Why Study Literature?

VCE Literature provides opportunities for students to develop their awareness of other people, places and cultures and explore the way texts represent the complexity of human experience. Students examine the evolving and dialogic nature of texts, the changing contexts in which they were produced and notions of value. They develop an understanding and appreciation of literature, and an ability to reflect critically on the aesthetic and intellectual aspects of texts.

The study of Literature enables students to consider the power and complexity of language, the ways literary features and techniques contribute to meaning and the significance of form and structure.

Unit 1: Approaches to literature

In this unit students focus on the ways the interaction between text and reader creates meaning. Students’ analyses of the features and conventions of texts help them develop responses to a range of literary forms and styles. They develop an awareness of how the views and values that readers hold may influence the reading of a text.

Area of Study 1

Reading practices

Outcome 1

On completion of this unit the student should be able to respond to a range of texts and reflect on influences shaping these responses.

Area of Study 2

Ideas and concerns in texts

Outcome 2

On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse the ways in which a selected text reflects or comments on the ideas and concerns of individuals and particular groups in society.

Unit 2: Context and connections

In this unit students explore the ways literary texts connect with each other and with the world. They deepen their examination of the ways their own culture and the cultures represented in texts can influence their interpretations and shape different meanings. Students consider the relationships between authors, audiences and contexts and analyse the similarities and differences across texts and establish connections between them. They engage in close reading of texts and create analytical responses that are evidence-based.

Area of Study 1

The text, the reader and their contexts

Outcome 1

On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse and respond critically and creatively to the ways a text from a past era and/or a different culture reflect or comment on the ideas and concerns of individuals and groups in that context.

Area of Study 2

Exploring connections between texts

Outcome 2

On completion of this unit the student should be able to compare texts considering the dialogic nature of texts and how they influence each other.

Unit 3: Form and transformation

In this unit students consider how the form of a text affects meaning, and how writers construct their texts. They investigate ways writers adapt and transform texts and how meaning is affected as texts are adapted and transformed. They consider how the perspectives of those adapting texts may inform or influence the adaptations. Students develop creative responses to texts and their skills in communicating ideas in both written and oral forms.

Area of Study 1

Adaptations and transformations

Outcome 1

On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse the extent to which meaning changes when a text is adapted to a different form.

Area of Study 2

Creative responses to texts

Outcome 2

On completion of this unit the student should be able to respond creatively to a text and comment on the connections between the text and the response.

Unit 4: Interpreting texts

In this unit students develop critical and analytic responses to texts. They investigate literary criticism informing both the reading and writing of texts. Students develop an informed and sustained interpretation supported by close textual analysis.

Area of Study 1

Literary perspectives

Outcome 1

On completion of this unit students should be able to produce an interpretation of a text using different literary perspectives to inform their view.

Area of Study 2

Close analysis

Outcome 2

On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse features of texts and develop and justify interpretations of texts.

Assessment

Satisfactory completion

The award of satisfactory completion for a unit is based on a decision that the student has demonstrated achievement of the set of outcomes specified for the unit. This decision will be based on the teacher’s assessment of the student’s performance on assessment tasks designated for the unit.

Levels of achievement

Units 1 and 2

Emmaus College students complete graded Assessment Tasks and Semester Examinations as part of the Assessment process for Units 1 and 2.

Units 3 and 4

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority supervises the assessment of all students undertaking Units 3 and 4.

Percentage contributions to the study score in VCE Literature are as follows:

Unit 3 School-assessed Coursework	25%
Unit 4 School-assessed Coursework	25%
End-of-year examination	50%