Students

ENGL3031 – Popular Fiction

2021 – Session 1, Special circumstances

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Stephanie Russo
Contact via stephanie.russo@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Apart from being hugely entertaining, what does being popular mean? Cultural perceptions of what makes literaturefiction popular, rather than elite, serious or academic, constantly shift in response to changing historical circumstances. This unit looks at a wide variety of popular novels and short stories from different genres and different historical periods: Gothic novels, crime and detective fiction, romance,romance and fantasy.popular women's fiction, and fantasy and science fiction. This unit will explore how such texts differ from and challenge their “respectable” counterparts, and consider issues of production, reception, audience engagement and fandom.

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:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the historical development of concepts of popular fiction.
  • ULO2: Articulate links between literary texts and their cultural contexts.
  • ULO3: Exhibit skills in close textual analysis.
  • ULO4: Communicate arguments about literature, culture and aesthetic ideas in oral and written forms whilst engaging with other points of view.
  • ULO5: Deploy research skills in order to support arguments about literary texts.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Participatory Task 1: Weeks 1-7 10% No Weeks 1-7
Participatory task 2: Weeks 8-12 10% No Weeks 8-12
Research Essay 45% No Sunday 6 June, 11.59pm
Case study/analysis 35% No Sunday 11 April, 11.59pm

Participatory Task 1: Weeks 1-7

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 14 hours
Due: Weeks 1-7
Weighting: 10%

 

Preparation of notes for class relating to set tutorial topics. Participation in group activities; answering questions in weekly tutorials and contributing meaningfully to in-class discussion.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the historical development of concepts of popular fiction.
  • Articulate links between literary texts and their cultural contexts.
  • Exhibit skills in close textual analysis.
  • Communicate arguments about literature, culture and aesthetic ideas in oral and written forms whilst engaging with other points of view.

Participatory task 2: Weeks 8-12

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: Weeks 8-12
Weighting: 10%

 

Preparation of notes for class relating to set tutorial topics. Participation in group activities; answering questions in weekly tutorials and contributing meaningfully to in-class discussion.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the historical development of concepts of popular fiction.
  • Articulate links between literary texts and their cultural contexts.
  • Exhibit skills in close textual analysis.
  • Communicate arguments about literature, culture and aesthetic ideas in oral and written forms whilst engaging with other points of view.

Research Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: Sunday 6 June, 11.59pm
Weighting: 45%

 

2500 word essay on a set topic.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the historical development of concepts of popular fiction.
  • Articulate links between literary texts and their cultural contexts.
  • Exhibit skills in close textual analysis.
  • Communicate arguments about literature, culture and aesthetic ideas in oral and written forms whilst engaging with other points of view.
  • Deploy research skills in order to support arguments about literary texts.

Case study/analysis

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Sunday 11 April, 11.59pm
Weighting: 35%

 

2000 word textual analysis task

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Exhibit skills in close textual analysis.
  • Communicate arguments about literature, culture and aesthetic ideas in oral and written forms whilst engaging with other points of view.
  • Deploy research skills in order to support arguments about literary texts.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

1 x weekly 1hr recorded lecture (Weeks 1-12)

1 x weekly 1hr tutorial, online or face-to-face (Weeks 2-12)

Required texts:

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Jennifer Crusie, Welcome to Temptation

Jacqueline Sussan, Valley of the Dolls

Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

Ursula LeGuin, The Wizard of Earthsea

Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca

Agatha Christie, The Body in the Library

Andy Stanton, You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

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

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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 help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

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.

Changes from Previous Offering

New unit