How does literature travel? How do texts shape, and get shaped by, place and history? This course will introduce you to a range of critical and contextual approaches to the study of literature. You will examine the ways literary texts have circulated in global culture and how they are connected with notions of empire, nation and exile, international markets and literary celebrity. You will look at literature from diasporic, postcolonial and settler contexts, as well as texts from the heart of empire. Texts studied may include, for example, H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds in light of Neill Blomkamp’s 2009 film District 9, and Nam Le’s The Boat alongside Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad. You will trace literary genres and movements such as modernism, science fiction and the gothic across time and place in novels, short fiction, film and poetry.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Read carefully with attention to detail and to the way literary texts are constructed.
2. Demonstrate familiarity with a range of approaches to studying the relationship between literary texts and their contexts (historical, literary-historical, political, national).
3. Effectively find and use relevant secondary sources and demonstrate an understanding of academic practice in relation to attribution and referencing.
4. Present evidence, develop an argument and structure an essay.
5. Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

Required Resources

You are required to purchase or borrow the following novels:

Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Goon Squad (Constable and Robinson)

Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Norton Critical Edition)

H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds (Penguin Classic)

Ellen Van Neerven, Heat and Light (UQP)

Recommended Resources

Whether you are on campus or studying remotely, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction
2	The Short Story
3	Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Goon Squad
4	Gothic Travels: Poe, Lawson, Baynton
5	Essay Writing	In-class assessment: reading criticism and referencing exercise
6	Musical Comedy and Protest: The Sapphires	Short essay and annotated bibliography due Monday 5th September at 11:55pm
7	Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
8	Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
9	Wells, The War of the Worlds
10	Science Fiction Travels: Neill Blomkamp's District 9
11	Close to Home: Ellen Van Neerven, Heat and Light
12	Final Assessment Consultations	Long essay due Wednesday 2nd November at 11:55pm

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Tutorial Participation	10 %	*	*	1,2,5
Reading Journal	10 %	*	*	1,2,5
In-class assessment: reading criticism and referencing exercise	20 %	26/08/2022	26/09/2022	3
Short Essay and Annotated Bibliography	30 %	05/09/2022	05/10/2022	1,2,3,4,5
Long Essay	30 %	02/11/2022	*	1,2,3,4,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Tutorial Participation

Assessment Criteria: evidence of preparation for tutorials (having read and thought about the set texts); thoughtful and respectful contribution to class discussions.

How do we grade for tutorial participation?

At the end of each tutorial, your tutor will give each student a mark out of 5: 1 mark for attendance, 1 mark for preparation, and 1-3 marks based on the quality of your contribution to class discussion. If you do not attend a tutorial (and do not provide a medical certificate to cover your absence) your mark for that tutorial will be zero. If you cannot attend your usual tutorial time, please attend another and let your tutor know by email.

Value: 10%

Assessment Task 2

Reading Journal

The aims of the reading journal are to establish and continue the scholarly practice of reading and writing in preparation for your tutorials, and to improve the quality of your engagement with the texts in tutorial discussion. 

This assessment requires you to:

1. Write a paragraph (at least 150 words) addressing one of the Reading Journal questions on Wattle
2. Post your text to the Reading Journal Forum on Wattle ahead of your tutorial
3. Discuss your work in pairs with a fellow student in tutorials

Your reading journal entry should also serve as a prompt for contributing to tutorial discussions. Your tutor will provide students opportunities to share their ideas with the class.

Assessment Criteria:

Each of your 10 Reading Journal entries will receive a pass/fail mark of 1 or 0, depending on satisfactory engagement with primary and/or secondary texts, originality of ideas, and relevance to lecture/tutorial discussions.

Value: 10%

Assessment Task 3

In-class assessment: reading criticism and referencing exercise

The aim of this assignment is to improve the quality of your critical engagement with secondary materials and to demonstrate that you can correctly reference secondary sources. This is a 45-minute in-class test. It will take place in tutorials in Week 5 (24-26 August).

The task requires students to:

1. Read a critical article and identify its argument, its forms of evidence and some key points about its structure, and
2. Provide the correct reference details for the critical article you summarise, following the referencing style provided on Wattle

Word limit: 250-500 words

Value: 20%

Assessment Task 4

Short Essay and Annotated Bibliography

There are two parts to this assessment task.

You must complete both parts:

a) 1,500-word essay on one novel or film or one or two short stories set between weeks 1-6 of the course

Value: 20%

b) At the end of your essay, include an annotated bibliography of two of the scholarly works that you have researched, read and drawn on for your 'Short Essay' argument.

Value: 10%

Assessment Task 5

Long Essay

2,000 word essay on two texts set on the course, at least one of which must be from weeks 7-12 of the course. You cannot write on a text that you wrote on for your 'Short Essay'.

Value: 30%

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students