CQUniversity Unit Profile
HUMT20016 Research Dissertation Creative Writing A
Research Dissertation Creative Writing A
All details in this unit profile for HUMT20016 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

This unit requires you to write a substantial creative piece accompanied by an exegesis which will be completed in HUMT20017: Research Dissertation Creative Writing B, that is, the dissertation is the one sustained project not two separate term projects. The topic will be negotiated with a supervisor. The creative piece may be either Fiction, Poetry, Drama or any other approved mix and will be accompanied by a theoretically informed exegesis (critical commentary) of a combined length totaling 15 000–20 000 words. The creative piece will be expected to reflect a high level synthesis and stylistic application of the writing skills you have acquired through HUMT20012: Elements of Creative Writing I, HUMT20013: Elements of Creative Writing II, HUMT20014: Writing Short Fiction, and HUMT20015: Writing Poetry and Short Dramatic Pieces. The Dissertation will be formatted using Harvard Author-Date Referencing Style.

Details

Career Level: Postgraduate
Unit Level: Level 9
Credit Points: 12
Student Contribution Band: 10
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.25

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Prerequisites: HUMT20012 Elements of Creative Writing I HUMT20013 Elements of Creative Writing II HUMT20014 Writing Short Fiction HUMT20015 Writing Poetry and Short Dramatic Pieces

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 1 - 2018

Distance

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 12-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Written Assessment
Weighting: 10%
2. Written Assessment
Weighting: 40%
3. Written Assessment
Weighting: 50%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

Previous Student Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from Change Program - Master of Letters (CF08)

Feedback

Beginning Term 1, 2018, HUMT20016 will form the first Research Dissertation unit for the new Master of Letters (Creative Writing) program.

Recommendation

Beginning Term 1, 2018, HUMT20016 will form the first Research Dissertation unit for the new Master of Letters (Creative Writing) course.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a systematic and coherent knowledge of the stylistic principles in one or more creative writing techniques
  2. Demonstrate skills in developing a broad understanding of contemporary creative writing knowledge
  3. Critically apply concepts and advanced understanding in one or more specialised area of technical creative writing practice
  4. Apply knowledge of research principles and methods and technical research skills to the design and execution of a sustained creative writing project in one or more disciplines or areas of creative writing genre and practice.

N/A

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Written Assessment - 10%
2 - Written Assessment - 40%
3 - Written Assessment - 50%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Knowledge
2 - Communication
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills
4 - Research
5 - Self-management
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility
7 - Leadership
8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes

Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 - Written Assessment - 10%
2 - Written Assessment - 40%
3 - Written Assessment - 50%
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

There are no required textbooks.

Additional Textbook Information

There are no set texts for the dissertation. Please consult with your supervisor.

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Nicole Anae Unit Coordinator
n.anae@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 05 Mar 2018

Module/Topic

HUMT20016 will be offered for the first time in Term 1 2019

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 2 Begin Date: 12 Mar 2018

Module/Topic

HUMT20016 will be offered for the first time in Term 1 2019

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 3 Begin Date: 19 Mar 2018

Module/Topic

HUMT20016 will be offered for the first time in Term 1 2019


Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 4 Begin Date: 26 Mar 2018

Module/Topic

HUMT20016 will be offered for the first time in Term 1 2019

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assignment 1: Proposal for Creative Project Due: Week 4 Friday (30 Mar 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 5 Begin Date: 02 Apr 2018

Module/Topic

HUMT20016 will be offered for the first time in Term 1 2019

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Vacation Week Begin Date: 09 Apr 2018

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 6 Begin Date: 16 Apr 2018

Module/Topic

HUMT20016 will be offered for the first time in Term 1 2019

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 7 Begin Date: 23 Apr 2018

Module/Topic

HUMT20016 will be offered for the first time in Term 1 2019

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 8 Begin Date: 30 Apr 2018

Module/Topic

HUMT20016 will be offered for the first time in Term 1 2019

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 9 Begin Date: 07 May 2018

Module/Topic

HUMT20016 will be offered for the first time in Term 1 2019

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 10 Begin Date: 14 May 2018

Module/Topic

HUMT20016 will be offered for the first time in Term 1 2019

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 11 Begin Date: 21 May 2018

Module/Topic

HUMT20016 will be offered for the first time in Term 1 2019

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 12 Begin Date: 28 May 2018

Module/Topic

HUMT20016 will be offered for the first time in Term 1 2019

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Written Assessment 2 - Work-in-Progress: Drafting the Exegesis Due: Week 12 Friday (1 June 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Written Assessment 3 - Final Creative Piece (Creative Artefact) Due: Week 12 Friday (1 June 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week Begin Date: 04 Jun 2018

