ALJ722 - The Power and Perils of True Stories
| Year: | 2026 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Online 2026 is the final year of offer for this unit |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. |
| Scheduled learning activities - campus: | 1 x 2-hour on-campus seminar per week |
| Scheduled learning activities - online: | Approximately 2-hours of online learning tasks and discussions per week |
Content
True stories is an umbrella term for a range of non-fiction genres that have in common two elements: they are about the world around us and the people in it, and they are told in narrative style. They can range from biography and autobiography to true crime and nature writing, along with several other non-fiction genres. They differ from novels because they aim to be grounded in fact, and truth. They draw from news reporting because they aim to tell a compelling story. True stories told well explore events and issues in their complexity and people in their full humanity. They make an impact on readers. The power inherent in true stories throws up important, knotty issues: how do practitioners balance their need to maintain editorial independence with the closeness to key sources that comes from gaining the deep level of trust required to construct a work of true story? Are there limits to the kinds of narrative approach writers can take when representing actual people and events? If they present their long-form journalism in a narrative style, is it read as non-fiction or, because it reads like a novel, is it read as a novel? In this unit you will explore these questions and produce your own works of narrative non-fiction.
Unit fee information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
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