Students
ENGX201 – Creative Writing: A Practical Introduction
2016 – SP3 OUA
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer
Niven Radha Krishnan
Rebecca Giggs
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|---|---|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
ENG110 or ENGX120
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
In this unit, students learn the process and techniques used in creative writing. Through writing exercises and online workshops with both the tutor and others, students explore a number of different approaches to creative writing. Learners develop skills relevant to different types of creative writing and are encouraged to reflect on their own writing as a method of developing future writing. Students are required to participate in online discussion of their own and others' work. They are encouraged to experiment with different approaches to writing, to explore the process of creative writing, to acquire some basic writing techniques and to self-reflect on their own creative writing.
All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.open.edu.au/student-admin-and-support/key-dates/
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
- Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
- Identifying and applying key concepts in creative writing
- Understanding and being able to apply narrative, form and language-use in different contexts
- Gaining advanced skills in writing and oral communication
- Participating in group-interaction and active, collaborative learning environments
General Assessment Information
Unit Requirements and Expectations
The university Assessment Policy states that in order to pass a unit, a student must make a serious attempt at all pieces of written assessment.
Students enrolled in this unit are expected to:
- Listen to lectures as required – lectures cover essential concepts and information for the unit topics.
- complete and submit all assessment tasks on time;
- submit workshop work when scheduled and participate in forums in all weeks;
- ie. participate in all forum activities whether they are scheduled to workshop that week or not;
- do the readings for each week
- ** It is a requirement of this unit that all creative work handed in for workshops or as assignments is new work written during this unit, and engaging with unit topics. Work from a concurrent unit or previous units or studies must not be presented for workshops or assessments. Creative writing written prior to the unit commencing cannot be presented either. See the University Academic Honesty Policy.**
Problems?
- In the case of unexpected difficulties and unavoidable problems meeting unit requirements, contact your teacher as soon as possible.
** Assessments: an extra note on word length, criteria and penalties for written assessment tasks. This applies to marked work
- Word or line lengths and marking criteria are provided in the details for each assignment.
- It is necessary to set word or line limits for assignments, though we have no wish to restrain your creativity. It is important to learn to write concisely, clearly and with a direct style. Avoid submitting ‘wordy’ stories that are way over the word limit (penalties of 5% per 100 words, or part thereof, over or under the limit will apply), or very short poems (if your poem is made up of very short lines, then you need to submit more than the minimum 60 or 80 lines respectively). Your work should be substantial enough to show your full engagement with the unit topics. If you aren’t sure, check with your tutor.
- There is 5% wiggle room on prescribed word length. No penalty applies to students who remain within the 10% leeway given.
- Note the relative weightings of the assessment tasks.
- In this unit, marks are given for demonstrated progress in your work and the development of your writing skills and concepts, your willingness to revise, rewrite, edit, and reconsider your writing during drafting, and for your engagement with unit topics and strategies.
- Please retain all drafts of assignment work – early handwritten notes, hand-annotated printouts, computer drafts. You are not asked to submit these with your assignments, but markers may ask you to provide them at a later stage.
** Assessments: an extra note on word length, criteria and penalties for written assessment tasks. This applies to marked work
- Word or line lengths and marking criteria are provided in the details for each assignment.
- It is necessary to set word or line limits for assignments, though we have no wish to restrain your creativity. It is important to learn to write concisely, clearly and with a direct style. Avoid submitting ‘wordy’ stories that are way over the word limit (penalties of 5% per 100 words, or part thereof, over or under the limit will apply), or very short poems (if your poem is made up of very short lines, then you need to submit more than the minimum 60 or 80 lines respectively). Your work should be substantial enough to show your full engagement with the unit topics. If you aren’t sure, check with your tutor.
- There is 10% wiggle room on prescribed word length. No penalty applies to students who remain within the 10% leeway given.
- Note the relative weightings of the assessment tasks.