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Exam Week Begin Date: 11 Jun 2018

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment Tasks

1 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Assignment 1: Proposal for Creative Project

Task Description

A proposal should be prepared and submitted for approval, and there are a number of factors that should be included. Taken together, the artefact and exegesis will need to demonstrate mastery of a field or genre, and should make a significant/original contribution to new knowledge.

The Proposal

The proposal is a statement of intention, typically 2500-3000 words of what you intend to work on in producing a 'creative artefact'. The type of detail included in the proposal depends on the type of artefact intended. The proposal must specify what you intend to achieve within the duration of this unit - Creative Writing Research Dissertation A. You must research and understand the elements of literary style charactersing your intended genre if you intent to produce creative work within that genre.

There are a number of possible foci for the proposal (these may become key points):

  • A clear conceptualisation of the project including a rationale (i.e. the exegesis, while it does include a number of components, should focus on the artefact in question - it is not a separate essay that focuses on other things);
  • A description of the 'standard' to which the work aspires based on research (e.g., if you intend on writing a 'children's story' then state the indicators for this genre and the literary qualities that make your creative artefact a children's story and not some other genre);
  • Characteristics of the chosen genre and how the artefact contributes, reworks, experiments with and/or affirms these and why; Some idea of the method to be used in producing the artefact (i.e. beyond just sitting and writing - what research is needed, how will this influence what is written, timelines, etc);
  • Where appropriate, a brief review of relevant subject matter (e.g. many artefacts focus on historical figures, and so some research on this figure and the context in which they lived might be appropriate).
  • Flawless presentation including grammatical correctness and Harvard style referencing.


Assessment Due Date

Week 4 Friday (30 Mar 2018) 5:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Week 6 Monday (16 Apr 2018)


Weighting
10%

Assessment Criteria

The project proposal will be assessed according to the extent to which:

  • the proposal evidences that it will carry-out a clearly articulated set of outcomes in reference to the genre and form of the writing project (e.g., writing the first chapter of a novel, writing a series of ten poems, writing a dramatic script, writing a short story, writing a children's book, etc.);
  • the proposal identifies the specific style in which the content of the creative artefact will be written (e.g., fantasy, magic realism, horror, Gothic, paranormal, realism, historical, etc.);
  • the proposal of the creative artefact represents an original piece of writing according to the chosen genre, and is of an achievable standard shown via a week-by-week timeline indicating what is to be undertaken and when in the writing process (including milestones, e.g., benchmarks achieved leading up to your First Draft, and benchmarks achieved leading up to your Final Draft);
  • the proposal is presented in a flawless literary presentation, formatting and referencing (Harvard Author-Date system);
  • the proposal includes at least 5 references identified as important in ensuring that your creative artefact is informed by the literary and stylistic conventions of your chosen genre and specified style in which the content will be written.



Referencing Style

Submission

No submission method provided.


Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Demonstrate a systematic and coherent knowledge of the stylistic principles in one or more creative writing techniques
  • Demonstrate skills in developing a broad understanding of contemporary creative writing knowledge
  • Critically apply concepts and advanced understanding in one or more specialised area of technical creative writing practice
  • Apply knowledge of research principles and methods and technical research skills to the design and execution of a sustained creative writing project in one or more disciplines or areas of creative writing genre and practice.


