Unit Outline

This unit offers students the opportunity to think critically about some of the most popular texts in Western culture. What makes a bestseller? What are the defining features of major popular genres and how have they changed over time? What roles do genre texts play in contemporary culture? To address these questions, students in this unit will examine a variety of popular genres and subgenres that may range from now canonical fantasy novels to the latest trends in paranormal romance, from classic tales of treasure islands and lost worlds to mind-bending adventures in alternative realities. The assessment tasks in this unit focus on: developing effective study skills for generating persuasive arguments in English studies; conducting research in order to develop and strengthen arguments; and refining communication skills through discussion with peers and formal academic writing.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	apply knowledge of the textual, social, and industrial dimensions of twenty-first century book culture to the study of popular texts and genres
2.	Construct and support scholarly arguments appropriate to the study of popular genres through: a. The critical analysis of selected novels b. Selection, evaluation, and comparison of secondary sources
3.	Develop and communicate ideas through a. Collaboration and discussion with peers b. Formal academic writing

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	25 credit points at Introductory level or higher

Alterations as a result of student feedback

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Tutorial Participation	See the MyLO site for the due date	10 %	LO1, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Reflective Statements	See the MyLO site for the due date	10 %	LO1, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Reading journal	See the MyLO site for the due date	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 4:	Research essay	See the MyLO site for the due date	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Tutorial Participation

Task Description:

Tutorial Participation: throughout semester, you will be assessed by your tutor on how you participate, collaborate, and discuss content with your peers in tutorials.

Task Length:

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Use participation, collaboration, and discussion with peers to generate ideas about twenty-first century book culture	LO1
2	Reflect upon your participation, collaboration, and discussion with peers	LO3

Assessment Task 2: Reflective Statements

Task Description:

Reflective Statements: you are required to write and submit for assessment two 350-word statements that reflect upon tutorials and how you participated, collaborated, and discussed ideas with peers. More information about how to write a reflective statement is available on MyLO

Task Length:

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Use participation, collaboration, and discussion with peers to generate ideas about twenty-first century book culture	LO1
2	Reflect upon your participation, collaboration, and discussion with peers	LO3

Assessment Task 3: Reading journal

Task Description:

This task provides opportunity for you to investigate the scholarly conversations on a topic relevant to the study of popular genres. It is designed to help develop your skills in selecting, evaluating, and comparing secondary scholarly sources. Your topic should be chosen by the end of Week 4. A list of topics is available on MyLO.
Throughout the first half of semester, you are expected to actively research what scholarship has been written on your selected topic. You should keep an ongoing reading journal during this time which records and traces the progression of your research. The journal itself will not be assessed; therefore, it can be in any format you wish (some suggestions are provided on MyLO). The reading journal is designed to provide you with a space to summarise and interrogate the secondary sources you’re reading and work through and formulate your ideas about the “state of the field.”
For submission and assessment, you will compile a 1,500-word report in the form of a literature review summarising the findings of your reading journal, following the instructions provided on MyLO. Your Works Cited should include at least 10 secondary scholarly sources.

Task Length:

1,500 words

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Apply knowledge of the textual and/or social and/or industrial dimensions of twenty-first century book culture to your selected topic	LO1
2	Construct a scholarly argument about your chosen topic supported by: Evidence from your chosen text(s); Reference to secondary sources	LO2
3	Communicate ideas in the form of a written report that: Uses an appropriate structure; Adheres to conventions of written English (word choice, grammar, punctuation, spelling); Conforms to MLA style for presentation and referencing	LO3

Assessment Task 4: Research essay

Task Description:

This research essay provides opportunity for you to build an extended argument based on both your own study of one or more novels studied in the unit, and your investigation of other critical responses. Your Works Cited should include at least 5 secondary sources, which may repeat sources cited in Assessment Task 2. Essay topics are available on MyLO. You may negotiate an independent topic with your tutor.

Task Length:

2,500 words

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Apply knowledge of the textual and/or social and/or industrial dimensions of twenty-first century book culture to your selected topic	LO1
2	Construct a scholarly argument about your chosen topic supported by: a. Evidence from your chosen text(s) b. Reference to secondary sources	LO2
3	Communicate ideas in the form of a written essay that: a. Uses an appropriate essay structure b. Adheres to conventions of written English (word choice, grammar, punctuation, spelling) c. Conforms to MLA style for presentation and referencing	LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.