Students

ENGL206 – Gothic Visions: From Sublime to Suburban Gothic

2018 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convener
Lee O'Brien
AHH Level 2
Wednesday 9-10pm during session
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
ENGL120
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
The Gothic has always been a popular and controversial cultural phenomenon dramatising the darker side of the senses and imagination, as well as testing the boundaries of literary taste. In Gothic fiction, nothing is ever certain. The domestic and familiar are merely comforting illusions that veil a darker reality of unspoken fears and desires. Home, city, work, identity, sexuality, the body and the mind are all sites that are open to the destabilising play and uncanny effects of the Gothic imagination, as the selected texts, which range from the popular to the canonical, exemplify.

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:

  • To introduce students to a range of Gothic texts and cultural forms
  • To develop analytical and research skills that can be applied to past and present cultural and literary debates
  • To learn to communicate historical and theoretical concepts in verbal and written forms
  • To develop a greater understanding of the profound impact on contemporary culture of eighteenth and nineteenth-century cultural forms
  • To gain a greater understanding of the historical and often hierarchical deployment of concepts of culture, violence and the criminal, progress, reason and superstition, the imagination, literary and aesthetic value

General Assessment Information

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.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Critical Essay 35% No 28 March
Research Essay 45% No 8 June
Tutorial Participation 20% No Continuing

Critical Essay

Due: 28 March
Weighting: 35%

An assignment designed to give students feedback on their argumentation and research skills so that they have guidance in producing the type of work required for the Research Essay, due later in the session.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • To introduce students to a range of Gothic texts and cultural forms
  • To develop analytical and research skills that can be applied to past and present cultural and literary debates
  • To learn to communicate historical and theoretical concepts in verbal and written forms
  • To develop a greater understanding of the profound impact on contemporary culture of eighteenth and nineteenth-century cultural forms
  • To gain a greater understanding of the historical and often hierarchical deployment of concepts of culture, violence and the criminal, progress, reason and superstition, the imagination, literary and aesthetic value

Research Essay

Due: 8 June
Weighting: 45%

Essay requiring detailed textual analysis and cogent argumentation supported by scholarly/critical research.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • To introduce students to a range of Gothic texts and cultural forms
  • To develop analytical and research skills that can be applied to past and present cultural and literary debates
  • To learn to communicate historical and theoretical concepts in verbal and written forms
  • To develop a greater understanding of the profound impact on contemporary culture of eighteenth and nineteenth-century cultural forms
  • To gain a greater understanding of the historical and often hierarchical deployment of concepts of culture, violence and the criminal, progress, reason and superstition, the imagination, literary and aesthetic value

Tutorial Participation

Due: Continuing
Weighting: 20%

Attendance at all tutorials (you must provide documentary evidence of either medical or compassionate grounds for any absences); evidence of preparation; active participation in class discussion every week.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • To introduce students to a range of Gothic texts and cultural forms
  • To develop analytical and research skills that can be applied to past and present cultural and literary debates
  • To learn to communicate historical and theoretical concepts in verbal and written forms
  • To develop a greater understanding of the profound impact on contemporary culture of eighteenth and nineteenth-century cultural forms
  • To gain a greater understanding of the historical and often hierarchical deployment of concepts of culture, violence and the criminal, progress, reason and superstition, the imagination, literary and aesthetic value

Delivery and Resources

Classes

Students attend one lecture and one tutorial per week.

For lecture times and tutorial rooms please consult the MQ Timetable website: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au. This website will display up-to-date information on your classes and tutorial room locations.

Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials

REQUIRED READING (in order of study; tutorials begin in week 2, with The Castle of Otranto)

1.   Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto (1764)

2.   Matthew Lewis, The Monk  (1796)

3.  Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey (1798/1818)

4. Edgar Allen Poe, Selected Tales, 1839/1841: “The Fall of the House of Usher”, “The   Murders in the Rue Morgue”, “The Oval Portrait”, “The Man of the Crowd”, “The Black Cat”, “The Premature Burial”)

5.   Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886)

6.   Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897)

7.   Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901/1902)

8.   Daphne du Maurier, Jamaica Inn (1936)

9. Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho (1960)

10. Gabaldon [Moore], Outlander; season 1 (2014)

RECOMMENDED READING

Please see unit's iLearn site

Technology Used and Required

Online units can be accessed at: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/.

PC and Internet access are required. Basic computer skills (e.g., internet browsing) and skills in word processing are also a requirement.

Please consult teaching staff for any further, more specific requirements. 

Unit Schedule

Please see iLearn site for details.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/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 outcomes

  • To introduce students to a range of Gothic texts and cultural forms
  • To develop analytical and research skills that can be applied to past and present cultural and literary debates
  • To learn to communicate historical and theoretical concepts in verbal and written forms
  • To develop a greater understanding of the profound impact on contemporary culture of eighteenth and nineteenth-century cultural forms
  • To gain a greater understanding of the historical and often hierarchical deployment of concepts of culture, violence and the criminal, progress, reason and superstition, the imagination, literary and aesthetic value

Assessment tasks

  • Critical Essay
  • Research Essay
  • Tutorial 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 outcomes

  • To introduce students to a range of Gothic texts and cultural forms
  • To develop analytical and research skills that can be applied to past and present cultural and literary debates
  • To learn to communicate historical and theoretical concepts in verbal and written forms
  • To develop a greater understanding of the profound impact on contemporary culture of eighteenth and nineteenth-century cultural forms
  • To gain a greater understanding of the historical and often hierarchical deployment of concepts of culture, violence and the criminal, progress, reason and superstition, the imagination, literary and aesthetic value

Assessment tasks

  • Critical Essay
  • Research Essay
  • Tutorial 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

  • To introduce students to a range of Gothic texts and cultural forms
  • To develop analytical and research skills that can be applied to past and present cultural and literary debates
  • To learn to communicate historical and theoretical concepts in verbal and written forms
  • To develop a greater understanding of the profound impact on contemporary culture of eighteenth and nineteenth-century cultural forms
  • To gain a greater understanding of the historical and often hierarchical deployment of concepts of culture, violence and the criminal, progress, reason and superstition, the imagination, literary and aesthetic value

Assessment tasks

  • Critical Essay
  • Research Essay
  • Tutorial 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

  • To introduce students to a range of Gothic texts and cultural forms
  • To develop analytical and research skills that can be applied to past and present cultural and literary debates
  • To learn to communicate historical and theoretical concepts in verbal and written forms
  • To develop a greater understanding of the profound impact on contemporary culture of eighteenth and nineteenth-century cultural forms
  • To gain a greater understanding of the historical and often hierarchical deployment of concepts of culture, violence and the criminal, progress, reason and superstition, the imagination, literary and aesthetic value

Assessment tasks

  • Critical Essay
  • Research Essay
  • Tutorial Participation

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

  • To introduce students to a range of Gothic texts and cultural forms
  • To develop analytical and research skills that can be applied to past and present cultural and literary debates
  • To learn to communicate historical and theoretical concepts in verbal and written forms
  • To develop a greater understanding of the profound impact on contemporary culture of eighteenth and nineteenth-century cultural forms
  • To gain a greater understanding of the historical and often hierarchical deployment of concepts of culture, violence and the criminal, progress, reason and superstition, the imagination, literary and aesthetic value

Assessment tasks

  • Critical Essay
  • Research Essay
  • Tutorial 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:

Learning outcomes

  • To introduce students to a range of Gothic texts and cultural forms
  • To develop analytical and research skills that can be applied to past and present cultural and literary debates
  • To learn to communicate historical and theoretical concepts in verbal and written forms
  • To develop a greater understanding of the profound impact on contemporary culture of eighteenth and nineteenth-century cultural forms
  • To gain a greater understanding of the historical and often hierarchical deployment of concepts of culture, violence and the criminal, progress, reason and superstition, the imagination, literary and aesthetic value

Assessment tasks

  • Critical Essay
  • Research Essay
  • Tutorial 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

  • To introduce students to a range of Gothic texts and cultural forms
  • To develop analytical and research skills that can be applied to past and present cultural and literary debates
  • To learn to communicate historical and theoretical concepts in verbal and written forms
  • To develop a greater understanding of the profound impact on contemporary culture of eighteenth and nineteenth-century cultural forms
  • To gain a greater understanding of the historical and often hierarchical deployment of concepts of culture, violence and the criminal, progress, reason and superstition, the imagination, literary and aesthetic value

Assessment tasks

  • Critical Essay
  • Research Essay
  • Tutorial 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 outcomes

  • To introduce students to a range of Gothic texts and cultural forms
  • To develop analytical and research skills that can be applied to past and present cultural and literary debates
  • To learn to communicate historical and theoretical concepts in verbal and written forms
  • To develop a greater understanding of the profound impact on contemporary culture of eighteenth and nineteenth-century cultural forms
  • To gain a greater understanding of the historical and often hierarchical deployment of concepts of culture, violence and the criminal, progress, reason and superstition, the imagination, literary and aesthetic value

Assessment tasks

  • Critical Essay
  • Research Essay
  • Tutorial 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:

Learning outcomes

  • To introduce students to a range of Gothic texts and cultural forms
  • To develop analytical and research skills that can be applied to past and present cultural and literary debates
  • To learn to communicate historical and theoretical concepts in verbal and written forms
  • To develop a greater understanding of the profound impact on contemporary culture of eighteenth and nineteenth-century cultural forms
  • To gain a greater understanding of the historical and often hierarchical deployment of concepts of culture, violence and the criminal, progress, reason and superstition, the imagination, literary and aesthetic value

Assessment tasks

  • Critical Essay
  • Research Essay
  • Tutorial Participation