Students

MMCC8043 – Writing the Real

2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Jessica Kirkness
jessica.kirkness@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MMediaComm or MCrInd
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit explores the fields of literary journalism and creative non-fiction, both as practice and as subject of enquiry. It combines analysis with the development of the students' own writing projects. It will consider a range of established and emerging modes including the non-fiction graphic novel, the magazine feature, the memoir, the essay and science/technology writing.

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: research and analyse the diverse range of methodologies and creative techniques informing production processes of literary non-fiction writing.
  • ULO2: synthesize and expand practical knowledge of non-fiction writing.
  • ULO3: analyse and evaluate the theories and contemporary debates in the field of literary non-fiction.
  • ULO4: demonstrate ethical conduct in relation to contemporary non-fiction writing.

General Assessment Information

Methods of Feedback: 

  • Informal: comments from tutor during tutorials; through the announcement function in iLearn; interactions with peers during tutorial activities; personal reflections on learning during the course. 

  • Individual: in email communication with individual students where comments are made by the tutor in response to questions related to course activities and assessments; in personal face-to-face consultations during Week 8 or as requested (either by phone or face-to-face) 

  • Formal: general comment and in-text comments attached to assignments marked in Turn-It-In; rubrics; reflections from peers; in-class comments from tutor in regards to assessments; marks are made available through the Gradebook function in iLearn. 

Please note that the University and the Faculty of Arts have launched a new assessment policy effective as of 1 July 2021. This new policy particularly affects LATE SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENTS.

The Faculty policy in relation to late assessment submissions is as follows:

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline.

 

To be very clear:

·         Unless you have applied for special consideration and had your application approved, for each day your assignment is late, 10 marks will be deducted. For example, if you submit your assignment 7 days late, 70 marks will be deducted, which means you will fail that assignment.

·         If your assignment is more than 7 days late (including weekends), you will get 0 marks for your assignment.

These are serious penalties that will substantially alter your final grade and even determine whether you pass or fail this unit. Please make every effort to submit your assignment by the due date.

If you find you cannot submit your assignment on time, please apply for Special Consideration through AskMQ. Make sure you read Macquarie University's policy regarding Special Consideration requests before you apply: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration’

 

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Writing exercises 20% No ongoing weeks 5-11. Submit all on 23:59 on 23/05/2022
Major project 50% No 23:59 on 03/06/2022
Research Report and Portfolio 30% No 23:59 on 20/04/2022

Writing exercises

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: ongoing weeks 5-11. Submit all on 23:59 on 23/05/2022
Weighting: 20%

 

Produce short written pieces to develop writing and conceptual skills. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • research and analyse the diverse range of methodologies and creative techniques informing production processes of literary non-fiction writing.
  • synthesize and expand practical knowledge of non-fiction writing.

Major project

Assessment Type 1: Creative work
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: 23:59 on 03/06/2022
Weighting: 50%

 

Produce a work of creative non-fiction writing. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • research and analyse the diverse range of methodologies and creative techniques informing production processes of literary non-fiction writing.
  • synthesize and expand practical knowledge of non-fiction writing.
  • analyse and evaluate the theories and contemporary debates in the field of literary non-fiction.
  • demonstrate ethical conduct in relation to contemporary non-fiction writing.

Research Report and Portfolio

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 23:59 on 20/04/2022
Weighting: 30%

 

A report that summarises how the research will be used in the creative work. A portfolio that showcases the range of research undertaken for the creative work. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • research and analyse the diverse range of methodologies and creative techniques informing production processes of literary non-fiction writing.
  • demonstrate ethical conduct in relation to contemporary non-fiction writing.

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

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19.

Please check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status

Classes begin in week two and are held at 12pm -2pm at 6 Eastern Road, tutorial room 314 and online at 3pm-5pm

 

  1. Essential readings are listed below. They are available via Leganto on iLearn. 

    • Truman Capote, In Cold Blood, New York: Penguin, pp. 15-17. 

    • Lee Gutkind, You Can’t Make This Stuff Up, Da Capo Press 2012, pp. 32-43 

    • Louise Kiernan, ‘Writing Complicated Stories’, in Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction 

      writers’ guide, Kramer and Call (eds), New York: Penguin, pp. 145-147 

    • Lane Degregory ‘Narrative as a Daily Habit’, in Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction writers’ 

      guide, Kramer and Call (eds), New York: Penguin, pp.240-243 

    • Chloe Hooper, ‘Consider the Lily’, The Monthly, June 2006 

    • Kate Rossmanith, ‘Many me’, The Monthly, February, 2007, pp.25-27 

    • Kate Rossmanith ‘On the Edge’ The Monthly, August, 2008, pp. 28-30 

    • Helen Garner, ‘At the Morgue’, in True Stories: Selected non-fiction, Melbourne: Text 

      Publishing, pp 145-153 

    • Helen Garner, ‘In the Wings’, ‘In the Wings’, in Everywhere I Look, Melbourne: Text, 

      2016, pp. 218-227 

    • Lee Gutkind, ‘Immersion’, in The Art of Creative Nonfiction, John Wiley & Sons 1997, pp. 

      99-106 

    • Anna Funder, Stasiland: Stories from behind the Berlin Wall, Melbourne: Text Publishing, 

      pp.1-30 

    • Lee Gutkind, ‘Interviewing’, in The Art of Creative Nonfiction, John Wiley & Sons 1997, 

      pp. 107-116 

    • Alice Pung, ‘Caveat Emptor’, The Monthly, October 2007 

    • David Finkel, The Good Soldiers, Melbourne: Scribe 2009, pp.3-24 

    • Lee Gutkind, ‘Inner Point of View’, in You Can’t Make This Stuff Up, Da Capo Press 

      2012, pp. 138-182 

 

Unit Schedule

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

The unit schedule/topics and any references to on-campus delivery below may no longer be relevant due to COVID-19. Please consult iLearn for latest details, and check here for updated delivery information: https://ask.mq.edu.au/account/pub/display/unit_status

A detailed unit schedule will be available on ilearn in week one. Classes take place on Mondays at 12pm-2pm (6 Eastern Road, tutorial room 314) 

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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

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

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook