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Imagined Nation

Imagined Nation

What is an Area of Study?

From the Syllabus:

Preliminary Area of Study

An Area of Study is the exploration of a concept that affects our perceptions of ourselves and our world.

Students explore, analyse, question and articulate the ways in which perceptions of this concept are shaped in and through a variety of texts.

Areas of Study are developed by teachers and require students to explore a concept through:

• close study of one text
• responding to and composing a wide range of related texts
• making connections between texts and the area of study
• synthesising aspects of a variety of texts
• presenting coherently integrated interpretations of the concept.

The number and content of Areas of Study are not prescribed in the Preliminary English (Advanced and Standard) course. Teachers design Areas of Study that will, in length, content and focus, provide an appropriate language learning environment for students.

This Area of Study, Imagined Nation, requires students to explore the ways in which the concept and processes of Australian Identity are expressed in and through texts. The title, Imagined Nation, suggests the processes of creating cultural identity in and through media and literary texts. It expresses the processes of representation, reflection and imagination.

The concept of Imagined Nation also carries with it the suggestion that our cultural identity as Australians has been shaped and reshaped by composers reflecting on the experiences and events of Australia’s history.

Some of the concepts and processes explored in this Area of Study are:

• Representation
• The language of reflection and imagination
• Various perceptions of and reflections on Australian identity
• Post colonialism
• Reconciliation

The focus question for this Area of Study, Imagined Nation, is:

How do texts by Australians and about Australia confirm or challenge our perceptions of Australian identity?

What do we...