| Semester 2, 2021 Online | |
| Short Description: | Writing 51²è¹Ý Nature |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts |
| School or Department : | School of Humanities & Communication |
| Student contribution band : | 2021 Grandfather Funding Cl 1 |
| ASCED code : | 100705 - Written Communication |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
Staffing
Examiner:
Requisites
Pre-requisite: CWR1001
Other Requisites
Students will require access to e-mail and to UConnect for this course.
Rationale
This course introduces students to a range of ways of writing about places, familiar and unfamiliar, real and imagined the natural world. Students will be supported in developing writing that reflects an awareness of current debates and practices within the field of nature writing. As well as an awareness of a range of ideas about the relationships between place, space, culture and identity.
The course will equip students with a range of skills required in the workforce, and in professional writing practice, including interpreting and responding to editorial guidelines, meeting deadlines, writing to purpose, and working with an editor to develop an essay from pitch to publication. In addition, this course provides students with opportunities to develop their editorial skills, through working as copy editor and proof-reader on a course-based magazine.
Synopsis
Effective and engaging narrative writing depends (among other things) on a clear and effective expression of place. In this course, students will explore a range of approaches to writing about place, focusing on the field of nature writing, including a range of sub-genres, such as environmental writing, and science writing. During the course, students will also learn about the form of the non-fiction essay, also known as the lyric or personal essay. Students will learn the skills required to write a personal essay for publication, including how to engage productively and professionally with the editorial process.
Objectives
On completion of this course, students will be able to:
- write engaging works that include a developing an awareness of the ways writers use language to write about nature
- use writing skills across a range of genres and forms;
- analyse and respond to editorial guidelines;
- produce writing that reflects a developing awareness of audience and market;
- identify, reflect on and adapt writing strategies and techniques used by professional writers;
- apply developing skills in rewriting, proofreading and editing;
- describe and reflection your writing practice.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Observational writing (field notes) | 15.00 |
| 2. | Deep reading skills (reading about nature) | 15.00 |
| 3. | Analysing and responding to editorial guidelines | 10.00 |
| 4. | The personal or lyric essay | 15.00 |
| 5. | Nature writing: genres and sub-genres | 15.00 |
| 6. | Structural editing, copy-editing and proofreading | 15.00 |
| 7. | Responding to editorial feedback | 15.00 |
Text and Materials
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2021&sem=02&subject1=CWR2002)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
Reference Materials
Student Workload Expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Directed Study | 39.00 |
| Independent Study | 126.00 |
Assessment Details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIRST DRAFT + STRUCTURAL EDITS | 100 | 25 | 30 Aug 2021 | |
| WORKSHOP PORTFOLIO | 100 | 25 | 15 Oct 2021 | (see note 1) |
| SECOND DRAFT + LINE EDITS | 100 | 25 | 18 Oct 2021 | |
| FINAL DRAFT | 100 | 25 | 22 Oct 2021 |
Notes
- You will be expected to complete a range of workshop development tasks throughout semester, including a set of five field notes, and five reading reflections. Due dates will be outline on the Study Desk.
Important assessment information
-
Attendance requirements:
Students must attend and complete the requirements of the Workplace Health and Safety training program for this course where required.
External and Online: There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students’ responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
On-campus: It is the students’ responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. -
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. -
Penalties for late submission of required work:
Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4) -
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course. -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course. -
Examination information:
There is no examination for this course. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Deferred and Supplementary examinations will be held in accordance with the Assessment Procedure . -
University Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at .
Other Requirements
-
Students can expect that questions in assessment items in this course may draw upon knowledge and skills that they can reasonably be expected to have acquired before enrolling in the course. This includes knowledge contained in pre-requisite courses and appropriate communication, information literacy, analytical, critical thinking, problem solving or numeracy skills. Students who do not possess such knowledge and skills should not expect to achieve the same grades as those students who do possess them.