fanon. Black Skin White Masks. Pluto Press, 1986.

  Frantz Fanon. London: Panaf Books, 1975. Print.

  Haddour, Azzedine. Frantz Fanon, Postcolonialism and the Ethics of Difference. Place of publication not identified: Manchester University Press, 2019. Print.

  Hawley, John C. Cross-Addressing : Resistance Literature and Cultural Borders . Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996. Print.

https://monoskop.org/images/a/a5/Fanon_Frantz_Black_Skin_White_Masks_1986.pdf

https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/LA/article/viewFile/4915/5605

  Hudis, Peter. Frantz Fanon : Philosopher of the Barricades . London: Pluto Press, 2015. Print.

  Julien, Isaac., Mark Nash, and Colin. Salmon. Frantz Fanon black skin, white mask . San Francisco, CA: California Newsreel [distributor], 1995. Film.

  Kääpä, Pietari. The Cinema of Mika Kaurismäki Transvergent Cinescapes, Emergent Identities . Bristol, UK ;: Intellect, 2011. Print.

  Kääpä, Pietari. The National and Beyond The Globalisation of Finnish Cinema in the Films of Aki and Mika Kaurismäki. 1st, New ed. Bern: Peter Lang AG, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften. Print.

  Khorana, Sukhmani. Crossover Cinema : Cross-Cultural Film from Production to Reception. New York: Routledge, 2013. Web.

  King, Gemma et al. “Contemporary French Cinema and the Langue de Passage: From Dheepan to Welcome.” French Cultural Studies 29.1 (2018): 39–48. Web.

  Naficy, Hamid. An Accented Cinema : Exilic and Diasporic Filmmaking . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press,, 2018. Web.

  Nestingen, Andrew. The Cinema of Aki Kaurismäki : Contrarian Stories . New York, NY: Columbia University Press,, 2013. Print.

  Nicole Baumgarten. “Shaken and Stirred: Language in Film in a Cross-cultural Perspective.” Zeitschrift für Interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht 8.2 (2015): n. pag. Web.

  Rahim, Jennifer, and Barbara Lalla. “Beyond Borders : Cross-Culturalism and the Caribbean Canon .” Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press, 2009. Print.

Royer, Michelle. “National Cinemas and Transcultural Mappings: The Case of France.” Literature & Aesthetics 20.1 (2010): 139-147.

  Smith, Iain Robert, and Constantine Verevis. Transnational Film Remakes. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2017. Print.

  Stam, Robert. World Literature, Transnational Cinema, and Global Media : Towards a Transartistic Commons . London ;: Routledge, 2019. Web.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate an advanced understanding of the theoretical notions of transculturalism and analyse their manifestation as expressed in literature and film
  • LO2. demonstrate an advanced understanding of literature and cinema’s potential in creating new cultural spaces of understanding
  • LO3. demonstrate an ability to incorporate different perspectives and crosses cultural understanding in examining literature and film.
  • LO4. apply the theoretical knowledge acquired to informed and vivid discussions on topics relevant to the course.
  • LO5. analyse critically, evaluate and transform information to complete a range of activities
  • LO6. analyse, generate and transmit solutions to complex problems

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is a new unit and no previous USS has been produced.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

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