Skip to main content
Unit outline_

ENGL2654: Novel Worlds

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit of study explores the rise of novel reading in English as an educative, aesthetic and passionate practice from the 17th century to the present. The unit moves chronologically to examine how novels and the world came to be understood as mutually constitutive, how novels create and sustain attachments amongst their readers, how the genre of the novel became available for interrogations of national, gendered, "racial", sexual and class identity, of liberty and intellectual emancipation, and of pleasure.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
12 credit points at 1000 level in English
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Lucas Thompson, lucas.thompson@sydney.edu.au
Guest lecturer(s) Bruce Gardiner, bruce.gardiner@sydney.edu.au
Nicola Parsons, nicola.parsons@sydney.edu.au
Isabelle Hesse, isabelle.hesse@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Lucas Thompson, lucas.thompson@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s) Nicola Parsons, nicola.parsons@sydney.edu.au
Matthew Sussman, matthew.sussman@sydney.edu.au
Blythe Worthy, blythe.worthy@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Written Exercise 1
Written Exercise 1
30% Week 04
Due date: 18 Sep 2020 at 11:58
1000wd
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
Assignment Written Exercise 2
Written Exercise 2
30% Week 07
Due date: 16 Oct 2020 at 11:59
1000wd
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
Assignment Final Essay
Final Essay
40% Week 12
Due date: 20 Nov 2020 at 11:59
2250wd
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Outline (Cusk) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 02 Outline (Cusk) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Roxana (Defoe) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Introduction/Outline (Cusk) Tutorial (1 hr) LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 03 Roxana (Defoe) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
The Wrongs of Woman (Shelley) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Outline (Cusk) Tutorial (1 hr) LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 04 The Wrongs of Woman (Shelley) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Portrait of a Lady (James) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Roxana Tutorial (1 hr) LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 06 Portrait of a Lady (James) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Portrait of a Lady (James) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
The Wrongs of Woman (Shelley) Tutorial (1 hr) LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 07 Ways of Reading Novels Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
To The Lighthouse (Woolf) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Portrait of a Lady Tutorial (1 hr) LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 08 To The Lighthouse (Woolf) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
To the Lighthouse (Woolf) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Portrait of a Lady (James) Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 09 Stoner (Williams) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Stoner (Williams) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
To The Lighthouse (Woolf) Tutorial (1 hr) LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 10 Stoner (Williams) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Gilead (Robinson) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Stoner (Williams) Tutorial (1 hr) LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 11 Gilead (Robinson) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Baddawi (Abdelrazaq) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Gilead (Robinson) Tutorial (1 hr) LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 12 Baddawi (Abdelrazaq) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Conclusion Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Baddawi Tutorial (1 hr) LO4 LO5 LO6

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
  • Lecture recording: All lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and be made available to students on the LMS. 
  • Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

~ Rachel Cusk, Outline (2014)

~ Daniel Defoe, Roxana (1724) (preferably the Oxford World Classics Edition: https://global.oup.com/ukhe/product/roxana-9780199536740?cc=au〈=en&)

~ Mary Wollstonecraft, The Wrongs of Woman (preferably in a Oxford World's Classics edition, which comes with the novel Mary, 2009). Or ree e-version by Project Gutenberg here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/134

~ Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady (1881) (Preferably Penguin Classics Edition). But please try and obtain the revised, New York edition, first published in 1908. Both the Penguin and Vintage versions are easily obtainable and use this text.

~ Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse (1926) (Preferably the Penguin)

~ John Williams, Stoner (1965) (Preferably the New York Review of Books edition: https://www.nyrb.com/products/stoner?variant=1094931381)

~ Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (2004)

~ Leila Abdelrazaq, Baddawi (2015)

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate critical and analytical skills in reading a range of novels from the 18th-century to the present
  • LO2. demonstrate basic knowledge of the aesthetic innovations and theories of the novel
  • LO3. analyse the broader significance of the novel in relation to its social worlds in a range of historical and geographic contexts
  • LO4. exhibit communication and argumentation skills through in-class activities and unit assessments
  • LO5. engage with peers in online spaces and the classroom in a constructive and responsible manner.
  • LO6. Develop skills across several modes of literary analysis and research

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Many changes have been made since this unit was last offered, based on student feedback. Several texts have been altered, and the assessment structure has also been refined.

More information related to this unit will be provided in class and on Canvas.

Additional costs

There are no additional costs for this unit

Site visit guidelines

There are no site visit guidelines for this unit

Work, health and safety

There are no specific WHS requirements for this unit

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.