Key facts

UNE unit code: ENGL384

*You are viewing the 2024 version of this unit which may be subject to change in future.

Start
  • Not offered in 2024
Campus
  • Armidale Campus
24/7 online support
  • Yes
Intensive schools
  • No
Supervised exam
  • No
Credit points
  • 6

Unit information

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Much of what we know about crime and criminals derives from popular fiction and non-fiction genres of crime writing.

By placing crime and its control and regulation in the context of literary representations, and by employing interdisciplinary approaches, you will examine the interaction between literature and criminology to develop your understanding of the origins, development and cultural significance of crime writing in the texts from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century.

When studying this unit, you will be offered important insights into the popular appeal of crime writing which, in entertaining vast audiences, also plays an important role in mediating our perceptions about crime, criminality and crime control.

After completing this unit you will be able to speak with authority on the subject of crime fiction and non-fiction as a literary genre.

Intensive schools

There are no intensive schools required for this unit.

Enrolment rules

Pre-requisites
12cp or candidature in a postgraduate award
Restrictions
CRIM384 or ENGL584
Combined units

Notes

Please refer to the student handbook for current details on this unit.

Unit coordinator(s)

profile photo of Natalia Tobin
Natalia TobinLecturer in English - Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education; School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:

  1. distinguish the established conventions of different sub-genres of crime fiction and assess the ways in which the set texts conform to and depart from those conventions;
  2. methodically analyse the key literary, cultural and social concepts relevant to the study of crime fiction;
  3. critically evaluate the causes and consequences of crime, and of the role that crime writing plays in reflecting and challenging social attitudes and responses to crime;
  4. appraise the cultural and theoretical contexts that each set text speaks to and from; and
  5. integrate advanced reading, writing and research skills with the critical interpretation of set crime fiction texts and their contexts

Assessment information

Assessments are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.

TitleMust CompleteWeightOfferingsAssessment Notes
EssayYes50%All offerings

No. Words: 2500

Online QuizYes10%All offerings

No. Words: 500 equivalent

Take Home ExaminationYes40%All offerings

No. Words: 2000 equivalent

Learning resources

Textbooks are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.

Note: Students are expected to purchase prescribed material. Please note that textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.

Blue Gold

ISBN: 9781982189341

Cussler, C. and Kemprecos, P., Simon & Schuster 2021

Note: Any edition is acceptable (print or eBook).

Text refers to: All offerings

The Hound of the Baskervilles

ISBN: 9780199536962

Doyle, A.C., Oxford University Press 2009

Note: Any edition is acceptable (print or eBook).

Text refers to: All offerings

L.A. Confidential

ISBN: 9780099537885

Ellory, J., Picador 2011

Note: Any edition is acceptable (print or eBook).

Text refers to: All offerings

In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences

ISBN: 9780241956830

Capote, T., Penguin 2012

Note: Any edition is acceptable (print or eBook).

Text refers to: All offerings

And Then There Were None

ISBN: 9780008123208

Christie, A., Harper Collins 2015

Note: Any edition is acceptable (print or eBook).

Text refers to: All offerings

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