Literary Studies: True Stories (8623.4)
| Available teaching periods | Delivery mode | Location |
|---|---|---|
| View teaching periods | ||
| EFTSL | Credit points | Faculty |
| 0.125 | 3 | Faculty Of Arts And Design |
| Discipline | Study level | HECS Bands |
| Discipline Of Creative And Cultural Practice | Level 1 - Undergraduate Introductory Unit | Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021) Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021) |
This unit is co-taught with unit 8754 Literary Studies: True Stories G.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this unit, students will be able to:1. Demonstrate an understanding of the similarities and differences between general non-fiction and narrative non-fiction writing;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the nature and range of narrative non-fiction writing, including sub-genres such as true crime, exposes and popular ideas;
3. Demonstrate an understanding of issues arising in the use of a narrative approach in telling true stories;
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the issues arising for practitioners in the relationships they form with their principal sources; and
5. Apply concepts presented in the research literature to the analysis of narrative non-fiction.
Graduate attributes
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
Prerequisites
None.Corequisites
None.Incompatible units
None.Equivalent units
None.Assumed knowledge
None.| Year | Location | Teaching period | Teaching start date | Delivery mode | Unit convener |
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Required texts
Prescribed text:
Kerrane, Kevin and Ben Yagoda, eds. The Art of Fact: An Historical Anthology of Literary Journalism, New York: Scribner, 1997.
Then you must choose a set of two books. These could either be the autobiography and biography of Lance Armstrong OR two books chosen from the list of works below. (In other words, you only choose two books in total from below.)
OPTION I: An autobiography and a biography:
Armstrong, Lance with Sally Jenkins, It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2000.
Walsh, David. Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong, London: Simon & Schuster, 2012.
OPTION II: Two of these works:
Garner, Helen. Joe Cinque's Consolation, Sydney: Macmillan, 2004.
Malan, Rian. My Traitor's Heart: A South African Exile Returns to Face his Country, his Tribe, and his Conscience, New York: Grove Press, 1990.
Hooper, Chloe. The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island, Camberwell: Hamish Hamilton, 2008.
Funder, Anna. Stasiland, Melbourne: Text Publishing, 2002.
Submission of assessment items
Special assessment requirements
On Deadlines, Late Penalties and Extensions:
Deadlines are an important professional discipline to learn. They are included in the university's generic skills and attributes under No. 5 working with others – "take responsibility for carrying out agreed tasks". Assignments submitted late without prior notification and without an extension granted will incur a penalty of 5% per day of total marks available for that item, including for weekends and public holidays. (For example, if an assessment item was submitted three days late a mark of 70% would be reduced to 55%.) If you require an extension it is important to ask for one before the due date. If a medical condition makes this impossible a doctor's or counsellor's certificate should be submitted to the unit convenor, normally within three days of the illness or incident. Lack of personal organisation, pressure of work, or computer problems are not valid reasons for requesting an extension. Please note that requests for extensions need to be granted by the unit convenor, not by your tutor. You can approach your tutor for an extension in the first instance but they will need to check with the unit convenor before granting the extension.
On Word Lengths:
There is flexibility in the allocated word lengths for your assessment items but it is not endless as the ability to write to a set word length remains a useful discipline for a professional writer to acquire. For the comparative book analysis and the essay or analysis of a writer's work, your work needs to be within 10% plus or minus of the allocated minimum or maximum word length. If you are beneath or go beyond these prescribed word lengths you will lose 10% of the total mark for the assessment item.
On Passing each Assessment:
Please note that for this unit it is not essential that you achieve a pass grade or better in each of the assessment items but given the weighting for each assessment item students will find it difficult to pass the unit without passing all three assessment items.
On any Questions or Concerns or Confusion:
If you are confused about the requirements or procedure for assessment tasks, the onus is on students to clarify the issue by contacting the unit convenor. Students should also keep electronic copies of all work submitted and of all marked assignments until grades are formally awarded at the end of semester.
Moderation:
Moderation of assessment items and final results will be done by the unit convenor and tutors to ensure consistent standards across the cohort and the Literary Studies program.
Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.
Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.
UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).
UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.
Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.
Participation requirements
Attendance at lectures and tutorials is not compulsory but students, especially those in the first year of university study, will find it difficult to master the necessary concepts without regular attendance. Likewise, it will be difficult for students to get the maximum benefit from tutorials if they have not done the set reading in advance. It is also inconsiderate of other students if you expect tutors to go over lecture and reading material that should have been done beforehand. Please note that Assessment Item #2 requires some direct participation in tutorials.
Required IT skills
Word processing skills and the ability to use the Internet are assumed.
In-unit costs
Students are expected to access or purchase the prescribed text, The Art of Fact, as well as an autobiography and biography OR a pair of narrative nonfiction works. These costs could be upto $100 in total not including the student discount if you shop at the co-op bookshop.
Alternatively, you may choose to buy them through an online bookstore and at least some of the prescribed books are available in secondhand bookshops or online stores.
Work placement, internships or practicums
None.
Additional information
It is the student's responsibility to ensure that they are correctly enrolled in each unit and that the units are correct for their course of study. Students should confirm their unit enrolment details via OSIS (Online Student Information System) before the end of Week 2 of the semester.