Graduate Attributes
  • Knowledge
  • Communication
  • Cognitive, technical and creative skills
  • Research
  • Self-management
  • Ethical and Professional Responsibility
  • Leadership

2 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Written Assessment 2 - Work-in-Progress: Drafting the Exegesis

Task Description

The exegesis ('explanation or interpretation') is a piece of 'critical' writing (to distinguish this from the 'creative' writing of the artefact). Typically, an exegesis is no more than 25-33% of the dissertation/creative artefact. At this stage of the process, this item is a work-in-progress only. It is not intended as a final exegesis by any means. The aim is to develop a number of simple recording methods to help you track your creative process and progress. It is only when the creative process is actually finished (typically by the end of this unit), that you should start analysing the process you used, the decisions you made and the context you made them in (this phase commences in HUMT20017).

Simple recording methods might include:

• Keeping a visual diary of your work, showing its progress and transformations.

• Keeping written notes alongside the visuals.

• Keeping a blog or informal journal to reflect on such things as your intentions, ideas, methods, problems, reading.

 You may also start to develop a brief literature review of relevant subject matter (e.g. many artefacts focus on historical figures, and so some research on this figure and the context in which they lived might be appropriate).


Assessment Due Date

Week 12 Friday (1 June 2018) 5:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Exam Week Monday (11 June 2018)


Weighting
40%

Assessment Criteria

This item is a work-in-progress only. It will be assessed on the extent to which it:

  • Presents an informal approach to recording and analysing the creative writing processes in progress
  • Presents an informal approach to recording and considering the context that has engendered or informed the creative writing work in progress
  • Presents an informal approach to recognising and ensuring a balance between creative writing theory and practice
  • Presents an informed approach to submitting the draft exegesis on time and in an appropriate format



Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Submit online using the assessment item submission platform via the unit moodle site.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Demonstrate a systematic and coherent knowledge of the stylistic principles in one or more creative writing techniques
  • Demonstrate skills in developing a broad understanding of contemporary creative writing knowledge
  • Critically apply concepts and advanced understanding in one or more specialised area of technical creative writing practice
  • Apply knowledge of research principles and methods and technical research skills to the design and execution of a sustained creative writing project in one or more disciplines or areas of creative writing genre and practice.


Graduate Attributes
  • Knowledge
  • Communication
  • Cognitive, technical and creative skills
  • Research
  • Self-management
  • Ethical and Professional Responsibility
  • Leadership

3 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Written Assessment 3 - Final Creative Piece (Creative Artefact)

Task Description

This unit requires the student to write a substantial creative piece. This piece will be accompanied by an exegesis which will be completed in HUMT20017, Research Dissertation B: Creative Writing, that is, the dissertation is the one sustained project not two separate term projects.

The creative piece may be either Fiction, Poetry, Drama or any other approved mix (around approx. 15 000 words in length). This piece will be accompanied by a theoretically informed exegesis completed in HUMT20017, making the final combined length of the whole dissertation around 15 000–20 000 words.

The creative piece will also be expected to reflect the writing skills acquired through Elements of Writing 1 and 2, as well as the other two coursework courses.



Assessment Due Date

Week 12 Friday (1 June 2018) 5:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Exam Week Friday (15 June 2018)


Weighting
50%

Assessment Criteria

This final creative writing artefact will be assessed on the extent to which:

  • The dissertation makes an original contribution to the genre with which it deals (including presenting imaginative perspectives, and/or new insights about the creative enterprise);
  • The proficiency of the creative component in its treatment of the chosen medium and/or genre, and the extent to which it affords evidence of substantial originality in conception, innovation, and/or execution;
  • Evidence of the quality of the creative writing component of the dissertation (creative artefact) as regards their form, style and presentation (including organization, attention to detail, structure, expression, spelling);
  • Satisfies the word length requirements (approx. 15 000 words in length);
  • Demonstrates mastery of creative writing craft.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Submit online using the assessment item submission platform via the unit moodle site.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Demonstrate a systematic and coherent knowledge of the stylistic principles in one or more creative writing techniques
  • Demonstrate skills in developing a broad understanding of contemporary creative writing knowledge
  • Critically apply concepts and advanced understanding in one or more specialised area of technical creative writing practice
  • Apply knowledge of research principles and methods and technical research skills to the design and execution of a sustained creative writing project in one or more disciplines or areas of creative writing genre and practice.


Graduate Attributes
  • Knowledge
  • Communication
  • Cognitive, technical and creative skills
  • Research
  • Self-management
  • Ethical and Professional Responsibility
  • Leadership

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?