CRWR 2015 - Writing Apocalypse: Histories and Speculation

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2020

This course introduces students to narratives of apocalypse: from sacred literatures, through representations of genocide and extinctions, to science fiction and the speculative. Students will be tasked with thinking deeply and critically on the moral and aesthetic aspects of creative engagement with communal, ethnic and planetary catastrophe. The course will present practical techniques for the writing of historical narratives, as well as science and speculative fiction, and will encourage creative responses to issues both past and prescient, such as climate change, technological revolution and disaster, migrations, and the future of humanity.

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Course Details

Course Code	CRWR 2015
Course	Writing Apocalypse: Histories and Speculation
Coordinating Unit	English, Creative Writing, and Film
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange
Prerequisites	At least 12 units of undergraduate study
Assessment	Assignment 1 20%, Assignment 2 25%, Final Assignment 45%, Participation 10%

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Matthew Hooton

Course Timetable

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

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

Required texts will include:

-Station Eleven, by Emily St John Mandel
-The Sixth Extinction, by Elizabeth Kolbert
-Bear V Shark, by Chris Bachelder
-One further book TBA (probably a comic book/graphic novel)

Additional weekly course readings available through 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.

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

WEEKLY LECTURE TOPICS:

1 Introduction
2 Sacred Texts
3 The Moral & The Aesthetic
4 Writing Histories Part I
5 Writing Histories Part II
6 Environmental Disaster Part I
7 Environmental Disaster Part II
8 Migrations & Refugees Part I
9 Migrations & Refugees Part II
10 Technology & Science Fiction Part I
11 Technology & Science Fiction Part II
12 The Speculative

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.

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

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
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
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator