CRWR 2013 - The Writer's Voice: Intersections in Writing

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2020

This course investigates the idea of the writer's voice (or voices) through reading and writing. 'Voice' is a mysterious concept. Students will explore the usefulness of 'voice' (or voices) as a concept in other writers' work, and student-writers will ask whether they are consciously trying to develop what they might call 'voice', to consider whether it is useful to try to define or pinpoint their own 'voice', or if they should leave that to critics. In so doing, students will be encouraged to identify what attracts them to particular authors and pieces of writing. This course will challenge them to (where applicable) rethink their work after being exposed to a range of writing and to frame it as it relates to competing traditions. The texts we will read together will be selected for the multiplicity of voices they reveal, and will include novels, poetry, memoir and short fiction. Assessment will consist of: two pieces of creative writing (which can include creative non-fiction); an exegetical essay (investigating the research components of their work) and seminar participation.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code CRWR 2013
    Course The Writer's Voice: Intersections in Writing
    Coordinating Unit English, Creative Writing, and Film
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites At least 12 units of Level I undergraduate study
    Assumed Knowledge Advanced writing and reading skills in English
    Assessment Assessment: 1000 word writing piece A (20%), 2000 word writing piece B (40%), 1500 exegetical essay (30%), participation (10%)
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Matthew Hooton

    Dr Matthew Hooton will convene the course in 2020
    matthew.hooton@adelaide.edu.au
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    After successfully completing this course students should be able to:

    1. Confidently read, understand and appreciate a range of contemporary literary texts and the contexts of their production.
    2. Begin to demonstrate an awareness of how to frame a research problem and devise ways of addressing it in the context of creative writing.
    3. Prepare and deliver polished and carefully edited samples of creative writing (through a series of exercises and drafts).
    4. Critically evaluate their own and others’ written materials.
    5. Engage productively and respectfully with their peers.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1,2,3,4
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    1,2,3,4
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    4,5
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    1,2,3,4,5
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    1,4,5
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    1,2,3,4,5
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, by Sherman Alexie.

    How to Be Both, by Ali Smith.

    Black Swan Green, by David Mitchell.

    Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J.K. Rowling.

    *Additional Course Readings Available via MyUni.






    Online Learning
    Additional course-related material is available through MyUni, including recordings of all lectures.
    The following documents/information will also be available via MyUni: Lecture Content, Course Outline, Explanation of Assessment Tasks and Assignments, Weekly Schedule and Readings.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Students are expected to have read the material (see schedule in course profile or via MyUni) for each week's lecture and tutorial. Lectures will provide time for writing and Small Group Discovery Experiences/Discussion. Tutorials will act as hour-long, peer-to-peer creative writing workshops.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    Students will commit the equivalent to 156 hours of study in this course.

    Learning Activities Summary
    Lecture Topics:

    -Voice and Point of View (Mechanics)

    -An Englishwoman Sits in a Rocking Chair… (The Storyteller’s Voice)

    -Musicality, Place, and the Written Word

    -The Voice of a Child

    -If Hemingway Flexes His Bicep and No One Sees it… (The Macho Persona)

    -Experimentation and Beautiful Sentences

    -Humour

    -All Those I’s and You’s (The Slippery Narrator)

    -One Hand Clapping (Personal Histories and Writing for an Audience)

    -Subjugated Voices and Silence

    -Voices in Translation

    Specific Course Requirements
    Not applicable
    Small Group Discovery Experience

    SGDEs will form an integral part of both the lectures, during which students will discuss writing and core concepts with their peers, and the tutorials, in which students will form peer-to-peer creative writing workshop groups.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    ASSESSMENT TASK; TASK TYPE; WEIGHTING; COURSE LEARNING OUTCOME(S):

    Tutorial Participation, Formative & Summative, 10%, 2,4,5.
    500 word creative assign. 1, Formative & Summative, 20%, 1,2,3,4,5.
    500 word creative assign. 2, Formative & Summative, 25%, 1,2,3,4,5.
    2500 word assign/exegesis, Summative 45%, 1,2,3,4.
        

    Assessment Related Requirements
    Participation marks are based on attendance at tutorials and weekly uploads demonstrating active engagement with peers.
    Assessment Detail
    Assessment; Description; % weighting:

    Assign 1: A 500-word creative response to readings and topics. Drafts may be workshopped. 20%
    Assign 2: A 500-word creative response to readings and topics. Drafts may be workshopped. 25%
    Final Assign: A 2000-word creative response, and a 500-word exegetical accompaniment. 45%
    Participation: Active engagement in tutorials with demonstrated/uploaded notes/responses. 10%
    Submission
    All assignments must be submitted online through MyUni. 
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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