Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Willa McDonald
Contact via willa.mcdonald@mq.edu.au
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
12cp
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit introduces students to the practice of literary journalism and creative non-fiction writing. Students discuss key readings in the field, at the same time learning the principles of non-fiction writing: word usage, writing style, interview skills, ethics and defamation, research skills, narrative structure, analyses and reflection.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Due |
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Class Participation | 20% | Throughout the semester |
Research Portfolio | 25% | Week 6, Friday 11 April, 5pm |
SWF Report | 20% | Week 11, Friday 30 May, 5pm |
Literary Journalism Article | 35% | Week 14, Monday 16 June, 5pm |
Due: Throughout the semester
Weighting: 20%
Students must attend lectures and tutorials. As part of your participation in the course, you will be asked to complete three writing exercises and submit three sections of draft material from your Literary Journalism Article. Note: You will not be marked on this work; rather, failure to submit any or all of the exercises or draft material will result in you losing the total of your participation mark. The participation mark is also based on your contribution to discussion in class, and your contribution to the editing of other students' work.
The following 3 Writing Exercises have been designed to:
Writing Exercise 1: (Bring to tutorial in Week 2) Pick 10 people you know and write a one-sentence description of each of them, focussing on what makes each person unique and noteworthy.
Writing Exercise 2: (Bring to tutorial in Week 3) Pick a smell or aroma - eg, the smell of garlic or rose petals or a wet dog... - and recreate in 200 interesting words a memory associated with that smell. Avoid using any adverbs or adjectives. Instead, use strong verbs.
Writing Exercise 3: (Bring to tutorial in Week 4) Sit in a restaurant or a crowded area and write down the snippets of conversation you hear. Listen to the people around you. Listen to how they talk and to what words they use. Once you have done this, choose one conversation, record it and then add your version of what comes next in the conversation. Match their style.
(Exercises 1 and 3 adapted from http://poewar.com/fifteen-craft-exercises-for-writers/)
Literary Journalism Article Drafts: Bring 8 copies of 1 x 200-word draft section of your final article to your tutorials in weeks 8, 9 and 11. Each week, bring along a different draft section.
Due: Week 6, Friday 11 April, 5pm
Weighting: 25%
Research Portfolio
Due Date: Week 6, Friday 11 April, 5pm
Weight: 25%
Students will submit a research portfolio and report based on original research they have conducted towards their final article. Research will take the form of fieldwork, interviews and/or archival research. Please attach evidence that you have used Twitter in the process of research.
Due: Week 11, Friday 30 May, 5pm
Weighting: 20%
SWF Twitter Report
Due Date: Week 11, Friday 30 May, 5pm
Weight: 20%
The purpose of this assignment is two-fold - to encourage participation in the Sydney Writer's Festival and to give students practice in getting to the nub of a factual story quickly and in few words.
Students are asked to attend a session at the Sydney Writers' Festival. While attending the session, send at least five tweets that, taken together, convey an accurate overview of the content of the session. Print out your tweets and submit with a cover sheet that gives the name, date and time of the session, plus a short description of the topic (from the program) and the speakers. Tweeting: Please open a new twitter account specifically for this exercise. Once the exercise is finished, please close the account. DO NOT USE YOUR OWN NAME. Use a made-up name and username. Do NOT add a location to your tweets. Most importantly of all - TICK THE PRIVACY BOX to protect your tweets. We do not want your tweets to go public. Your tweets are only for the purposes of this assignment. You may add other students in your tutorial group to be your followers. When tweeting, please read the information about DEFAMATION carefully - particularly the material concerning the incident involving Julie Posetti. Defamation is an issue we take very seriously here at the university and in the field of non-fiction writing generally.
Students enrolled in both MAS 210 and CUL 240 must choose two different sessions to report on - ie, students must not double-up and use the one session for both assignments.
Due: Week 14, Monday 16 June, 5pm
Weighting: 35%
Literary Journalism Article
Due Date: Week 14, Monday 16 June, 2014
Weight: 35%
Task: Submit a 2,000-word original article based on research conducted for your research portfolio (as well as subsequent research).
The topic is of your choice (under the guidance of your tutor) but travel stories will not be approved.
Your story should be written with a publication in mind. The publication must be approved by your tutor. Attach to your final version of your assignment, a a covering letter that pitches it to the editor of the publication you have chosen. Note that the editor's contact details must be correct.
When writing your article, make sure you tell an interesting story that has a point. Your piece should suit the publication you have chosen. It should include facts and information, anecdote, observation, and description. Remember to "show, not tell". Use concrete details. Write for the senses. Feel free to write passionately and to take risks with your content and expression. You may build on any of the exercises done in class to write your story. Work into the story any relevant insights gained from writing the reflection (see next par).
Append to the story a 500-word reflection on the process of writing the story. Consider:
Delivery: Day
This unit will use:
ILecture
Times and Locations for Lectures and Tutorials
For current updates, lecture times and classrooms please consult the MQ Timetables website: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au.
Resources:
A Reader of compiled articles and resources will be available for purchase from the Co-op Bookshop.
Technology:
Lectures will be available on iLearn, where announcements, assignment tasks and other materials to be used in tutorials will be posted as needed.
Changes to the Unit since 2013.
Some of the lecture content has changed to improve the learning experience for the students. The assessments have also been altered. The quizzes have been dropped and a research portfolio assignment has been added. The requirement to use social media - specifically Twitter - has been increased in the assessment tasks.
Week 6 - 10 April - Structure
------University Break------
Week 10 - 23 May - Sydney Writers' Festival
Week 11 - 30 May - Musicality in Writing
Week 12 - 6 June - The Writer's "I"
Week 13 - 13 June - Unit Review
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.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
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.
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