Students

ENGX8080 – Genre Fiction for Writers

2026 – Session 2, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Jimmy Van
jimmy.van@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MCrWrit
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Genre fiction often features distinctive storyworlds ranging from gritty realism to the whimsically fantastical. This unit explores the ways in which genre helps writers explore complex themes and issues through the lens of these genre-driven worlds. Rather than viewing genre conventions as restrictive to the creative process, students will investigate how genre conventions can be utilised (and, in some cases, challenged or subverted) to help writers build exciting and immersive worlds. Students will have the opportunity to experiment with writing memorable characters, creating unique fictional worlds, and structuring engaging plots through a range of popular genres. 

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: Identify, analyse, critique, and apply different definitions and conventions of genre writing.
  • ULO2: Apply practical and theoretical knowledge of characterisation, structure, and world-building for genre fiction.
  • ULO3: Analyse and evaluate different readerships and reader expectations for genre fiction. 
  • ULO4: Apply specialised research skills and creative language skills to produce a narrative or other textual forms of creative writing.

General Assessment Information

Late 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 to late submissions, up until the 7th calendar 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. 

Important to note:

  • 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.
  • Students should not request an informal arrangement from their tutor, lecturer or Unit Convenor (or equivalent).
  • Where an application for Special Consideration is approved and the outcome is an extension to the due date of a task, submissions that are received after the new due date will be subject to late penalties that are calculated from the new due date. This only applies where the outcome is an extension to the due date – see the Special Consideration Policy for a schedule of all possible outcomes.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Portfolio 40% No 01/11/2026 Individual Yes Open
Minor Creative Work 20% No 13/09/2026 Individual Yes Open
Major Creative Work 40% No 08/11/2026 Individual Yes Open

Portfolio

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 60 hours
Due: 01/11/2026
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Portfolio of formative writing tasks and exercises completed throughout the unit
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify, analyse, critique, and apply different definitions and conventions of genre writing.
  • Apply practical and theoretical knowledge of characterisation, structure, and world-building for genre fiction.
  • Analyse and evaluate different readerships and reader expectations for genre fiction. 
  • Apply specialised research skills and creative language skills to produce a narrative or other textual forms of creative writing.

Minor Creative Work

Assessment Type 1: Creative task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 13/09/2026
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Creative work incorporating concepts and practices from the unit 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify, analyse, critique, and apply different definitions and conventions of genre writing.
  • Apply practical and theoretical knowledge of characterisation, structure, and world-building for genre fiction.
  • Analyse and evaluate different readerships and reader expectations for genre fiction. 
  • Apply specialised research skills and creative language skills to produce a narrative or other textual forms of creative writing.

Major Creative Work

Assessment Type 1: Creative task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 34 hours
Due: 08/11/2026
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

Creative work incorporating concepts and practices from the unit 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify, analyse, critique, and apply different definitions and conventions of genre writing.
  • Apply practical and theoretical knowledge of characterisation, structure, and world-building for genre fiction.
  • Analyse and evaluate different readerships and reader expectations for genre fiction. 
  • Apply specialised research skills and creative language skills to produce a narrative or other textual forms of creative 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
  • Academic Success 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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Lectures

Lectures will be recorded and made available to students through Echo360 on the ENGX8080 iLearn site. Lectures begin in Week 1.

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

You must participate in the weekly tutorial through weekly iLearn Activities beginning in week 1.

 

Textbooks

Most tutorial readings will be accessible through Leganto. You will, however, need to purchase the following required books. Any edition is acceptable.

Required texts:

Jodi McAlister, An Academic Affair

Cornelia Funke & Guillermo del Toro, Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun

Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet

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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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 https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk. 

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 2026.01 of the Handbook