- In this unit, marks are given for demonstrated progress in your work and the development of your writing skills and concepts, your willingness to revise, rewrite, edit, and reconsider your writing during drafting, and for your engagement with unit topics and strategies.
- Please retain all drafts of assignment work – early handwritten notes, hand-annotated printouts, computer drafts. You are not asked to submit these with your assignments, but markers may ask you to provide them at a later stage.
NB: It is a requirement of this unit that all creative work handed in for workshops or as assignments is new work written during this unit and engaging with unit topics. Work from a concurrent unit or previous units or studies must not be presented for workshops or assessments. Creative writing written prior to the unit commencing cannot be presented either.
See University Academic Honesty policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Presentation of assignments
- Ensure that you proof-read your assignment before submitting it.
- Use double or 1.5 spacing and 12 point font and leave sufficient side margins for comments. No fancy fonts – Times or Arial or other plain font.
- Insert page numbering and the word count at the end of the document.
- Marks will be deducted for failure to comply with these presentation requirements.
Assignment submission via Turnitin
- Assignments for this unit are submitted and marked electronically, via Turnitin. The links for submission of each assignment are on the iLearn website under ‘Assessment’.
- Submit only Word documents.
- ** Submit each assignment as one document directly to the appropriate Turnitin Assignment link, eg. creative writing + reflective statement as one document (Assignments 1 & 2), or the creative writing + reflective essay as one document (Assignment 3) for each of these assignments.
Return of marked work
- Marked work will be returned to students electronically via Turnitin.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due | Groupwork/Individual | Short Extension | AI assisted? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | 10% | End of Week 4 | No | ||
| Assignment 2 | 30% | End of Week 8 | No | ||
| Assignment 3 - Final | 40% | End of Week 13 | No | ||
| Participation | 20% | 15 April, 10 June | No |
Assignment 1
Due: End of Week 4
Weighting: 10%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:
Full details for this assignment are available in iLearn.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
- Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
Assignment 2
Due: End of Week 8
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:
Full details for this assignment are available in iLearn.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
- Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
- Identifying and applying key concepts in creative writing
- Understanding and being able to apply narrative, form and language-use in different contexts
- Gaining advanced skills in writing and oral communication
Assignment 3 - Final
Due: End of Week 13
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:
Full details for this assignment are available in iLearn.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
- Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
- Identifying and applying key concepts in creative writing
- Understanding and being able to apply narrative, form and language-use in different contexts
- Gaining advanced skills in writing and oral communication
Participation
Due: 15 April, 10 June
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:
Details of criteria for participation are on the iLearn website.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
- Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
- Identifying and applying key concepts in creative writing
- Gaining advanced skills in writing and oral communication
- Participating in group-interaction and active, collaborative learning environments
Delivery and Resources
Essential information about this unit is on the ENGX201 iLearn website, including:
- details of assessment tasks,
- criteria for grading against which all assessment tasks are judged
- assessment submission requirements,
- extensions and penalties,
- unit content, learning and teaching methodology, readings, workshops
- changes made to the unit from previous offerings.
For details, the Turnitin assessments on the website.
*The unit iLearn website is integral and essential to this unit. ALL students must login to the website in Week 1.
Lectures
* Lectures start in Week 2. Online discussion forums begin in Week 1.
Lectures for this unit are scheduled fortnightly. Online forums, including the workshop component of these forums, must be participated in each week.
Lectures are delivered as Echo ilectures only, through the iLearn website. Students are prompted to listen to lectures in Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12. Lectures are available in Echo from the start of Week 1.The lectures will deal with the topics in each of the two fortnight's seminars.
REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS
Required Reading
- Required weekly readings for this unit are in library e-Reserve.
These texts are also required:
- Kate Grenville, The Writing Book: A workbook for writers, Allen and Unwin.
Recommended
- Mark Tredinnick, Little Green Grammar Book, UNSW Press
- William Strunk & E. B. White, The Elements of Style, MacMillan
- Hazel Smith, The Writing Experiment: Strategies for Innovative Creative Writing, Allen & Unwin, 2005.
