This course will examine how literary texts contain layers of concealment, deception and revelation. We will examine how the act of storytelling constructs the storyteller, whether an identifiable person as narrator or a shadowy presence behind the text. We will examine what makes narrators and narratives reliable or unreliable, how they may seek to deceive the reader or themselves, and how they may deliberately or unwittingly reveal themselves in ways that skillful readers can discern. This course will survey a range of literary forms and genres, examining how narratives and narrators are constructed, and how both close reading and contextual background can reveal unexpected complexities in texts. Through taking this course you will develop skills in careful reading and persuasive writing and in using scholarly research resources, as well as participating in an intellectual community through attentive listening, thoughtful response and respectful debate.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. critically analyse a range of textual forms with attention to how they are constructed;
2. communicate effectively across multiple modes;
3. participate in our intellectual community through attentive listening and thoughtful response;
4. summarise, evaluate and analyse a range of secondary sources; and
5. create and present a persuasive argument.  

Required Resources

William Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale, CUP, 2007 (ISBN: 9780521293730)

Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, Penguin Classics, 2003 (ISBN: 9780141439792)

Larissa Behrendt, After Story, University of Queensland Press, 2022 (ISBN: 9780702265808)

These items are available from Harry Hartog Bookstore on campus: 153-11 University Avenue. They are also available through multiple online outlets.

Please get the specified editions.

Other reading resources will be made available via the Wattle site throughout the course.

Recommended Resources

Whether you are on campus or studying remotely, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Indicative Participation mark by request (Week 6)
• Essays will receive rubric feedback, grade and written comments or optional consultation
• Written tasks will receive rubric feedback, grade, and written comments
• Exams will receive a mark

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Referencing requirements

For Assessment Task 2: Essay, secondary sources may be used. It is strongly advised that you consult the readings listed on Wattle BEFORE you undertake other research. Introductions in your required editions of the texts are good secondary sources. Remember, they are a form of scholarship and should be cited as a source separate to the text itself. Any other sources consulted must be scholarly sources. If you use information from a secondary source it should be to develop your own argument. To this end, if you use material from a secondary source, do one of the following: critique it, compare it to other sources, extend it, offer new examples for it from the primary text. Always attribute ideas clearly through accurate referencing that includes page numbers. Do not stitch together secondary source material to make your argument for you. Marks are not awarded for quantity of secondary references; only for the contribution they make to your own argument. Haphazard web ‘research’ is strongly discouraged. Use of unscholarly sources such as Wikipedia, Sparknotes, Cliff Notes, Schmoop etc. is easily detected and severely penalised. If you need a ‘starting place’, revise lecture content or consult recommended reading. Seminar content may be referenced by the presenter's name and date. To learn more about formulating an original argument and correct use of scholarly sources please attend the Week 9 Seminar on essay reading and writing.

Style guide for written work

1. Format

You must leave a margin of approximately 2cm on each side of your page

Your text should be double-spaced.

Please number your pages.

2. Style

QUOTATIONS:

If they do not exceed two or three lines, quotations should appear in the text in inverted commas, “like this.”

If quotations are longer, they should be set apart from the main text (skip a line), without inverted commas, indented and single-spaced.

Quotations should fit with the syntax or flow of your sentence, or otherwise should be separately introduced (see examples below).

Deletions from quotations should be indicated by three full stops (…), and additions by yourself should be enclosed in square brackets [thus].

All quotations should be followed by a page reference; for poems: section and/or line reference; for plays: page reference, or act and line reference as appropriate.

Examples:

In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the Duchess insists that “Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it” (95).

In Through the Looking Glass, Alice is indifferent to the transience of beauty:

What mattered it to her just then that the rushes had begun to fade, and to lose all their scent and beauty, from the very moment she had picked them? (215)

TITLES OF WORKS REFERRED TO:

a) Titles of books, plays and films, long poems, and periodicals should be italicized or underlined.

book, play or film: The Bell Jar; The Merchant of Venice; Clueless

long poem: Paradise Lost; The Waste Land

periodical: Film Quarterly

b) Titles of chapters, articles, essays, short stories and short poems in collections or periodicals should be put in “inverted commas”:

chapter, article or essay: “Down the Rabbit-Hole”; “Emma becomes Clueless”

short story or short poem: “Bliss”; “London’s Summer Morning”

3. Citation of sources

A suggested means of documenting your published sources is that recommended by the Modern Language Association in its MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 8th edition. Useful summaries of the relevant guidelines are available here:

https://style.mla.org and here: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

All you have to do to acknowledge the sources of direct quotations is to include a Bibliography at the back of your essay, with the relevant publication details. When you incorporate a quotation from the text in your essay, cite the author’s name and the relevant page number(s) in brackets immediately following the second pair of inverted commas, or just the page number if the author is clear from the context. If your bibliography contains several works by the same author, identify your citation by author name and title or shortened title.

