KWB117 Australian Voices: Writing and Practice

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

The ability to recognise, analyse and engage with key aspects of one’s national writing culture is an important part of a professional writer's practice. This unit analyses works of contemporary Australian writing focusing on how writing culture in Australia is positioned in terms of industry, genre, and changing concepts of authorship practice. This unit equips you with creative writing and analytical skills in a range of Australian contexts. It offers reading and discussion of contemporary prize-winning works and an understanding of the writing and broader cultural contexts of their publication.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Demonstrate the analytical abilities required to write a short essay on an aspect of contemporary Australian writing practice.
2. Develop the reflective abilities required to write a creative response to a contemporary Australian work of creative writing.
3. Edit and rewrite a creative work collaboratively through participation in peer critique groups.

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit adopts an integrated program of lectures and tutorials, with a balance of small group, large group, online and individual activities. Guided tutorial activities and critical discussion of writing theories and works will form the backbone of most tutorials. You are encouraged to develop your understanding of the theoretical content of the course through writing and analysis, and through engagement with contemporary issues in writing. Workshopping of works in progress will be part of some tutorials.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:

• Formative feedback on your progress in this unit during tutorials and discussions throughout the semester
• Peer feedback
• Comments on summative assessment work in addition to criteria sheets
• Criteria sheet grading

Assessment

Overview

Assessment in this unit consists of two items, an essay and a creative work. The essay is intended to measure your ability to demonstrate the analytical abilities required to write a short essay on an aspect of contemporary Australian writing practice. The creative work is intended to measure your ability to develop the reflective abilities required to write a creative response to a contemporary Australian work of creative writing, and to edit and rewrite a creative work collaboratively through participation in peer critique groups.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Essay

A 1500-word essay.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Written Creative Response

A 2000-word piece of fiction or creative nonfiction suitable for publication.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

All students and staff are required to complete the Tier 1 CIF General Health and Safety Induction for access to campus buildings and facilities. This must be completed online.

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.

Course Learning Outcomes

KK34 Bachelor of Fine Arts

1. Cite and discuss a broad and coherent knowledge of historical and contemporary cultural contexts for creative practice, including the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges.
   Relates to: ULO1, ULO2
2. Demonstrate technical proficiency in at least one area of your field of creative practice.
   Relates to: ULO2
3. Communicate independent learning clearly and coherently in diverse modes relevant to your field of creative practice.
   Relates to: ULO1
4. Formulate and apply an independent perspective through reflection and by acting on the informed critique of others.
   Relates to: ULO3
5. Operate with initiative, ethical judgement and professionalism in creative practice, both alone and in groups.
   Relates to: ULO3