ENGL 2077 - Queering Utopia

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2024

This course engages a broad definition of `queer??as adjective, noun, and verb?to consider how representative writers, thinkers, and performers have worked to unsettle sex and gender binaries and challenge normative gendered constructions of the body, family, community, race, and nation. It encourages students to explore the usefulness of gender studies, feminism, queer and trans* theories as frames for reading, and to develop capacities for the analysis and interpretation of literary and other cultural production from the late nineteenth century to the present. Considering cultural objects in a range of media and genres (from printed texts to performance art, from poetry, fiction and life-writing to comix, drama and film) and representing a wide spectrum of LGBTQ*IA+ experiences and identifications, the course asks how such work has queered the past and explored alternative futures, laying claim to new possibilities for art, politics, and embodied subjectivity.

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Course Details

Course Code	ENGL 2077
Course	Queering Utopia
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	Y
Prerequisites	6 units of undergraduate study
Assessment	Online quizzes, Close Reading, Presentation and Report, Research Essay

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Professor Andrew van der Vlies

Course Timetable

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

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:
1. engage analytically with representations of gender and sexuality in a range of media
2. demonstrate awareness of contextually appropriate methodologies, theories, and vocabularies, in a self-reflexive manner
3. demonstrate alertness to questions of intercultural dialogue, neuro-diversity, and gender and sexual identity, performance, non-conformity, and diversity
4. communicate, orally and in writing, the findings of analysis and research with clarity, rigour, and precision
5. demonstrate communication skills appropriate to career readiness, including use of online learning technologies and peer-group collaboration

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)
Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.	1, 2, 3
Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.	1, 2, 4, 5
Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.	3, 4
Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.	3, 4, 5
Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.	1, 3, 5
Attribute 6: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency Graduates have an understanding of, and respect for, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, culture and knowledge.	tbc
Attribute 7: Digital capabilities Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.	5
Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.	2, 3, 5

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Students can expect to purchase up to 5 set-text books (paperbacks, widely available texts), though copies will be available in the library. Some material will be made available in class. A final list of set texts will be confirmed before the end of Semester 1, but is likely to include the following (amongst others):

Tony Kushner, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes (in two volumes;1992)
Anne Carson, Autobiography of Red (1998)
Alison Bechdel, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (London: Jonathan Cape, 2006)

Students might also wish to watch Paris is Burning (1990, dir. Jennie Livingston) and read selected poems by Audre Lorde in preparation.

Students will be provided with course readings via MyUni and the Library (Reading Lists) for additional reading. This is likely to include work by writers including Elizabeth Bishop, Thom Gunn, Adrienne Rich (poetry); and Monica Arac de Nyeko, Carson McCullers, Suzette Mayr, Annie Proulx (fiction).

Students might be asked to watch a number of films or television programmes on demand, which might include work by Gregg Araki, Barry Jenkins, Joey Soloway, Gus van Sandt. Critics engaged with will include Lauren Berlant, Judith Butler, Donna Haraway, Jose Muñoz, Jay Prosser (amongst others).
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

Teaching activities are in-person, and comprise ONE one-hour lecture (for all students enrolled on the course), as well as a two-hour tutorial (students attend the same tutorial each week).

Lectures are delivered by the course convenor and tutor(s), while tutorials involve group discussion, exercises, and project work, that require preparation and in-person participation.

Workload

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

WORKLOAD – STRUCTURED LEARNING TOTAL HOURS

1 x 1-hour lecture per week 12 hours per semester
1 x 2-hour tutorial per week 24 hours per semester

TOTAL = 36 hours per semester

WORKLOAD – SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING TOTAL HOURS

5 hours reading per week 60 hours per semester
3 hours research per week 36 hours per semester
2 hours assignment preparation per week 24 hours per semester
120 hours per semester

TOTAL = 156 hours per semester

Learning Activities Summary

No information currently available.

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 / WEIGHTING

Quizzes / 10%
Close-reading Exercise / 20%
Presentation and Report / 20%
Research Essay / 50%

Assessment Detail

Assessment Description

Quizzes
Fortnightly quizzes designed to test basic knowledge of course readings and lectures (10%)

Close-reading Exercise
Students are required to write a 1,000-word close analysis of a text chosen from a number of nominated options (drawn from the course) (20%)

Presentation and Report
Students will be required to work in small groups to prepare a short (15-minute) group presentation on a nominated topic. Students will be marked as individuals, assessed on the basis of their contribution to the presentation and on a short (500-word) written reflection on their role in the group (20%)

Final Research Essay
Students will be required to write a 2,500-word essay, making reference to two or more texts or cultural objects studied on the course, in answer to a question chosen from a number of circulated options (50%)

Submission

Submission is via the online portal on MyUni, and requires passing submitted work through Turnitin anti-plagiarism software.
Group project work is presented in-person, with supporting notes and reflection submtted online after the presentation.

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