Students

ENGL201 – Creative Writing 1: An Introduction

2014 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Other Staff
Antonina Harbus
Contact via antonina.harbus@mq.edu.au
Other Staff
Jane Messer
Contact via jane.messer@mq.edu.au
Marcelle Freiman
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
12cp including ENGL120 or ENGL106 or ENGL108
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This is a practical unit that introduces students to various approaches and ways of thinking about creative writing. The unit consists of a series of workshops and lectures covering a range of creative writing skills and topics. Students are encouraged to be experimental and adventurous in their writing. Each seminar addresses a different creative writing topic so that students can engage with different genres, methods and approaches. The workshops are interactive and aim to increase understanding of the process of creative writing. Assessment of each student's creative work is based on development and realisation of a topic, language use and the writing skills, structure and overall presentation as well as demonstrated engagement with unit topics in all set assignments and on-course writing exercises.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
  • Identifying and applying key concepts in creative writing
  • Understanding and being able to apply narrative, form and language-use in different contexts
  • Gaining advanced skills in writing and oral communication
  • Participating in group-interaction and active, collaborative learning environments

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due
Assignment 1 10% 19 March
Assignment 2 30% 15 April
Assignment 3 - Final 40% 16 June
Participation 20% 15 April, 10 June

Assignment 1

Due: 19 March
Weighting: 10%

Full details for this assignment are available in iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills

Assignment 2

Due: 15 April
Weighting: 30%

Full details for this assignment are available in iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
  • Identifying and applying key concepts in creative writing
  • Understanding and being able to apply narrative, form and language-use in different contexts
  • Gaining advanced skills in writing and oral communication

Assignment 3 - Final

Due: 16 June
Weighting: 40%

Full details for this assignment are available in iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
  • Identifying and applying key concepts in creative writing
  • Understanding and being able to apply narrative, form and language-use in different contexts
  • Gaining advanced skills in writing and oral communication

Participation

Due: 15 April, 10 June
Weighting: 20%

Details of criteria for participation are on the iLearn website.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
  • Identifying and applying key concepts in creative writing
  • Gaining advanced skills in writing and oral communication
  • Participating in group-interaction and active, collaborative learning environments

Delivery and Resources

Essential information about this unit is on the ENGL201 iLearn website, including:

  • details of assessment tasks,
  • criteria for grading against which all assessment tasks are judged
  • assessment submission requirements,
  • extensions and penalties,
  • unit content, learning and teaching methodology, readings, workshops
  • changes made to the unit from previous offerings.

For details, see the ENGL201 Handbook' on the ENGL201 iLearn website and the Turnitin assessments on the website.

*The unit iLearn website is integral and essential to this unit.  ALL Internal tudents must login to the website in Week 1.

CLASSES

For classrooms please consult the MQ Timetable website: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au. This website will display up-to-date information on your classes and classroom locations. Students must attend the classes in which they are enrolled.

Further information about classes are on the iLearn website.

Lectures

* Lectures start in Week 2. Seminar classes begin in Week 1.

Please check the university timetable for lecture and class venues.

Lectures for this unit are scheduled fortnightly. Seminars (classes) must be attended each week, starting in Week 1.

Lectures are delivered as Echo ilectures only, through the iLearn website. Students are prompted to listen to lectures in Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12. Lectures are available in Echo from the start of Week 1.The lectures will deal with the topics in each of the two fortnight's seminars.

External students must participate in all weekly online workshops and discussions. These have parity with the seminar attendance of internal students.

REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS

Required Reading

  •  Required weekly readings for this unit are in library e-Reserve.

These texts are also required:

  • Kate Grenville, The Writing Book: A workbook for writers, Allen and Unwin.

Recommended

  • Mark Tredinnick, Little Green Grammar Book, UNSW Press
  • William Strunk & E. B. White, The Elements of Style, MacMillan
  • Hazel Smith, The Writing Experiment: Strategies for Innovative Creative Writing, Allen & Unwin, 2005.
  • John Singleton and Mary Lockhurst (eds), The Creative Writing Handbook: Techniques for New Writers, Macmillan, 1996, 2000.
  • Hodgins, Jack, A Passion for Narrative, McClelland & Stewart, 2001.

UNIT WEBPAGE AND TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED

Online units can are accessed at: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/.

PC and Internet access are required, Broadband or WiFi connection is essential. Basic computer skills and skills in word processing are also a requirement.

 

Unit Schedule

Unit schedule and details of the schedule and of lectures, workshops, readings and unit expectations are on the iLearn website and in the ENGL201 Handbook in pdf form on the website.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy  http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Participating in group-interaction and active, collaborative learning environments

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 3 - Final
  • Participation

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
  • Participating in group-interaction and active, collaborative learning environments

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 3 - Final
  • Participation

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • Identifying and applying key concepts in creative writing
  • Understanding and being able to apply narrative, form and language-use in different contexts

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Assignment 2
  • Assignment 3 - Final

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
  • Gaining advanced skills in writing and oral communication

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Assignment 2
  • Assignment 3 - Final
  • Participation

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 3 - Final
  • Participation

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Assignment 2
  • Assignment 3 - Final
  • Participation

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • Identifying and applying key concepts in creative writing
  • Understanding and being able to apply narrative, form and language-use in different contexts
  • Gaining advanced skills in writing and oral communication

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 2
  • Assignment 3 - Final
  • Participation

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Participating in group-interaction and active, collaborative learning environments

Assessment task

  • Participation

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 2
  • Participation