Study Australia - Imaging Australia

  Australia

• Sydney: 
Sydney
• Great Barrier Reef: 
Great Barrier Reef
• New South Wales: 
Canberra
• Queensland: 
Cairns
• Northern Territory: 
Darwin

Term: Summer 
Dates: 2009 Dates TBA

Description: This course introduces students to the issues that have shaped Australian society and culture, both past and present, through a range of literary, cinematic, and cultural texts. It examines the histories of these cultural forms and the issues that are central to them, and provides students with an understanding of the relations between cultural texts and cultural and national identity. Australian film, media and literature are key sites through which questions of national and cultural identity are represented and debated in Australia, and they are also (though somewhat differently) the means through which international audiences formulate their conceptions of Australia and Australian culture. For instance, Australian culture is often best known to international audiences through its representations in film and literature and through popular "export" figures and through the success of Australian actors (such as Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger) and directors (such as Baz Luhrmann and Peter Weir) in Hollywood.

This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of Australian film, media and literature through the close study of particular media and literary texts and the examination of Australia's media and cultural industries. We will explore the history and diversity of Australian film and media culture by viewing and analyzing a broad range of Australian films and television programs from internationally renowned feature films to teen films and B-grade cult films, indigenous film and television, documentary, and cult television programs. We will also look at the ways in which literary texts including short stories, short novels, poetry and plays image and re-imagine cultural constructions of place, gender and Australian identities over time.

The program travels to a number of locations within Australia. It starts in Darwin, in Australia's Top End, where the highlight is a 3-day camping expedition into Kakadu National Park viewing ancient Aboriginal rock art, crocodiles, and spectacular scenery. Here students will work on the significance of the outback in Australian film and literature and in the cultural imaginary.

The program then moves to Canberra, Australia's capital and seat of government, where visits will include the National Film and Sound Archives. From there, for 3 weeks, the program will be based at the UNSW campus, 20 minutes from downtown Sydney, Australia's largest and most active city, and 5 minutes from the beach side suburb of Coogee. The program concludes in Cairns, near the Great Barrier Reef, where after finishing classes, students can then relax and participate in the wide range of activities available there.

Highlights: Our program includes:

* Guided travel to five distinct regions of Australia including the Outback, multi-cultural Sydney, Canberra, Great Barrier Reef and Tropical Rainforest
* Gain a comprehensive understanding of Australian film, media and literature
* Academic credit transferable to your home degree (6-8 credits on UNSW transcript)
* Accommodation
* Excursion costs
* Airport shuttle services
* Orientation programs
* UNSW student card with access to UNSW facilities
* Meals when camping in Kakadu National Park and breakfasts and lunches in Sydney

Cost in US$: $6340 (2008)

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to American and Canadian Participants.

Participants Travel to Australia Independently Or in Groups

Scholarships are Available. - Each year Study Australia awards thousands of dollars to qualified program participants.

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Other
• Transcript

Year Founded: 1995