| Semester 3, 2020 On-campus Springfield | |
| Short Description: | Writing for Young Readers |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts |
| School or Department : | School of Humanities & Communication |
| Student contribution band : | Band 1 |
| ASCED code : | 100705 - Written Communication |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
Staffing
Examiner:
Other requisites
Students undertaking this course are strongly encouraged to also complete ENL2006 Literature and Adolescence: Writing the Child. ENL2006 can be taken either before or after completing CWR1003.
Rationale
This introductory first year creative writing course focuses on how to write short works suitable for young readers, including writing for pre-readers (including picture books), early childhood, younger reader, and young adult readerships. The course introduces you to some of the basic principles of creative writing practice, including writing pitches and proposals; participating actively in a writing workshop; identifying, analysing, and responding to publisher guidelines; and responding effectively to editorial feedback on creative work. The course also introduces you to the principles of both critical thinking and analysis, and creative problem-solving. Through a focus on writing and publishing for young readers, this course provides you with a developing understanding of how emerging and professional writers engage with the writing and publishing industry, both nationally and internationally.
Synopsis
This course serves as an introduction to writing for young readers by providing you with a range of techniques for producing engaging and effective works of fiction for young readers. During the course, you will focus on the four key markets for young readers (pre-readers, early childhood, younger readers, and young adult). You will explore the main features of texts produced for each age group, including considerations of genre, theme, and form. You will learn about industry standards for manuscript preparation and submission, as well as how to identify and assess potential markets for your work, both within Australia and internationally.
The course is delivered through a series of lectures and tutorials designed to provide you with a developing understanding of the practice of writing for young readers. The lectures will provide you with information and advice about historic and current trends in the writing and publishing marketplace, model close critical analysis of key texts, and provide information and advice about key issues for writers, such as communication with stakeholders, creating an author profile, working with publishers and editors, building a writing portfolio, and engaging with key agencies. During the tutorials you will build on your individually-prepared workshop portfolio tasks to engage in focused group discussions of key texts and concepts. You will also participate in generative and developmental writing workshop activities during which you will work with both your peers and the teaching team to develop your own project for young readers.
CWR1003 is practice-based course that equips you with a range of general skills that are highly valued in the workplace, including critical and creative thinking; the ability to write clear, effective, and engaging prose; and professional communication skills. No prior knowledge is required to successfully complete this course.
Objectives
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- Conduct independent research to support your critical and creative thinking about writing for young readers;
- Identify and take account of the social, cultural, and political issues that affect the production and reception of young adult and children鈥檚 writing;
- Use peer-critiquing tools to provide effective, supportive, and critically informed peer feedback;
- Apply emerging critical and creative thinking to effectively analyse different texts and contexts;
- Produce new texts for young readers within the contemporary writing and publishing context;
- Create clear, engaging short works for young readers that are relevant and appropriate for the market.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Writing for pre-readers | 25.00 |
| 2. | Writing for early childhood | 25.00 |
| 3. | Writing for younger readers | 25.00 |
| 4. | Writing for young adults | 25.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=03&subject1=CWR1003)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Any complete edition.
Reference materials
Student workload expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 10.00 |
| Private 精东传媒app | 115.00 |
| Tutorials | 20.00 |
| Workshops | 20.00 |
Assessment details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Objectives Assessed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Proposal | 100 | 10 | 14 Dec 2020 | 1,2 | |
| Workshop Portfolio | 100 | 50 | 22 Feb 2021 | 1,2,3,4 | (see note 1) |
| Final Project | 100 | 40 | 01 Mar 2021 | 1,2,5,6 |
Notes
- The Workshop Portfolio involves weekly completion of tasks prior to, and during, the weekly tutorials. These tasks include reading notes, writing exercises, and critical reflection tasks.
Important assessment information
-
Attendance requirements:
It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities 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 for that item. Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course. -
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 items for the course. -
Examination information:
There is no examination in this course. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
There is no examination in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations. -
精东传媒app Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene 精东传媒app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .