Students

ENGL2036 – Writing Popular Genre Fiction

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 Convenor
Hsu-Ming Teo
hsuming.teo@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
by appointment
Lecturer, Tutor
Jimmy Van
jimmy.van@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
by appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit explores commercially popular fiction and genre fiction in the marketplace today. We begin by analysing the form and features of bestselling novels as well as mass-market genre fiction such as fantasy, science-fiction, suspense/thriller/horror, crime, and romance. We examine how generic forms crossover with each other, and how digital publishing enables the proliferation of hybrid genres and niche subgenres within the popular fiction market. Students learn how to identify different types of research fields that are relevant to their genre of interest, and to integrate this research into their creative writing in practical ways. There will be a particular focus on world-building, characterisation, and the development of character-driven plots.

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: Analyse and evaluate different readerships and audiences for popular mass-market genre fiction.
  • ULO2: Identify and analyse practices and techniques of writing popular genre fiction.
  • ULO3: Apply practical and theoretical knowledge of different genre conventions in creative written work.
  • ULO4: Work collaboratively in groups to identify and analyse the features of popular genre fiction, and to build creative worlds within specific genres.
  • ULO5: Critique and evaluate their own research and creative writing processes.

General Assessment Information

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. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests, etc.

 

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
Preparation and participation 30% No Ongoing
Book review 30% No 09:00 28/03/2022
Creative project 40% No 09:00 23/05/2022

Preparation and participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 36 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 30%

 

Preparatory reading of set texts and other students’ creative works. Answering questions in weekly tutorials and contributing meaningfully to in-class discussion. Providing critical feedback on other students’ creative works.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse and evaluate different readerships and audiences for popular mass-market genre fiction.
  • Identify and analyse practices and techniques of writing popular genre fiction.
  • Work collaboratively in groups to identify and analyse the features of popular genre fiction, and to build creative worlds within specific genres.
  • Critique and evaluate their own research and creative writing processes.

Book review

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 09:00 28/03/2022
Weighting: 30%

 

Pick one book from a genre of choice and analyse how the novel explicates and/or deviates from its generic conventions.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse and evaluate different readerships and audiences for popular mass-market genre fiction.
  • Identify and analyse practices and techniques of writing popular genre fiction.

Creative project

Assessment Type 1: Creative work
Indicative Time on Task 2: 60 hours
Due: 09:00 23/05/2022
Weighting: 40%

 

Creative writing work based on a particular genre or genres, accompanied by a reflective statement explaining techniques used and the research underpinning the creative work.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse and evaluate different readerships and audiences for popular mass-market genre fiction.
  • Identify and analyse practices and techniques of writing popular genre fiction.
  • Apply practical and theoretical knowledge of different genre conventions in creative written work.
  • Critique and evaluate their own research and creative writing processes.

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

Lectures Lectures begin in Week 1. Live Zoom lectures will take place on Tuesdays from 10am to 11am. Please consult the ENGL/ENGX2036 iLearn site to access the Zoom lecture link. These lectures will be recorded and made available to students through Echo360 on the ENGL/ENGX2036 iLearn site.

Listening to the lectures is expected before participating in the weekly tutorial. Missing lectures will reduce your opportunities for learning and probably result in poor marks across the unit.

 

Tutorials Depending on your mode of enrolment, internal students in ENGL2036 must participate in the weekly on-campus tutorials or via Zoom. For internal students enrolled in the Special Circumstance mode, please access the weekly Zoom tutorial links via the ENGL2036 iLearn site.

External/OUA students enrolled in ENGX2036 will participate in the weekly tutorials via the iLearn Discussion Forums beginning in week 1.

 

Required texts:

Jodi McAlister’s Valentine

Jodi McAlister’s Ironheart 

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.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
02/02/2022 Amended staff contacts and added required texts.

Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook