Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Rebecca Giggs
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
CWPG810 or CWPG811
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
In the transition from print-based media to digital writing forms what new genres, styles, techniques, platforms and audiences emerge? This applied writing unit reflects on the dynamic relationships that exist between creative writing practice and digital cultures.
Recent technological innovations not only challenge established publishing modes, but also shape ‘voice’ in the digital sphere. We look at voice, and the increasing breakdown of boundaries between content producer and content consumer. Students will have the opportunity to engage with web-based and other electronic media, and to develop skills that advance their digital literacy. Having collectively established a theme for the unit, an e-portfolio of individual works will be produced over the course of the session. Assessment entails both class participation and written submissions.
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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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Led Discussion & Participation | 15% | Week 01—Week 13 |
3 Developed Writing Exercises | 15% | Week 03, Week 06, Week 09 |
Digital Writing Analysis | 20% | Mid-Session Break |
Major Creative Work | 50% | Week 13 |
Due: Week 01—Week 13
Weighting: 15%
A threshold requirement for participation marks is attendance and timely involvement in all the weekly group discussions online (both those dedicated to workshop, and to engagement with the readings and lectures). Criteria for the assessment of participation includes: evidence of preparedness; timeliness; ability to reflect, critique and to offer insight; synthesis of key ideas and strategies relevant to the unit topics and readings; clear and concise communication; and significant engagement with the opinions of others. Submitting your workshop drafts in a timely fashion and up to standard will also contribute to the participation mark, so too feedback to your peers during workshop. A signal mark (pass/fail) will be assigned in the first half of the session to indicate whether or not a student is satisfying the threshold requirements for Participation in the unit. A numerical grade will be awarded at the close of Week 13.
One week in the session each student will be designated a discussion group leader in the forum assigned to dialogue around the unit readings and lectures. The discussion group leader takes responsibility for instigating and perpetuating dialogue within the online conversation, and will assist the Unit Convenor with providing focusing questions arising out of the lectures and readings. No individual grade is awarded for the Led Discussion, though feedback can be requested—this activity will materially contribute to the overall numerical Participation Grade, worth 15% in ENGL830.
Due: Week 03, Week 06, Week 09
Weighting: 15%
A number of writing exercises are set in ENGL830—Writing Exercise 01: Writing for Smartphone (Week 02-03); Writing Exercise 02: Twitter Poetics (Week 05-06); and Writing Exercise 03: Digital Collage (Week 08-09) are assessment tasks each worth 5% of the student's overall grade. The word-count for these exercises ranges from 200 to 800 words. Writing exercises will be assessed for their adherence to step-by-step instructions; creativity of concept; use of relevant technique and presentation.
Due: Mid-Session Break
Weighting: 20%
In this short piece of criticism students will evaluate two aspects of a piece of digital writing: ‘voice’ and form.
Texts that may be critiqued for this assessment task will typically be multimodal web-based texts—a list of set-texts is provided. Paying particular attention to narrative technique, layout, and the inclusion of multimedia, this critique will contextualise the reading to topics covered in the unit. The critical analysis will:
Criteria for assessment include: the student’s selection of textual evidence; appropriate use of terminology developed throughout the unit (‘chunking’, ‘layering’, ‘multimedia’, ‘imaging’, ‘non-linear story-telling’, ‘voice’, ‘new media’, and ‘multimodal text’); depth of analysis and insight; and presentation.
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 50%
The final project for this unit is a piece of creative work suitable for a digital audience / readership, and written for a specific technological platform or context. Students may elect to submit more than one creative piece, so long as the combined word count does not exceed 2,000 words.
Students may take the opportunity to write with new media, and should consult their Unit Convenor about equivalent word counts if they intend to produce, for example, a video and text piece, or a hyperlinked poem. Student who do not work with new media for the Major Creative Work will not be disadvantaged: the Major Creative Work must demonstrate sensitivity to technology and digital readership, but there is no requirement to produce a digital product.
The 500 word Framing Statement, which is to be submitted at the same time as the Major Creative Work, should articulate:
The Major Creative Work will be assessed with reference to voice, appropriate use of / responsiveness to technology, the integration of any researched content, creativity of concept, use of relevant technique, style, presentation and evidence of re-drafting / incorporation of feedback. The Framing Statement will be assessed with reference to a capacity to describe and analyze methodology and creative process; the identification and characterisation of readership; and an ability to contextualize the Major Creative Work within a digital setting.
This unit is taught online through a combination of lectures; discussion groups; and creative workshops that run from Week 01 to Week 12 of the session (Week 13 is a non-teaching week). Students are expected to listen to all online lectures; complete weekly set reading; to respond to weekly dialogue in a dynamic group setting; and to provide succinct feedback on workshop drafts to their peers. The Unit Convenor/Lecturer will contribute to both discussion groups and creative workshops. A series of writing activities are also set in ENGL830, three of which are assessed. There is no ‘live classroom’ for this unit—no set time when it is anticipated that all students will login to iLearn simultaneously. Readings will be made available through the Library’s Multisearch interface, or by way of embedded links in the case of digital texts.
This unit contains a Workshop component, as do the majority of applied creative writing units taught at Macquarie. Workshop comprises peer feedback on students’ own writing, conducted in a small group setting. Workshop is a teaching method premised on the belief that students improve as writers not just by writing a lot and receiving informed critique, but also by becoming more sophisticated and fluent critics of other writers’ work—principally, that of their peers. Workshops run from Weeks 03 to 12 in ENGL830. All students will be given two opportunities to receive feedback on works-in-progress over the course of the session.
Week 01 An Introduction to Digital Material
Week 02 Reading Screens
Week 03 Chunking & Layering & Imaging
Week 04 Making Multimedia & Making eBooks
Week 05 The Self & Social Media
Week 06 Innovations in Digital Fiction
Week 07 Fan Fiction and the Young Adult Online
Week 08 Uncreative Writing
Week 09 Authorship and Authenticity
Week 10 Emotion Online
Week 11 Writing on New Media in ‘Old’ Media
Week 12 Going Viral
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
New Assessment Policy in effect from Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html. For more information visit http://students.mq.edu.au/events/2016/07/19/new_assessment_policy_in_place_from_session_2/
Assessment Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.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/
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.
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://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by: