Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Michelle Hamadache
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
ENGX201 or ENGX121
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit will expand on the writing theory and practice introduced in ENG210 Creative Writing: A Practical Introduction. Students will develop their creative writing with a focus on essential elements of narrative and structure. Students are encouraged to develop one or more short stories and/or a sequence of conceptually linked poems during the unit. Learning will include workshopping of student writing and doing readings and exercises throughout the Study Period. The writing done for this unit must be self-contained and written specifically for this unit (no chapters of novels). Assessment will take into account students' creative work as well as their engagement with weekly workshops and group discussions.
All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au
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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/
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Unit requirements and expectations
This unit encourages students to work with structure in creative writing, developing narrative short stories or, for those students wishing to work on poetry, one or more sequences of poems. The poetic sequence requires that there is an underlying thematic or other connection between the poems, providing coherency to the sequence. Exercises are provided throughout the unit to enable students to practice different writing strategies. The emphasis of the unit on narrative short story writing and poetic sequence means that students can choose their preferred genre, or work in both genres, perhaps experimenting with a genre in which they are less familiar.
To complete and pass this unit students are required to:
• complete and submit all assessment tasks on time
• participate in all required online workshop* and forum** activities including online workshops each week
• complete and submit all writing exercises to website Writing Exercise Uploads on time
• show they are prepared for discussion by doing the readings
• read and provide feedback on writing by other group members by the day and
time of the week required by their tutor
*students must upload their writing as an attachment to their workshop group forum by the Monday 8 am of their workshop week
**Students are required to contribute feedback on their fellow group members’ writing in the workshop forums on a weekly basis. Failure to do so results in a zero participation mark and ineligibility to pass the unit.
It is a requirement of this unit that all creative work handed in for workshop, as exercises or as assignments is new work written during this unit and engaging with unit topics. Work from a concurrent unit or from prior studies is not to be presented. Creative writing written prior to the unit commencing cannot be presented. Please see the University Academic Honesty policy below.
Presentation of assignments
OUA Weekly Calendar - http://www.open.edu.au/student-admin-and-support/key-dates/weekly-calendar
Assessment Submission Guidelines
Marking rubrics will be provided for written assessment tasks. A portion of marks for each written assessment piece will be assigned to presentation.
All written assessments are to be submitted through Turnitin (unless otherwise specified) in word document format.
As near as possible, word counts should be adhered to. Students who exceed the total word count for formal assessment pieces by up to 10% will not be penalised. Students who fall short of the total word count for formal assessment pieces by under 10% will not be penalised. Outside of these marginsgrades will be impacted by at least 10% of the total mark, in accordance with English Department policy.
It is each student’s responsibility to ensure work is submitted by the due date. Extensions need to be negotiated with your instructor prior to an assessment’s due date, and will only be granted in exceptional, unforeseeable circumstances. Extensions will not be granted for final assessments without a preemptive application lodged through Ask.Mq with supporting documentation (a Professional Authority Form).
Special Consideration Policy
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. Link Below: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration
Late Submission Penalty
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved:
No late submissions will be accepted for timed and/or short assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests, writing exercises.
Written feedback from your instructor will be provided through the Turnitin interface, usually in the form of in-text comments. It will be beneficial for students to read all marking rubrics prior to submitting assessment, and to reflect on feedback from their instructor. If a student does NOT read their feedback from Assignment One, they will receive a GRADE only on their second assignment, i.e., a mark only and no feedback.
University Grading Policy
The grade a student receives will signify their overall performance in meeting the learning outcomes of a unit of study. Grades will not be awarded by reference to the achievement of other students nor allocated to fit a predetermined distribution. In determining a grade, due weight will be given to the learning outcomes and level of a unit (i.e. 100, 200, 300, 800 etc.). Graded units will use the following grades:
HD |
High Distinction |
85—100 |
D |
Distinction |
75—84 |
Cr |
Credit |
65—74 |
P |
Pass |
50—64 |
F |
Fail |
0—49 |
Plagiarism and Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is an integral part of the core values and principles contained in the Macquarie University Ethics Statement: http://www.mq.edu.au/ethics/ethic-statement-final.html. Its fundamental principle is that all staff and students act with integrity in the creation, development, application and use of ideas and information. This means that:
The link below has more details about the policy, procedure and schedule of penalties that will apply to breaches of the Academic Honesty Policy which can be viewed at: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Breaches of academic honesty are taken seriously and can attract penalties, failure of the assessment task or the unit, or further disciplinary action depending on the severity of the dishonest conduct.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Creative Writing Assignment 1 | 20% | No | Sunday Week 8 |
Creative Writing Assignment 2 | 35% | No | Sunday, Week 13 |
Reflective Statement | 15% | No | Sunday, Week 13 |
Writing Exercises | 10% | No | Ongoing |
Participation | 20% | No | Ongoing |
Due: Sunday Week 8
Weighting: 20%
Assignment 1 is to be developed from one or more of the writing exercises done so far, or, alternatively, the assignment may be based on a piece of writing you have workshopped in your group forum, which may have been inspired by either the weekly readings, or may be an off-shoot of course-concepts explored so far. Either way, any work submitted for an assignment must have originated from this course and may not be based upon work pre-dating this Study Period, or from work outside this course. No novel chapters.
For further details about this item of assessment, please see the Unit's iLearn site.
