Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Marcelle Freiman marcelle.freiman@mq.edu.au Jimmy Van jimmy.van@mq.edu.au
Prerequisites	Prerequisites ENGX120 and ENGX121
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status Co-badged with ENGL231
Unit description	Unit description This unit's focus is on writing as practice, craft and function in historical and cultural contexts of reading and writing. What have changes in writing conventions, technologies, and distribution or publication output meant for ways in which writing is read and received? The contemporary age is one of radical changes in ways of thinking about writing and reading texts, but writing practices also have historical and cultural foundations that may be applied in new ways in digital, paper and creative environments. Reading practices too, are changing in the digital age, but there have always been different approaches to reading that have affected our choices and understanding of writing practices. Students will consider the contexts, practices and process of their own writing and reading in relation to wider cultural and historical influences, both past and present. Assessment for this unit aims to develop students' critical, reflective and research skills in factual and creative writing.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.open.edu.au/student-admin-and-support/key-dates/

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Understand a range of historical, cultural and material contexts of the production and consumption of written text.
2. Investigate technologies of writing and their impact on writing and reading practices.
3. Engage reflectively with different forms of writing in the context of students’ lived experience and environment.
4. Develop critical and awareness of students’ own reading and writing practices.
5. Develop skills in different forms of writing and be able to apply them appropriately to their contexts.

General Assessment Information

To complete this unit, students are expected to:

attend or listen to the lecture each week;
complete and submit assessment tasks on time;
attend and participate in tutorials and in-class activities. Tutorial attendance is expected; and
be prepared for classes by doing the readings and other exercises, if asked to do these prior to class.
Absence from more than two tutorials will impact substantially on participation marks.

* The university Assessment Policy states that in order to pass a unit, a student must make a serious attempt at all pieces of written assessment.

Faculty of Arts Policy on extensions and late submissions of assignments

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

You should also contact your tutor before the due date if you think you will not be able to submit your work on time. If you are having any problems to do with the unit and your studies, please speak to your teacher or the unit convenor as early as possible.

In the case of unexpected difficulties and unavoidable problems meeting unit requirements, contact your teacher as soon as possible.

Please be aware that if you apply for Special Consideration, your unit convenor might not be alerted and might not process your request, so please alert them separately by email when lodging a Special Consideration application.

For any issues relating to university policies and processes, please note that the Student Advocacy Service and other support services are available.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Reflective writing exercise	10%	No	Week 5 (2 Sept)
Writing process task	30%	No	Week 9 (13 Oct)
Embedded writing task	40%	No	Week 13 (10 Nov)
Participation	20%	No	13 September, 8 Novemberer

Reflective writing exercise

Due: Week 5 (2 Sept)
Weighting: 10%

This short assignment is a reflective writing task. Students are asked to reflect on their own experience of reading two short texts in different forms. These will be provided in iLearn for this task.

On successful completion you will be able to:

3. Engage reflectively with different forms of writing in the context of students’ lived experience and environment.
4. Develop critical and awareness of students’ own reading and writing practices.
5. Develop skills in different forms of writing and be able to apply them appropriately to their contexts.

Writing process task

Due: Week 9 (13 Oct)
Weighting: 30%

This assessment task requires students to write a piece of creative non-fiction according to a stimulus provided in iLearn. The task requires doing both handwriting and computer text; is processed during class before the final draft is developed for assessment submission.

On successful completion you will be able to:

2. Investigate technologies of writing and their impact on writing and reading practices.
3. Engage reflectively with different forms of writing in the context of students’ lived experience and environment.
5. Develop skills in different forms of writing and be able to apply them appropriately to their contexts.

Embedded writing task

Due: Week 13 (10 Nov)
Weighting: 40%

Situated and contextual reading and writing task.

Full details of assessment task, and guidelines, available in iLearn

On successful completion you will be able to:

1. Understand a range of historical, cultural and material contexts of the production and consumption of written text.
3. Engage reflectively with different forms of writing in the context of students’ lived experience and environment.
5. Develop skills in different forms of writing and be able to apply them appropriately to their contexts.

Participation

Due: 13 September, 8 Novemberer
Weighting: 20%

Students are expected to attend classes and lectures. Absence from tutorials will substantially impact on marks if more than 2 tutorials are missed. If you are sick and can't attend class, please provide medical documentation by applying through ask.mq. Let your tutor know if you cannot attend your class.

The marks given for participation are for your active participation tutorials, including coming to class prepared by having done the readings and other tasks required for this unit.

Marks given in two components: 13 September 10% + 8 November 10%

On successful completion you will be able to:

1. Understand a range of historical, cultural and material contexts of the production and consumption of written text.
2. Investigate technologies of writing and their impact on writing and reading practices.
4. Develop critical and awareness of students’ own reading and writing practices.

Delivery and Resources

Students doing this unit externally via OUA will do their tutorials as online learning. All requirements for 'tutorials' in the unit information will apply to the online tutorial participation and discussion.
Prescribed readings for this unit are to be accessed via in the Leganto link in the unit iLearn website.