EXAMPLES OF CITATION IN TEXT:

Henry Giroux argues that youth are often portrayed in Hollywood films as “dangerous, mindless, addicted to drugs or socially irresponsible” (284).

Chris Crawford argues that “The Sims does not come close to true interactive storytelling” (“Interactive” 261).

EXAMPLE BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Crawford, Chris. “Interactive Storytelling.” The Video Game Theory Reader, edited by Mark J.P. Wolf and Bernard Perron, Routledge, 2003, pp. 259-74.

—. The Art of Computer Game Design. McGraw-Hill, 1984.

Giroux, Henry A. “Neoliberalism and the Disappearance of the Social in Ghost World.” Third Text, vol.17, no.2, 2003, pp. 151-161.

Note that not all items in your bibliography may be quoted in the text; however, you should list in the bibliography all sources that have influenced your thinking in writing the essay.

HOW TO CITE A BOOK:

Last name, First name. Title. Publisher, year of publication.

Example:

McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics. Harper, 1994.

HOW TO CITE A CHAPTER OR ARTICLE IN A BOOK:

Author Last name, First name. “Chapter/Article Title.” Book Title, edited by First Name Last name, Publisher, year of publication, pp. page numbers.

Example:

Crawford, Chris. “Interactive Storytelling.” The Video Game Theory Reader, edited by Mark J.P. Wolf and Bernard Perron, Routledge, 2003,pp. 259-74.

HOW TO CITE A JOURNAL ARTICLE:

Last name, First name. “Article title.” Journal Title, vol. number, no. number, year of publication, pp. page numbers.

Example:

Giroux, Henry A. “Neoliberalism and the Disappearance of the Social in Ghost World.” Third Text, vol.17, no.2, 2003, pp. 151-161.

HOW TO CITE A MAGAZINE/NEWSPAPER/JOURNAL ARTICLE FROM AN ONLINE SOURCE:

Author Last name, First name. “Article Title.” Publication Title or Name of Website. Day month year of publication/posting. Exact URL of content (not the main webpage).

Example:

Doane, Rex. “A Conversation with Terry Zwigoff and Daniel Clowes.” Salon.com, 27 July 2001. http://dir.salon.com/people/conv/2001/07/27/zwigoff_clowes/index.html?pn=1

HOW TO CITE A FILM:

Film Title. Dir. Director’s first name last name. Distributor or production company, year of release.

Example:

On Our Selection. Dir. Ken G. Hall. Cinesound, 1932.

HOW TO CITE A NEWSPAPER (OR OTHER PUBLICATION) ARTICLE WITH NO AUTHOR:

“Article title.” Title of newspaper. Date, edition (if required), pp. page number.

Example:

“Study Ties Self-Delusion to Successful Marriages.” New York Times, 2 Jan. 1998, late ed., pp. A11.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Seminar: Introduction: Ways of Reading; Tutorials
2	Seminar: Reading Poetry; Tutorials	Writing task 1 (in-class): the sonnet
3	Seminar: Reading Plays: William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale; Tutorials
4	Shakespeare workshops	Writing task 2 (take-home): The Winter's Tale
5	Seminar: Reading Novels: Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey; Tutorials
6	Seminar: Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey; Tutorials	Writing task 3 (in-class): Northanger Abbey
7	Seminar: Reading Short Stories; Tutorials
8	Seminar: Reading Film: Christopher Nolan's Memento; optional 1:1 essay consultations	Writing task 4 (take-home): Memento
9	Seminar: Reading Essays; Writing Essays
10	Seminar: The Personal Essay: Tutorials	Essay
11	Seminar: Reading the Literary Past: Larissa Behrendt's After Story
12	Seminar: Reading the Literary Past: Larissa Behrendt's After Story	Writing task 5 (in-class): After Story

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Learning Outcomes
Participation	10 %	1, 2, 3
Essay or Exam	40 %	1, 2, 4, 5
Writing Tasks	50 %	1, 2, 4, 5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Participation

A participation grade is given based on tutor monitoring throughout the semester.

