This course has two goals: first, to explore the importance of creative practices as ways of knowing in Asian and Pacific cultures, and second, to advance creative practices as part of innovative research on Asia and the Pacific. We will look closely at diverse cultural forms, which may include performance traditions, rituals, oral stories, print culture, and/or visual and digital media, to investigate how they work as modes of historical knowledge, cultural critique, and political reflection. In dialogue with these forms, we will consider how your own academic research might expand beyond traditional scholarly boundaries by working more intimately with creative expression. Experimenting with forms that may include ethnography, life writing, embodied practice, fiction, visual art, and/or multimedia, we will consider how different ways of representing place, person, voice, the self, history, and the integration of creative practice and critical theory can lead to new and expanded ways of engaging with Asian and Pacific societies.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of creative practices in Asia and the Pacific;
2. Analyse how Asian and Pacific creative forms can serve as sites of historical, cultural, and political reflection;
3. Identify and evaluate strategies for incorporating creative practice into academic research;
4. Integrate creative practice into a research project, justifying methods and approaches;
5. Reflect on your own learning and research identity in the context of creative practice.

Research-Led Teaching

This course exposes students to a wealth of creative research practices used and developed by scholars around the ANU, as well as approaches emerging internationally. Students will have access to research-focused workshops and resources beyond the classroom that draw on broader initiatives underway at the ANU.

Field Trips

One field trip to the Australian Botanical Gardens, or equivalent for remote access students. Additional field trips may be organised depending on interest and circumstances.

Additional Course Costs

Remote access students will need to supply their own workshop materials, such as paper, pencils, and scissors. Details will be available on Wattle.

Examination Material or equipment

There are no examinations in this class.

Required Resources

Required readings and other materials will be available on Wattle.

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 and/or groups

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.

Other Information

This course assumes familiarity with traditional academic research skills, such as the ability to conduct an independent research process, to critically analyse material, and to write an academic essay.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Create	An introduction to theories of creativity, especially in Asian and Pacific contexts, as sites of historical, political, and social knowing.
2	Embody	An examination of the body as the original creative text. Method Focus: Self-reflective Inquiry
3	Pose	An exploration of motion and stillness as creative practices, exemplified by dance, yoga and meditation. Method Focus: Mindfulness Creative Research Journal (part 1) Due
4	Experiment	Details TBA: possible field trip to Mt Stromlo
5	Weave	An investigation of how handwork practices produce both physical and social fabric. Method Focus: Weaving and Stitching
6	See	An investigation of film and photography in the context of visual anthropology. Method Focus: Photos Theoretical Essay Due
7	Animate	An examination of animation and game-play in contexts of historical memory and labor politics. Method Focus: Zines and Graphic Narratives
8	Bloom	Field Trip to the Australian Botanical Gardens An investigation of the knowledge-making potential within plants, gardens, and forests. Method Focus: Growth
9	Map	An encounter with the spatial and cultural logics of map-making. Method Focus: Storymapping
10	Inscribe	An exploration of words written on rocks, walls, bodies, and paper. Method Focus: Book-Making
11	Eat	An exploration of food as a site of politics, cultural identity, and memory. Method Focus: Cooking as Inquiry Creative Research Journal (part 2) Due
12	Perform	A class festival where students present their final projects. Presentations Due

Tutorial Registration

This course meets as a 3-hour discussion seminar and workshop. Separate tutorial registration is not required.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Seminar Participation	10 %	*	10/06/2023	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Creative Research Journal Part 1	5 %	08/03/2023	17/03/2023	1, 2, 3, 5
Creative Research Journal Part 2	15 %	29/05/2023	17/06/2023	1, 2, 3, 5
Theoretical Essay	20 %	29/03/2023	15/04/2023	3
Creative Research Project	40 %	26/05/2023	17/06/2023	1, 2, 3, 4
Final Project Presentation	10 %	25/05/2023	17/06/2023	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.

Participation

Participation rewards a combination of practices: sustained and thorough preparation for class, active listening and inquiry, spoken contributions to class discussions, questions to elicit the thoughts of peers, in-class written tasks, constructive peer feedback, and willingness to engage in experimental workshop activities. This course is particularly concerned to develop peer support and researcher identity through these practices.

Examination(s)

There are no examinations in this course.

Assessment Task 1

Seminar Participation

Participation rewards a combination of practices: sustained and thorough preparation for class, active listening and inquiry, spoken contributions to class discussions, questions to elicit the thoughts of peers, in-class written tasks, constructive peer feedback, and willingness to engage in experimental workshop activities. This course is particularly concerned to develop peer support and researcher identity through these practices.

Assessment Task 2

Creative Research Journal Part 1

Students produce an ongoing practice journal that reflects on the week’s readings in the context of the week’s seminar discussion and workshop. The goal of the journal is to invite students to engage analytically and creatively with scholarship and to provide a record of intellectual growth over the course of the semester. Each weekly entry includes a 200-word analysis plus a small creative practice (such as a photograph). Details will be available on Wattle.

Part 1 of the journal consists of entries for weeks 2 and 3. Feedback will be provided before census date.

Assessment Task 3

Creative Research Journal Part 2

Students produce an ongoing practice journal that reflects on the week’s readings in the context of the week’s seminar discussion and workshop. The goal of the journal is to invite students to engage analytically and creatively with scholarship and to provide a record of intellectual growth over the course of the semester. Each weekly entry includes a 200-word analysis plus a small creative practice (such as a photograph). Details will be available on Wattle.

Part 2 is the completed journal for the course, consisting of entries for weeks 2-11.

Assessment Task 4

Theoretical Essay

In this 1500-word analytical essay, students will compare and evaluate strategies for incorporating creative practices into academic research. This work will form the theoretical foundation for an independent creative research project to be conducted in the latter part of the course. Details will be available on Wattle.

Assessment Task 5

Creative Research Project

This final project (2000 words or equivalent) will apply theoretically-informed creative approaches to engage with Asian and Pacific histories and cultures. Details will be available on Wattle. 

Assessment Task 6

Final Project Presentation

Students will present final projects in a convivial festival of student-led research during the last class session. The presentations will combine an overview of the project with a reflection on the student’s research process, including a justification of the project’s approach and a reflection on the student’s research identity.

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

Late submission is permitted for most assessment tasks. 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.

Late submission is not permitted for assessment task 6, the final presentation. As presentations will be conducted on the final day of class in a peer environment, there are no equivalent opportunities for late submission without an extension approved in advance.

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.

Returning Assignments

Individualised feedback on assignments will be returned to students via Wattle. General whole-of-class feedback may also be provided orally in seminars.

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