08.08.08 | Permalink | Comments Off on Teaching and Learning Guide: Antipodean Myths Transformed
Sample Syllabus:
Week 1: Introduction and Overview—Exploration and Colonisation of the Great South Land
- – The myth of the antipodes—the allure of the great south land
- – Gaps in maps—spaces for the imagination
Weeks 2–4: Fantasies of the Antipodes
- – The role of imaginary voyage texts—blending reality with fantasy, pre-programming colonisation
- – Myths of extreme difference
- – Myths of Indigenous populations’ welcoming attitude to colonial intrusion
- – Theories of otherness
Weeks 3–5: Entering the Antipodes
- – Early explorers’ contradictory responses to Terra Australis Incognita
- – Utopias and dystopias
- – First contact with Indigenous people—the concept of ‘terra nullius’ framed by myths
Weeks 6–8: Images of Contemporary Australia: Enduring Myths
- – The myth of terra nullius and the impact on Indigenous Australia
- – The ‘dead heart’ of Australia as the last unfathomed antipodean space