To score a strong participation mark, observe the four Cs:

Come to all classes: seminars, tutorials, and Week 4 workshops

Contribute comments and questions that reflect reading, attentiveness to lectures, and preparation

Co-operate by being receptive and responsive to others' ideas

Consistent engagement across the semester

For unanticipated, one-off circumstances of personal illness or misadventure notify your tutor via Wattle. For longer absences, to avoid being penalised for non-participation, you will need to submit medical or other documentation to cover the period of your absence/non-participation.

Value: 10%

Assessment Task 2

Essay or Exam

The Essay integrates skills and knowledge developed throughout the course in a sustained written response. Students are required to revise and expand the content of one or two of their Writing Tasks (see below), incorporating the feedback they have received.

PLEASE NOTE: No late submissions are permitted for Assessment 2: Essay. Students who do submit this task by the due date will be automatically registered to sit for the exam. The exam will be held in the exam period at the end of semester. It offers an equivalent assessment opportunity. There is no penalty attached to taking the exam instead of the essay and you may simply prefer to take the exam.

Assessment Criteria: Your work will be judged on the extent to which it demonstrates:

a) comprehension: understanding of the question, and of the text(s) that reflects consistent attention to the course

b) revision and editing: correction of errors and incorporation of feedback from relevant Writing Task(s)

c) argument: clear claim developed in a logical sequence of paragraphs with clear topic sentences

d) evidence: specific examples and quotations from primary sources are used to support your points

e) analysis: identify linguistic, structural and stylistic features and discuss their functions to support your points

f) research: achieve a balanced and clearly attributed integration of secondary source material with own argument

g) communication: clear expression; appropriate register; correct grammar, punctuation and spelling

h) presentation: correct margins, spacing, page numbering

i) referencing: use appropriate scholarly sources; cite secondary sources correctly (style guide provided below)

In Week 9 the Seminar will be dedicated to essays: reading essays as a form, skills for writing essays, and an opportunity for you to ask questions about the essay task. Visit https://academicskills.anu.edu.au/ for a range of resources and workshops to assist with essay writing. More information and a detailed marking rubric will be provided on Wattle.

NOTE: Secondary sources are recommended for this task but make sure you read the text(s) carefully first. Use listed readings before you conduct other research. Make sure you use only scholarly sources. Make sure you attribute ideas accurately using correct citation and referencing (see below). Never present ideas from other sources or study guides as your own.

Word limit: 2000

Value: 40%

Due: Week 10

Students have the option of completing an exam instead of the essay for Assessment 2.The exam will be two hours long and will consist of two passage analysis/image analysis questions to be answered in essay form. Passages/images will be provided from texts/film on the course.

Assessment criteria:

a) comprehension: of the item's importance to the text/film from which it comes

b) argument: cogent and original point(s)

c) evidence: specific examples to support your point

d) analysis: insightful identification of textual/cinematic features and their functions

e) communication: clear expression; correct grammar and punctuation.

Time limit: 2 hours

Value: 40%

Due: TBA (at least one week after the end of Week 12).

Assessment Task 3

Writing Tasks

Short, guided Writing Tasks are designed to support the development of essential skills in close textual analysis, argumentation, use of evidence, and engagement with secondary sources. Each task will focus on a different text in the course. Writing tasks will comprise a mixture of take-home and in-class tasks. Tasks will be returned with comments prior to the following task.

Assessment criteria: Your work will be judged on the extent to which it demonstrates:

a) engagement: responding to the question

b) comprehension: understanding of the text as a whole and detailed insight into given passage

c) argument: clear and original point(s); where relevant: balanced and clearly attributed integration of secondary source material with own argument

d) evidence: specific examples and quotations are used from primary sources to support points

e) analysis: identifying features of language and form; discussing their functions to support your points

f) communication: clear expression; correct grammar, punctuation and spelling

Word limit: 2500 words (5 tasks; 500 words each)

Value: 50% (5 tasks worth 10% each)

Due: Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 12

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) as submission must be through Turnitin. Writing tasks 2 and 4, and 'Essay' will be submitted online. Look under the ‘Assessments’ heading for relevant submission links. Please keep a copy of these assessments for your records.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand-written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension is penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

No late submission is permitted for Assessment Task 2: Essay. If you do not submit this task on time you sit the exam instead.

No late submission is permitted for Assessment 3: in-class writing tasks 1, 3, 5.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Returning Assignments

Work submitted will be returned in class or online via Wattle. All work will be returned within three weeks of submission.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

In the following circumstances a student may be permitted or required to resubmit their assignment or to undertake an alternative assignment:

• The student’s work constitutes poor academic practice on account of plagiarism or other dishonest practice. See http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/academic-honesty-plagiarism
• The student’s work (submitted on time) receives a borderline pass or fail grade

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students