Word count: 2000 words (10% wiggle-room)
NB: Only short stories or poetry are acceptable. No novel chapters for either workshopping or assignments.
Due: Sunday, Week 13
Weighting: 35%
Creative Writing – prose or poetry.
As per Assignment One, all writing must have originated from this course.
Word count: 2500 words or if submitting poetry, minimum 80 – 100 lines (MAX 130).
No novel chapters. Do NOT re-submit writing submitted for Assignment One.
Due: Sunday, Week 13
Weighting: 15%
The reflective essay should demonstrate your engagement with course strategies, topics and readings. It will include both observations about your own writing process in relation to craft and technique, and those course topics and readings most relevant to your writing experience. This essay has two main aims: to significantly extend the student's understanding of the readings and lectures, through a close and attentive discussion by you of the subject; and to reflect on the student's own writing as it has evolved during the semester. Students are encouraged in their reflective essay to include some discussion of the progress of their work, problems and solutions found, texts or discussions that have influenced or encouraged them.
This is not an academic paper, but a work of creative non-fiction, a personal essay, and you will be writing in the first person. The reflection should not be used to ‘prove’ that the writer’s (your) intentions have all been achieved. Do NOT submit a summary of the unit, nor an evaluation of the unit.
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 10%
Five writing exercises, set approximately fortnightly, respond to the topics and readings to act as stimulus prompts and encourage students to extend their skills and thinking in relation to the topic. Short answers worth 2 marks each. The mark is your feedback. Late submissions are not marked.
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 20%
Participation in this online unit requires you to provide weekly constructive feedback on the creative writing of other members of your group. All contributions must engage with the writing or topic being discussed and you should try to respond to the other students’ postings. There are guides to workshopping and unit requirements re forum contribution located on the iLearn site. Uploading your own writing as attachment to your group forum is required, but does not earn you participation marks.
This unit requires you to contribute to Workshop Forums on a weekly basis. Failure to do so will result in a zero for participation and ineligibility to pass the unit.
5% of your participation mark is earned by playing The Creative Thinking Game. The Creative Thinking Game has a link in each week—just click on the image of books to play. Like gaming, you learn as you go along—all the information you'll need is built into the game, which is designed to develop your critical thinking and enhance your ability to engage with critical and creative material.
This unit is taught exclusively online through iLearn. Students must complete weekly set reading and provide succinct weekly feedback on workshop drafts to their peers. The Unit Convenor/Lecturer will contribute to weekly workshop forums. Readings will be made available through the Library’s Multisearch interface, or by way of embedded links in the case of digital texts. Five writing exercises are set in ENGX307. These are to be submitted via the Assignment link on iLearn. This unit also uses a Creative Thinking game to encourage critical thinking and engagement with the unit readings. Contributing to the game is worth 5% of the participation mark.
All students will be given two opportunities to receive feedback on works-in-progress over the course of the session.
Week 1 |
Introduction Reading: Kate Grenville, ‘Getting Started’. Writing – Ekphrasis (using a visual image/ art work) stimulus for poetry (Do this writing on your own, not submitted) |
Week 2 |
Story and structure. Reading: Jerome Stern, ‘Beginnings’, Henry Lawson, ‘The Drover’s Wife’; Marcelle Freiman 'African Heads'. Writing Exercise 1
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Week 3 |
Story and structure Reading: Bill Manhire, Mutes and Earthquakes; Wallace Stevens, ‘Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird’; David Lodge, The Art of Fiction, 'Narrative Structure'.
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Week 4 |
Narrative space – micro-plotting. Jerome Stern, ‘Zigzag’. Writing exercise 2
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Week 5 |
Narrative space – Focalization. Reading: James Joyce, ‘Araby’, Les Murray, ‘An Absolutely Ordinary Rainbow’ Writing exercise 3
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Week 6 |
Narrative time – time frames. Reading: Lorrie Moore, ‘Paper Losses’. Poem: A. R. Ammons, ‘Corson’s Inlet’, Charles Simic, ‘Shelley’.
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Week 7 |
Narrative time – analepsis, prolepsis. Reading: Lorrie Moore, 'Paper Losses'. Writing exercise 4
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Week 8 |
Assessment due end of this week. Workshopping, discussion of readings
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Week 9 |
Character and dialogue – character. Reading: Hodgins ‘Character’ pp 101-110, Jerome Sterne, ‘Bear at the Door’, Writing exercise 5
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Week 10 |
Character and dialogue – dialogue. Reading Hodgins ‘Character’ pp 110-118; extract from Andrea Levy, Small Island; poem - Fay Zwicky, ‘Mrs Noah Speaks’; Jerome Sterne, Making Shapely Fiction, 'Dialogue'.
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Week 11 |
Total Effect. Narrative structure, transitions in poetry and prose. Reading: Stern, ‘Transitions’
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Week 12 |
Total Effect. Practical tips on finessing your writing. Reading: Jenny Newman, ‘Redrafting and Editing’
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Week 13 |
Wrap up. Final discussions and workshops. Assessment due end of this week.
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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.
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:
If you feel that your studies have been impacted submit an application as follows:
Outcome
Once your submission is assessed, an appropriate outcome will be organised.
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 (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).
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 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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
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.
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
Date | Description |
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14/02/2018 | Readings adjusted |