Overview
This unit gives you an opportunity to undertake an independent project with an emphasis on how society, history, culture or politics have been framed within literature from different traditions, locations and at different periods of time, and to think across traditional boundaries to demonstrate how literature and culture are interrelated. The project is flexible and will be designed by you in consultation with academic supervisors to meet negotiated and specific project learning outcomes. It will involve academic research into a body of literature in the context of contemporary issues and culture.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Admission to CC10 or completion of 90 credit points in CA10, CB94, CC13, CG85 or CC43.
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 2 - 2024
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).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
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.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
- Develop a critical research question and objectives for an independent comparative literary project, informed by individual interests and scholarly inquiry
- Collect and critically evaluate relevant literary texts and published scholarly criticism using initiative and judgement
- Plan and execute a literary project that combines independent research and original textual analysis, and displays a sustained sense of social/historical/cultural/political context
- Complete a substantive written project that demonstrates a synthesis of knowledge, theory and research to a professional standard.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Research Proposal - 15% | ||||
| 2 - Annotated bibliography - 25% | ||||
| 3 - Project (research) - 60% | ||||
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 | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Microsoft Teams
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
a.hickling@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction to Comparative Literature + Genres of comparison (Method)
Chapter
All readings will be available in the e-reading list and within relevant topic tiles.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Students should:
- Access the Microsoft Teams group for the unit and introduce themselves via the Introductions channel.
- Familiarise themselves with the assessments via the Assessments Tile.
- Add the assessment due dates to their personal calendar or schedule; and
- Make note of the "Assessment Extension Request" form in the Support Menu.
Module/Topic
“How to read a book” + Writing a research question + Practices of comparison (including choosing texts for comparison)
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Students should:
- Work through the materials on developing their research question.
- Begin thinking about the texts they would like to compare for the final project
Module/Topic
Comparative Literature & Decoloniality + Towards World Literature + Writing a research proposal
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Students should:
- Be confident about the development of their research question.
- Have chosen their texts for comparison.
- Lock in the date and time for a one-on-one zoom feedback session with the UC during week 5 – in this feedback student and UC will discuss the suitability of the texts chosen for comparison and the research question. Further information on this will be provided on Moodle.
Module/Topic
Modes of Comparison + Creating your research literature library/catalogue
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Students should:
- Check assessment 1 against the Marking Guide prior to submission.
- Submit Assessment 1.
- Be gathering and cataloguing their research for use in the annotated bibliography (A2).
Research proposal Due: Week 4 Friday (2 Aug 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Close Reading versus Distant Reading + the Annotated bibliography
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Students should:
- Have their zoom consult with UC to review A1 feedback and confirm research question and texts for comparison.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Continue/complete the annotated bibliography module/topic to draft and complete assessment 2.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Students should:
- Be drafting A2 annotated bibliography.
Module/Topic
Formatting, editing & proofreading.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Students should:
- Be revising/polishing A2. Check against marking guide for gaps.
- Submit Assessment 2
Annotated bibliography Due: Week 7 Friday (30 Aug 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
How to: From Annotated Bibliography to Literature Review
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Students should be:
- Considering how to approach the organisation of their literature review based on the learnings from the module/topic.
Module/Topic
Conducting analysis: diving deeper into the comparison.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Students should:
- Be documenting their analysis.
Module/Topic
Pulling it all together: Writing / Compiling your research project.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Students should:
- Have a clear outline of their project sections.
Module/Topic
Conclusion: Futures of comparative literature + Editing and proofreading.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Students should:
- Be revising assessment 3.
- Check their research project against the marking guide to look for any gaps.
Module/Topic
Finalising Project Week: No new unit content.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Students should:
- Be proofreading and editing assessment 3.
- Be ready to submit.
- Submit A3.
Research project Due: Week 12 Friday (4 Oct 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Research Proposal
For this assessment, you are expected to develop a critical research question and objectives for an independent comparative literary project, informed by individual interests and scholarly inquiry, and which addresses a social/historical/cultural/political issue. You will articulate a clear method for investigating the research question. The goal is to demonstrate the ability to conceptualise and design an original research project that contributes to the field of comparative literature.
Learning Outcomes:
1 - Develop a critical research question and objectives for an independent comparative literary project, informed by individual interests and scholarly inquiry.
Mandatory One-on-One oral Feedback via Zoom:
This assessment will include a one-on-one oral feedback discussion with lecturer in week 5 facilitated via zoom (which will be locked in during week 3). This is designed for formative feedback that will confirm the suitability of the research question for the final project and the chosen texts for comparison.
You must pass assessment 1 and complete your oral feedback session in order to move on to assessment 2 and assessment 3. The result of the assessment 1 will be confirmed in the feedback session – if there are recommended significant changes to either the research question or the texts for comparison (or both), these will need to be addressed prior to the final ‘okay’ to progress with the project. This will be completed by you and lecturer no later than Tuesday of week 6 to ensure you have enough time to complete A2.
NOTE: Late assignments may receive a grade but no feedback.
This is an official assessment item and the rules of academic integrity apply. Students are expected to complete this assessment independently and adhere to the conditions associated with undertaking an assessment task.
Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)
Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents (including but not limited to ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot) is as follows:
- Gen AI may only be used within the constraints that are specified in individual assessment instructions within Moodle. Please refer to the unit website for those details.
- You must disclose all use of Gen AI in your submission.
- You are expected to reference how and where it has been used using the ALC reference guide as they have defined a mechanism for this.