- John Singleton and Mary Lockhurst (eds), The Creative Writing Handbook: Techniques for New Writers, Macmillan, 1996, 2000.
- Hodgins, Jack, A Passion for Narrative, McClelland & Stewart, 2001.
UNIT WEBPAGE AND TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED
Online units can are accessed at: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/.
PC and Internet access are required, Broadband or WiFi connection is essential. Basic computer skills and skills in word processing are also a requirement.
Unit Schedule
Unit schedule and details of the schedule and of lectures, workshops, readings and unit expectations are on the iLearn website and in the ENGL201 Handbook in pdf form on the website.
Policies and Procedures
Late Submission - applies unless otherwise stated elsewhere in the unit guide
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
Extension Request
Special Consideration Policy and Procedure (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration)
The University recognises that students may experience events or conditions that adversely affect their academic performance. If you experience serious and unavoidable difficulties at exam time or when assessment tasks are due, you can consider applying for Special Consideration.
You need to show that the circumstances:
- were serious, unexpected and unavoidable
- were beyond your control
- caused substantial disruption to your academic work
- substantially interfered with your otherwise satisfactory fulfilment of the unit requirements
- lasted at least three consecutive days or a total of 5 days within the teaching period and prevented completion of an assessment task scheduled for a specific date.
If you feel that your studies have been impacted submit an application as follows:
- Visit Ask MQ and use your OneID to log in
- Fill in your relevant details
- Attach supporting documents by clicking 'Add a reply', click 'Browse' and navigating to the files you want to attach, then click 'Submit Form' to send your notification and supporting documents
- Please keep copies of your original documents, as they may be requested in the future as part of the assessment process
Outcome
Once your submission is assessed, an appropriate outcome will be organised.
OUA Specific Policies and Procedures
Withdrawal from a unit after the census date
You can withdraw from your subjects prior to the census date (last day to withdraw). If you successfully withdraw before the census date, you won’t need to apply for Special Circumstances. If you find yourself unable to withdraw from your subjects before the census date - you might be able to apply for Special Circumstances. If you’re eligible, we can refund your fees and overturn your fail grade.
If you’re studying Single Subjects using FEE-HELP or paying up front, you can apply online.
If you’re studying a degree using HECS-HELP, you’ll need to apply directly to Macquarie University.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
New Assessment Policy in effect from Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html. For more information visit http://students.mq.edu.au/events/2016/07/19/new_assessment_policy_in_place_from_session_2/
Assessment Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results
Results shown in iLearn, 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.
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
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.
Graduate Capabilities
Creative and Innovative
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
Assessment tasks
- Assignment 1
- Assignment 2
- Assignment 3 - Final
- Participation
Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- Participating in group-interaction and active, collaborative learning environments
Assessment tasks
- Assignment 3 - Final
- Participation
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
- Participating in group-interaction and active, collaborative learning environments
Assessment tasks
- Assignment 3 - Final
- Participation
Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
- Identifying and applying key concepts in creative writing
- Understanding and being able to apply narrative, form and language-use in different contexts
Assessment tasks
- Assignment 1
- Assignment 2
- Assignment 3 - Final
Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
- Developing creative and reflective thinking, and critical and analytical skills
- Gaining advanced skills in writing and oral communication
Assessment tasks
- Assignment 1
- Assignment 2
- Assignment 3 - Final
- Participation
Problem Solving and Research Capability
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Assessment tasks
- Assignment 3 - Final
- Participation
Effective Communication
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Learning skills required to produce crafted writing, and understanding the value of revision for the individual writing process
- Identifying and applying key concepts in creative writing
- Understanding and being able to apply narrative, form and language-use in different contexts
- Gaining advanced skills in writing and oral communication
Assessment tasks
- Assignment 2
- Assignment 3 - Final
- Participation
Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- Participating in group-interaction and active, collaborative learning environments
Assessment task
- Participation
Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible
We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Assessment tasks
- Assignment 2
- Participation