Skip to main content
Unit of study_

ENGL3657: The Brontes

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Remote

The novels of the Bronte Sisters are among the most enduringly popular Victorian texts, yet they have an ambiguous critical status. The perception that the Brontes are labile and cloistered writers, best interpreted psychoanalytically, raises questions about the relationship between biography and literature, and the ways in which notions of social and historical relevance play into judgments about literary value. We will think about canonical and popular literary status, biography and authorship, gender and writing, and Victorian society.

Unit details and rules

Unit code ENGL3657
Academic unit
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
12 credit points at 2000 level in English
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Vanessa Smith, vanessa.smith@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment hurdle task Final Essay
Essay
40% Formal exam period
Due date: 06 Jun 2022 at 23:59
3000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Essay Proposal
Proposal
10% Week 07
Due date: 08 Apr 2022 at 23:59
500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Participation Participation in class discussion
assesses level of participation in breakout groups and general discussion
10% Week 13
Due date: 27 May 2022 at 17:00
assessed over the course of the unit
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment journal assignment
reading journal entry
40% Weekly 250 words per week over ten weeks
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO5
hurdle task = hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

  • Journal assignment:  You are required to write a critical and creative reflection of 250 words, every week from weeks 2-12 (excluding the reading/feedback week), submitted via Canvas. This is a private journal to document the evolution of your critical process and engagement with the novels and secondary readings. 
  • Essay Proposal:  You will devise your own question for the final essay. In this task you will be expected to set out your question and its central intention and ambit, and your methodology and selected bibliography. 
  • Final Essay:  This is the major piece of work for the unit. Here, you will write a formal work of scholarship, with reference to both our primary and secondary texts. It is imperative that you submit this third assignment in order to pass the unit. 

Detailed information for each assessment can be found in Canvas.

Please note: The final essay is a hurdle task, which means that you are required to attempt the task (that is, you must submit work) in order to pass the unit. 

Assessment criteria

More information can be found in Canvas. 

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

5% per day. The journal entries should be submitted weekly, but must be submitted by 3 junctures: in weeks 4, 8 and 12. That is, you must have submitted three entries by the end of week 4, 4 more by the end of week 8, and 3 more by the end of week 12.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction to the Brontës; Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre Vol I, Chapters 1-10 Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 02 Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, Vol I chapter 11 to Volume III, end of chapter 1 Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 03 Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, Vol III, chapter 2 to end of novel Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 04 Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 05 Charlotte Bronte's Roe Head journal and Villette, Chapters I-VIII Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 06 Charlotte Brontë's Villette, Chapters IX-XXVII (end of Volume II) Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 07 Charlotte Brontë's Villette (Vol III) Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 08 Anne Brontë's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Vol I (Chapters 1-15) Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 09 Reading and research week; voluntary essay discussions Independent study (2 hr) LO1 LO5
Week 10 Anne Brontë's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Vols II and III Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 11 Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, Vol. I Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 12 Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, Vol. II Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 13 Conclusion: general discussion. If time- Emily and Anne Brontë Diary Papers; Charlotte Brontë Mina Laurie Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5

Attendance and class requirements

There is a 10% participation mark for this unit

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

  • Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
  • Charlotte Brontë, Villette
  • Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey
  • Anne Brontë, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
  • Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

Additional readings for this unit can be accessed through the Canvas Reading List

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. L1: Have gained skills in the kind of sustained critical investigation normally reserved for honours or masters work.
  • LO2. L2: Be familiar with major works in the Brontë oeuvre and the main debates that have informed Brontë criticism.
  • LO3. L3: Have learned about gender and literary production in the Victorian period.
  • LO4. L4: Consider the relevance of biographical information to understanding literary texts.
  • LO5. L5: Reflect on the assumptions that inform both literary critical trends and your own understanding of literary critical practice.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

In response to student feedback the order of texts this year ensures that we will tackle texts with which students are typically less familiar earlier in the unit

More information can be found on Canvas. 

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.