Week 4 Friday (2 Aug 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 5 Friday (9 Aug 2024)
Returned ASAP
- Clarity and relevance of research question
- Suitability of proposed method of comparison
- Suitability of proposed texts for comparison
- Engagement with scholarly sources and correct Harvard (author-date) referencing style
- Overall Presentation, including clarity of written expression, logical structure/organisation, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Full descriptions of the assessment criteria will be provided in the assessment tiles in Moodle.
The criteria will be graded through a Marking Guide. The Marking Guide will be located beneath each assessment within Moodle (this replaces a traditional "matrix" or "rubric" document).
- Develop a critical research question and objectives for an independent comparative literary project, informed by individual interests and scholarly inquiry
2 Annotated bibliography
Length: 1200-1500 words (max 1500 words)
The purpose of an annotated bibliography in academic writing is to provide a comprehensive overview and critical evaluation of the sources relevant to a particular research topic.
This assessment requires you to research and select a minimum of 8 scholarly sources related to your research proposal topic and write a descriptive and evaluative paragraph for each source. This paragraph will summarise the main ideas and assess the source's relevance, quality, and credibility. The bibliography will demonstrate consideration of social/historical/cultural/political context. The annotated bibliography will be formatted in correct Harvard (author-date) referencing style. This assignment will help you to critically evaluate sources and begin synthesising research for your final research project: Assessment 3.
Learning Outcomes:
2. Collect and critically evaluate relevant literary texts and published scholarly criticism using initiative and judgement.
3. Plan and execute a literary project that combines independent research and original textual analysis, and displays a sustained sense of social/historical/cultural/political context.
NOTE: Late assignments may receive a grade but no feedback.
This is an official assessment item and the rules of academic integrity apply. Students are expected to complete this assessment independently and adhere to the conditions associated with undertaking an assessment task.
Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)
Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents (including but not limited to ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot) is as follows:
- Gen AI may only be used within the constraints that are specified in individual assessment instructions within Moodle. Please refer to the unit website for those details.
- You must disclose all use of Gen AI in your submission.
- You are expected to reference how and where it has been used using the ALC reference guide as they have defined a mechanism for this.
WORD COUNT for written assignments: The word count is considered from the first word of the Introduction to the last word of the Conclusion. It excludes the cover page, abstract, contents page, reference page and appendices. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.
Week 7 Friday (30 Aug 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 9 Friday (13 Sept 2024)
Returned ASAP
- Source selection, quality/credibility, and relevance.
- Critical analysis and evaluation of sources, including consideration of social/historical/cultural/political context as relevant to the research proposal.
- Correct use of Harvard (author-date) referencing style.
- Presentation and organisation/structure.
- Writing Skill, including clarity and spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Full descriptions of the assessment criteria will be provided in the assessment tiles in Moodle.
The criteria will be graded through a Marking Guide. The Marking Guide will be located beneath each assessment within Moodle (this replaces a traditional "matrix" or "rubric" document).
- Collect and critically evaluate relevant literary texts and published scholarly criticism using initiative and judgement
- Plan and execute a literary project that combines independent research and original textual analysis, and displays a sustained sense of social/historical/cultural/political context
3 Project (research)
Length: up to 6000 words
As part of your studies in Comparative Literature, you will undertake a substantial research project that will allow you to explore a literary topic of your choice in depth. This project aims to develop your skills in independent research, critical analysis, and scholarly writing, while also fostering an understanding of the broader social, historical, cultural, and political contexts that shape literary works.
This project begins within assessments 1 & 2, where you develop your research question, literary construct (theme, genre, style, time period, translation, etc), method of analysis and begin their research from a variety of primary and secondary sources. This project is the culmination of further extensive research, and analysis and comparison of how your chosen literary construct is represented and interpreted in different contexts.
Through this process, you will gain experience in the rich and evolving discipline of comparative literature, and in synthesising diverse works of literature through critical approaches.
This project is a substantial written work that demonstrates your ability to engage with complex literary concepts, articulate original insights, and situate their analysis within a broader scholarly discourse.
Learning Outcomes:
3. Plan and execute a literary project that combines independent research and original textual analysis, and displays a sustained sense of social/historical/cultural/political context.
4. Complete a substantive written project that demonstrates a synthesis of knowledge, theory and research to a professional standard.
NOTE: Late assignments may receive a grade but no feedback.
This is an official assessment item and the rules of academic integrity apply. Students are expected to complete this assessment independently and adhere to the conditions associated with undertaking an assessment task.
Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)
Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents (including but not limited to ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot) is as follows:
- Gen AI may only be used within the constraints that are specified in individual assessment instructions within Moodle. Please refer to the unit website for those details.
- You must disclose all use of Gen AI in your submission.
- You are expected to reference how and where it has been used using the ALC reference guide as they have defined a mechanism for this.
WORD COUNT for written assignments: The word count is considered from the first word of the Introduction to the last word of the Conclusion. It excludes the cover page, abstract, contents page, reference page and appendices. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.
Week 12 Friday (4 Oct 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Exam Week Friday (18 Oct 2024)
- Depth and breadth of research
- Critical engagement with sources
- Originality and insightfulness of analysis
- Coherence and clarity of argumentation
- Integration of Theoretical Frameworks and Contextual Awareness
- Quality of writing and scholarly presentation
- Correct citation and referencing practices
Full descriptions of the assessment criteria will be provided in the assessment tiles in Moodle.
The criteria will be graded through a Marking Guide. The Marking Guide will be located beneath each assessment within Moodle (this replaces a traditional "matrix" or "rubric" document).
- Plan and execute a literary project that combines independent research and original textual analysis, and displays a sustained sense of social/historical/cultural/political context
- Complete a substantive written project that demonstrates a synthesis of knowledge, theory and research to a professional standard.
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?
