Students

ENGX1001 – Literature: Medieval to Modern

2024 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor, Lecturer, Tutor
Geoffrey Payne
geoffrey.payne@mq.edu.au
Contact via via email
tba
by appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
English literature is foundational to modern life, providing everyday cultural references and a storehouse of stories that entertain us and enrich our communication and interaction with each other. This entry unit is informed by the questions: What is literature for? Why is it necessary? Why is it useful? Running through our program is the idea that literature helps us conceive of what it means to be human, and to apprehend the lived experience of other humans. This unit surveys English literature from its medieval beginnings, through the Shakespearean Renaissance, to the late nineteenth century, when the Modernist movement began to supplant the Decadence of the late Victorian era, and children's literature began to proliferate, contributing to our modern idea of what it means to be a child. Students will read a wide variety of literature and will be introduced to a range of concepts and tools for studying these texts. Along with a chronological knowledge of literary movements, this unit develops skills at university level in critical reading, textual analysis and writing about literary texts. Short literary works and weekly critical studies provide focal points for developing detailed and informed ways of interpreting different kinds of narratives. This unit will also provide students with an introduction to further studies in English and creative writing at Macquarie.

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 reading habits, interpretive analysis, research, and effective communication, with particular application to the field of English studies.
  • ULO2: Understand and be able to describe some of the key features of a range of texts from the medieval to the modern period.
  • ULO3: Apply understanding of literary techniques to literary study and beyond to other situations.
  • ULO4: Engage in informed critical discussion on unit content with peers and teachers, entertain others' points of view, and to argue a critical position.

General Assessment Information

Submission Methods

Participatory tasks will be conducted via asynchronous online discussion forums. The Quiz will be conducted at a time of your choosing during week 3 via iLearn. The Analysis Task and Essay must be submitted via Turnitin in iLearn.

Late Assessment Submission Penalty

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 23.55 (11.55pm). A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.

This late penalty will apply to non-time-sensitived assessment (incl. essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings, etc.). Late submission of time-sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs, etc.) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special Consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.

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
Textual Analysis Task 30% No Sunday 7/4/24 at 23.55
Essay 40% No Sunday 2/6/24 at 23.55
Particpatory task 20% No Ongoing, weeks 1-6,8-13
Quiz 10% No During week 3. Up to 23.55 on Sunday 10/3/24.

Textual Analysis Task

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Sunday 7/4/24 at 23.55
Weighting: 30%

 

Through a written task, students will demonstrate skills in textual analysis task based on a set topic. Further information pertaining to the task can be found on the iLearn site for the unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate critical reading habits, interpretive analysis, research, and effective communication, with particular application to the field of English studies.
  • Understand and be able to describe some of the key features of a range of texts from the medieval to the modern period.
  • Apply understanding of literary techniques to literary study and beyond to other situations.

Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 37 hours
Due: Sunday 2/6/24 at 23.55
Weighting: 40%

 

Students will write a research essay relating to the unit’s key themes and concepts. Further information pertaining to the task can be found on the iLearn site for the unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate critical reading habits, interpretive analysis, research, and effective communication, with particular application to the field of English studies.
  • Understand and be able to describe some of the key features of a range of texts from the medieval to the modern period.
  • Apply understanding of literary techniques to literary study and beyond to other situations.

Particpatory task

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 36 hours
Due: Ongoing, weeks 1-6,8-13
Weighting: 20%

 

Weekly engagement with activities outlined in forum discussions.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate critical reading habits, interpretive analysis, research, and effective communication, with particular application to the field of English studies.
  • Understand and be able to describe some of the key features of a range of texts from the medieval to the modern period.
  • Apply understanding of literary techniques to literary study and beyond to other situations.
  • Engage in informed critical discussion on unit content with peers and teachers, entertain others' points of view, and to argue a critical position.

Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2 hours
Due: During week 3. Up to 23.55 on Sunday 10/3/24.
Weighting: 10%

 

Students will demonstrate their knowledge of material covered in the unit through an online quiz. Further information pertaining to the task can be found on the iLearn site for the unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate critical reading habits, interpretive analysis, research, and effective communication, with particular application to the field of English studies.
  • Understand and be able to describe some of the key features of a range of texts from the medieval to the modern period.
  • Apply understanding of literary techniques to literary study and beyond to other situations.

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

Delivery:

Lectures and tutorials start in Week 1.

Students are expected to attend or to listen to all recorded lectures before attending their classes each week.

On campus students: Please check the university timetable for lecture and class venues.

OUA or Online Flexible Students: Please be prepared to participate in the weekly activities via the iLearn Discussion Forums beginning in week 1.

 

Readings:

Required to Buy or Borrow

  1. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Students are urged to use the recommended text, published by Broadview, ed. James Winny (Toronto, Broadview, 1995), which contains useful additional information. If you are unable to access this edition, select another well-edited edition containing a poetic translation.
  2. William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra. All students are urged to use the recommended text, the Norton Critical Edition, ed. Ania Loomba (New York and London, W.W. Norton & Co., 2011), which contains useful additional information.
  3. Eliza Haywood, Fantomina. All students are urged to use the recommened text, the Broadview edition (Toronto: Broadview, 2004), which contains useful additional information.
  4. Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey. Students can use any edition of this widely available text.
  5. Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House. Students can use any edition of this widely available text.

Recommended:

  1. Andrew Bennett and Nicholas Royle, This Thing Called Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing (Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2015).
  2. A dictionary of literary terms (any).

Unit Schedule

Module 1: Reading the Medieval Module 2: Reading the Early-Modern Module 3: Towards the Modern

For further details see the unit's iLearn site.

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 connect.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 the Service Connect Portal, 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 2024.02 of the Handbook