ENGL1101 The Art of Storytelling

This is our entry-level English topic that introduces students to some of the significant ways that stories have been created and shared over hundreds of years of literature. We will introduce you to a selection of literary genres and styles and in doing so, explore some core literary concepts such as close reading, critical analysis, and source criticism. We will also consider the cultural contexts from which different stories emerge and consider how this impacts on storytelling practice. In particular, we will study writing as the most important in a series of information technology revolutions leading up to those taking place today and consider how each of these revolutions, especially those involving new media, has affected literature.

We will develop your skills in reading different types of literature, as well as your knowledge and skills in literary and critical analysis, writing, and research. This topic locates literature and storytelling in the contemporary world and explores its ongoing relevance to our everyday lives.

Students will be encouraged to produce critical and creative writing in this topic.

This topic aims to:

• Provide an essential bridging learning experience between pre-tertiary and tertiary English study
• Introduce students to the ways that the art of storytelling has transformed and adapted over the centuries
• Demonstrate how literary storytelling is an instrumental tool of self expression and identity formation
• Introduce students to a diverse range of texts and genres that we might define as literature today
• Improve students’ confidence and resilience as readers
• Encourage students’ critical thinking and critical expression skills
• Have students engage respectfully and productively with their peers

1. Use key concepts in literary studies
2. Appraise the ways that literature has changed its form over the centuries, and the impact of different technologies on the production and consumption of texts
3. Distinguish the key critical reading and writing skills required to transition successfully into further level-one and upper-level English topics
4. Appraise literary research materials from the perspective of a discerning purveyors and consumers
5. Explain the value of critical reading skills through reflection