Students

ENGL121 – Creative Writing 1: An Introduction

2015 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Marcelle Freiman
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
ENGL120
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; they 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:

  • 1. Learn skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • 2. Develop skills in creative, reflective and critical thinking
  • 3. Identify and apply key concepts of narrative form and language-use in creative writing
  • 4. Participate in group-interaction and collaborative learning environments
  • 5. Gain advanced skills in writing and oral communication
  • 6. Learn requirements of academic honesty in scholarly and creative writing.

General Assessment Information

Assignments submitted via Turnitin links in iLearn website. These are marked and returned via Turnitin. No hard copy assignments accepted. Full guidelines for submitting assignments via Turnitin and reading feedback in Turnitin are provided in iLearn.

All work submitted for assessment for this unit must be new writing done for the unit, coming out of the areas of study, topics, exercises and areas of skill covered. Work written prior to the unit or work written for other units of study, whether for workshopping or assessments, is not permissable and is considered a breach of Academic Honesty.

All references (assignment 3) must follow the guidelines for referencing in essays on the English Department website.

Penalty for late submission without extension being approved - 2% per day including weekends.

There are penalties for not adhering to word limits. See iLearn and the unit Information Handbook in iLearn for full details.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due
Creativity exercise 10% 20 August
Creative writing 30% 10 September
Creative writing 40% 9 November
Participation 20% 10 September, 9 November

Creativity exercise

Due: 20 August
Weighting: 10%

Full details for this assignment are available in iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • 2. Develop skills in creative, reflective and critical thinking

Creative writing

Due: 10 September
Weighting: 30%

Full details for this assignment are available in iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • 1. Learn skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • 2. Develop skills in creative, reflective and critical thinking
  • 3. Identify and apply key concepts of narrative form and language-use in creative writing
  • 5. Gain advanced skills in writing and oral communication

Creative writing

Due: 9 November
Weighting: 40%

Full details for this assignment are available in iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • 1. Learn skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • 2. Develop skills in creative, reflective and critical thinking
  • 3. Identify and apply key concepts of narrative form and language-use in creative writing
  • 5. Gain advanced skills in writing and oral communication
  • 6. Learn requirements of academic honesty in scholarly and creative writing.

Participation

Due: 10 September, 9 November
Weighting: 20%

Details of criteria for participation are on the iLearn website.

Students are expected to attend all classes and lectures. Absence from seminars will affect participation marks and may result in failure of the unit. If you are sick and can't attend class, please provide medical documentation.

The marks given for participation are for students' active participation in seminars and workshop activities. This includes preparing for class, uploading workshops to weekly iLearn class forums when required and reading other students' workshop writing for comment prior to class. It also includes coming to class prepared to discuss the readings for each week. Writing exercises are done by students in order to generate material to be developed for workshops and assessment tasks 2 and 3.

Participation mark awarded in two components - 10 Sept 10% + 9 Nov 10%.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • 1. Learn skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • 4. Participate in group-interaction and collaborative learning environments
  • 5. Gain advanced skills in writing and oral communication

Delivery and Resources

Essential information about this unit is on the ENGL121 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 ENGL121 Unit Information Handbook' on the unit iLearn website, and Turnitin assessments on the website.

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

CLASSES

For classrooms please consult the MQ Timetable: 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 1. Seminar classes begin in Week 2 and are every week thereafter. Students are expected to attend all lectures and seminars.

Please check the university timetable for lecture and class venues.

Lectures are delivered as live lectures, and recorded. Recorded lectures available in Echo 360, for purposes of revision. The seminars each week will cover readings and topics dealt with in the same week's lecture.

REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS

Required Reading

  •  Required weekly readings for this unit must be acccessed via Unit Readings ENGL121 in Library Multisearch
  • http://www.mq.edu.au/on_campus/library/

This texts is 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.

Students must  be able to upload, download, and print Word documents for workshopping and for other students to access for feedback.

 

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 ENGL121 Unit Information 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/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

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

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 outcomes

  • 1. Learn skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • 2. Develop skills in creative, reflective and critical thinking
  • 3. Identify and apply key concepts of narrative form and language-use in creative writing

Assessment tasks

  • Creativity exercise
  • Creative writing
  • Creative writing
  • Participation

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 outcomes

  • 4. Participate in group-interaction and collaborative learning environments
  • 6. Learn requirements of academic honesty in scholarly and creative writing.

Assessment tasks

  • Creative writing
  • 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

  • 1. Learn skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • 5. Gain advanced skills in writing and oral communication

Assessment tasks

  • Creative writing
  • Creative writing
  • 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

  • 1. Learn skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • 2. Develop skills in creative, reflective and critical thinking
  • 3. Identify and apply key concepts of narrative form and language-use in creative writing
  • 5. Gain advanced skills in writing and oral communication
  • 6. Learn requirements of academic honesty in scholarly and creative writing.

Assessment tasks

  • Creativity exercise
  • Creative writing
  • Creative writing
  • Participation

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

  • 1. Learn skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • 2. Develop skills in creative, reflective and critical thinking

Assessment tasks

  • Creativity exercise
  • Creative writing
  • Creative writing
  • 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:

Learning outcomes

  • 2. Develop skills in creative, reflective and critical thinking
  • 6. Learn requirements of academic honesty in scholarly and creative writing.

Assessment tasks

  • Creativity exercise
  • Creative writing
  • Creative writing

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

  • 1. Learn skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
  • 3. Identify and apply key concepts of narrative form and language-use in creative writing
  • 4. Participate in group-interaction and collaborative learning environments
  • 5. Gain advanced skills in writing and oral communication

Assessment tasks

  • Creativity exercise
  • Creative writing
  • Creative writing
  • 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 outcomes

  • 4. Participate in group-interaction and collaborative learning environments
  • 6. Learn requirements of academic honesty in scholarly and creative writing.

Assessment tasks

  • Creative writing
  • 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 task

  • Participation