Students

ENGX3010 – 20th-Century Literature: Human to Posthuman

2023 – Session 2, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer / tutor
Paul Sheehan
paul.sheehan@mq.edu.au
Contact via 98508757
25b Wally's Walk Room 222
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Co-badged with ENGL3010
Unit description Unit description

This unit looks at a range of texts across the 20th century, from modernism to postmodernism and late modernism. The governing theme for the unit is what it means to be human, raising questions about memory, identity, agency, empathy, care and ethical responsibility. Topics to be discussed within these lines of enquiry include the death of God, the crisis of history, war and its aftermath, and changing gender dynamics. The range of international and Australian authors to be studied includes James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Gerald Murnane, Les Murray, J. M. Coetzee and Sarah Kane.

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 critical and analytical reading strategies, interpretive analysis, scholarly research, and effective communication, with particular application to the field of modernist and postmodernist studies in English.
  • ULO2: Identify, evaluate and apply principles of modernism and postmodernism to different literary modes, narrative and non-narrative.
  • ULO3: Display creative thinking and construct cohesive arguments.
  • ULO4: Consider how historical and theoretical propositions of modernism have shaped the reception and reproduction of 20th-century art more broadly.
  • ULO5: Engage in informed critical discussion on unit content with peers and teachers, consider and assess others' points of view, and to argue a critical position.

General Assessment Information

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to written reports and recordings only. Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Research Essay 40% No By 23:55 Sun 5 Nov
Textual analysis task 20% No By 23:55 Sun 10 Sept
Participatory task 20% No Ongong - Weeks 1-13
Online quizzes 20% No By 23:55 on Sun 27 Aug

Research Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 37 hours
Due: By 23:55 Sun 5 Nov
Weighting: 40%

 

Students choose two works from unit, conduct a comparative, research-based analysis and write a 1,500-word essay.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate critical and analytical reading strategies, interpretive analysis, scholarly research, and effective communication, with particular application to the field of modernist and postmodernist studies in English.
  • Identify, evaluate and apply principles of modernism and postmodernism to different literary modes, narrative and non-narrative.
  • Display creative thinking and construct cohesive arguments.
  • Consider how historical and theoretical propositions of modernism have shaped the reception and reproduction of 20th-century art more broadly.
  • Engage in informed critical discussion on unit content with peers and teachers, consider and assess others' points of view, and to argue a critical position.

Textual analysis task

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: By 23:55 Sun 10 Sept
Weighting: 20%

 

Students choose one work from first half of unit and write an 800-word analysis explaining how the text explicates and/or deviates from its given field.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate critical and analytical reading strategies, interpretive analysis, scholarly research, and effective communication, with particular application to the field of modernist and postmodernist studies in English.
  • Display creative thinking and construct cohesive arguments.
  • Engage in informed critical discussion on unit content with peers and teachers, consider and assess others' points of view, and to argue a critical position.

Participatory task

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 24 hours
Due: Ongong - Weeks 1-13
Weighting: 20%

 

Preparation of notes for class relating to set topics and any additional research. Participation in group activities; answering weekly questions; and contributing meaningfully to online discussion.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate critical and analytical reading strategies, interpretive analysis, scholarly research, and effective communication, with particular application to the field of modernist and postmodernist studies in English.
  • Display creative thinking and construct cohesive arguments.
  • Engage in informed critical discussion on unit content with peers and teachers, consider and assess others' points of view, and to argue a critical position.

Online quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: By 23:55 on Sun 27 Aug
Weighting: 20%

 

Students review lectures and materials from weeks 1-4 (quiz 1) and 8-11 (quiz 2) and answer multiple-choice questions online in 2 x 10-minute quizzes.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate critical and analytical reading strategies, interpretive analysis, scholarly research, and effective communication, with particular application to the field of modernist and postmodernist studies in English.
  • Display creative thinking and construct cohesive arguments.
  • Engage in informed critical discussion on unit content with peers and teachers, consider and assess others' points of view, and to argue a critical position.

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 will be made available via ECHO360.

Required texts, tutorial and essay questions can be found in the Unit Information Handbook.

Lectures begin in Week 1; Discussion Forum begins in Week 2.

Unit Schedule

Lectures begin in Week 1; Discussion Forum begins in Week 2.

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 2023.02 of the Handbook