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This course introduces students to university-level English by exploring in depth a sequence of works that have earned the label 'great' for some or all of the following reasons: because of their enduring, wide and deep cultural influence; because of the originality of their creative conception; because of the power of their language; because of the power and appeal of the stories they tell or the characters or images they contain.
Theme for 2025: MetamorphosisMetamorphosis occurs throughout literature: gods become human or vice versa; beggars become princes and princesses or vice versa; people turn into trees, rocks, monsters, birds, beetles…. Language itself is based on metamorphosis: the transformation of ideas and things into words and figures of speech. By paying attention to the many kinds of metamorphosis at work in a diverse range of ‘great works’, this course will aim to develop students’ understanding of how various kinds of change — cultural, social, psychological — shape and are shaped by their representation in literature.This course can be used towards an English major or minor. BA students who major in English would normally take at least two 100-level 15 point ENGL courses (which must include at least one of the following: ENGL117, ENGL102 or ENGL103), at least three 200-level 15 point ENGL courses, and at least two 300-level 30 point ENGL courses. Please see the BA regulations or a student advisor for more information.
In this course you will learn: Acquisition of skills in advanced critical reading Improvement of skills in essay writing Increased knowledge of specific texts and their historical and cultural contexts Familiarity with concepts integral to the study of English at university level.
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:
Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award
Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.
Employable, innovative and enterprising
Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.
Globally aware
Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.
Students must attend one activity from each section.
Philip Armstrong
Christopher Thomson
Required Texts • Bronte, Emily; Wuthering Heights • Shakespeare, William; Macbeth• Stevenson, Robert Louis; The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeCourse readings will also be provided online, including poems and short fiction by Franz Kafka, Audre Lorde, Elizabeth Bishop, Emily Dickinson and Allen Curnow.(Image: "Richard Mansfield in the dual roles of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". Photo by Henry Van der Weyde, licensed under public domain.)
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Domestic fee $894.00
International fee $4,100.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Humanities .