* Readings must be accessed via the unit iLearn Leganto link. Only after your first login via this link will you subsequently be able to access the Leganto list via Multisearch Unit Readings. The list is always available through iLearn.

There are no textbooks or printed Unit Reader for this unit. All the readings must be downloaded from the list of unit readings in Leganto)and read before the lecture and tutorial for which they are prescribed.

Note that some readings for this unit provided in iLearn as online links.

All details of unit information, assessment details and other links are in iLearn. Assignments are submitted and returned online, via Turnitin.

Students are expected to attend or listen to all lectures. Lectures are recorded, available in Echo360.

There is one lecture and one tutorial each week. All tutorials must be attended. In the case of online tutorials, these will be managed in iLearn and require the same participation as attending classes.

Unit Schedule

Full details of schedule and readings for each week are in iLearn.

Weekly Schedule

Week 1 Introduction.

Week 2 From orality to codex and silent reading

Week 3 Reflective writing: preparing for Assignment

Week 4 Pages and books: rise of book publishing and copyright

Week 5 Manuscript to print: Text, authorship, literacy

Week 6 Writing: tools, cognition, memory

Week 7 From mind to page: writing process

Week 8 The reader and the writing

Week 9 Lecture preparing for Assignment 3 - embedded writing

Week 10 Thinking and making with computational machines

Week 11 Words within a network (including games and writing)

Week 12 Social media and digital writing

Week 13 Conclusion to the unit - tutorial only.

Policies and Procedures

Late Submission - applies unless otherwise stated elsewhere in the unit guide

Extension Request

Special Consideration Policy and Procedure (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration)

The University recognises that students may experience events or conditions that adversely affect their academic performance. If you experience serious and unavoidable difficulties at exam time or when assessment tasks are due, you can consider applying for Special Consideration.

You need to show that the circumstances:

were serious, unexpected and unavoidable
were beyond your control
caused substantial disruption to your academic work
substantially interfered with your otherwise satisfactory fulfilment of the unit requirements
lasted at least three consecutive days or a total of 5 days within the teaching period and prevented completion of an assessment task scheduled for a specific date.

If you feel that your studies have been impacted submit an application as follows:

Visit Ask MQ and use your OneID to log in
Fill in your relevant details
Attach supporting documents by clicking 'Add a reply', click 'Browse' and navigating to the files you want to attach, then click 'Submit Form' to send your notification and supporting documents
Please keep copies of your original documents, as they may be requested in the future as part of the assessment process

Outcome

Once your submission is assessed, an appropriate outcome will be organised.

OUA Specific Policies and Procedures

Withdrawal from a unit after the census date

You can withdraw from your subjects prior to the census date (last day to withdraw). If you successfully withdraw before the census date, you won’t need to apply for Special Circumstances. If you find yourself unable to withdraw from your subjects before the census date - you might be able to apply for Special Circumstances. If you’re eligible, we can refund your fees and overturn your fail grade.

If you’re studying Single Subjects using FEE-HELP or paying up front, you can apply online.

If you’re studying a degree using HECS-HELP, you’ll need to apply directly to Macquarie University.

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Appeals Policy
Academic Integrity Policy
Academic Progression Policy
Assessment Policy
Fitness to Practice Procedure
Grade Appeal Policy
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

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.

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 outcome

5. Develop skills in different forms of writing and be able to apply them appropriately to their contexts.

Assessment tasks

Reflective writing exercise
Writing process task
Embedded writing task

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

5. Develop skills in different forms of writing and be able to apply them appropriately to their contexts.

Assessment tasks

Reflective writing exercise
Writing process task
Embedded writing task

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

3. Engage reflectively with different forms of writing in the context of students’ lived experience and environment.
4. Develop critical and awareness of students’ own reading and writing practices.
5. Develop skills in different forms of writing and be able to apply them appropriately to their contexts.

Assessment tasks

Reflective writing exercise
Writing process task
Embedded writing task
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. Understand a range of historical, cultural and material contexts of the production and consumption of written text.
2. Investigate technologies of writing and their impact on writing and reading practices.
3. Engage reflectively with different forms of writing in the context of students’ lived experience and environment.
5. Develop skills in different forms of writing and be able to apply them appropriately to their contexts.

Assessment tasks

Reflective writing exercise
Writing process task
Embedded writing task
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. Understand a range of historical, cultural and material contexts of the production and consumption of written text.
3. Engage reflectively with different forms of writing in the context of students’ lived experience and environment.
4. Develop critical and awareness of students’ own reading and writing practices.

Assessment tasks

Reflective writing exercise
Writing process task
Embedded writing task
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

3. Engage reflectively with different forms of writing in the context of students’ lived experience and environment.
4. Develop critical and awareness of students’ own reading and writing practices.

Assessment tasks

Reflective writing exercise
Writing process task
Embedded writing task
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

2. Investigate technologies of writing and their impact on writing and reading practices.
3. Engage reflectively with different forms of writing in the context of students’ lived experience and environment.
4. Develop critical and awareness of students’ own reading and writing practices.
5. Develop skills in different forms of writing and be able to apply them appropriately to their contexts.

Assessment tasks

Reflective writing exercise
Writing process task
Embedded writing task
Participation