Australia and New Zealand have unique histories and cultures. The history of Australia is marked by its founding as a British penal colony, a rich military tradition, controversial treatment of Aboriginal people, and the distinctiveness of its flora and fauna. All of these elements have shaped an exceptional continental country. Australian and New Zealand cinema has chronicled their history, but (as cinema tends to do) has created a mythology that is often divergent from the factual record.
One main component of this course will be to examine the histories and cultures of Australia and New Zealand from books, primary sources, secondary sources, presentations, and research to compare the film mythology to the reality of modern Australian and New Zealand life. This approach will require students to think critically about the films and will give students a framework for their observations in Australia and New Zealand. Each student will choose a topic that is prevalent in Australian and New Zealand film. To develop a full understand of his/her chosen topic, he/she will view appropriate films, conduct in-depth research, and combine these with his/her personal observations and research while traveling in Australia and New Zealand.
