Outline

Overview

How do understandings of 'popular' fiction change over time and how do they compare across cultures? How are genres such as mystery, romance, crime or horror, reshaped by media such as manga or redefined in specific historical and political conditions, such as the German Wende? In this unit, students will study a variety of popular genres in different cultural and historical contexts. The unit will include consideration of the role of writer(s), audience reception and fan interaction. Students will develop detailed knowledge of literary production as an arena for the representation of widespread issues and the shaping of sentiment in society, and of popular fiction as a cultural industry.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	ICLS3101
Academic unit	International Comparative Literature and Translation Studies
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 2000 level from ICLS or English or 12 credit points at 2000 or 3000 level from Arabic Language and Cultures or Chinese Studies or French and Francophone Studies or Germanic Studies or Modern Hebrew or Indonesian Studies or Italian Studies or Japanese Studies or Korean Studies or Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies or Spanish and Latin American Studies
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Benjamin Nickl, benjamin.nickl@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Benjamin Nickl, benjamin.nickl@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	explainer piece explain a popular culture trend or literary item	20%	Week 05	1250 words or equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	reflective essay pitch presentation present in-progress ideas/plan for final reflective essay project	20%	Week 07	equivalent to 1000words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	explainer piece explain a popular culture trend or literary item	20%	Week 10	1250 words or equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	final reflective essay produce final written essay or alternative media-based audio project	40%	Week 13	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment with individually assessed component ?

Assessment summary

More assessment details provided via Canvas and during first week of class.

Assessment criteria

High distinction

85 - 100

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Distinction

75 - 84

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Credit

65 - 74

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Pass

50 - 64

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Fail

0 - 49

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

Absent fail

0 - 49

When you haven’t completed all assessment tasks or met the attendance requirements.

Cancelled

No mark

When your enrolment has been cancelled.

Discontinued not to count as failure

No mark

When you discontinue a unit after the relevant census date but before the DC deadline.

Discontinue – fail

No mark

When you discontinue a unit after the DC deadline but before the DF deadline

Failed requirements

No mark

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes to a satisfactory standard, for units which are marked as either Satisfied requirements or Failed requirements.

Satisfied requirements

No mark

When you meet the learning outcomes to a satisfactory standard, for units which are marked as either Satisfied requirements or Failed requirements.

Withdrawn

No mark

When you discontinue a unit before the relevant census date. WD grades do not appear on your academic transcript

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.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Please note: this unit follows the Faculty of Arts policy on late penalties as per relevant handbook so please familiarise yourself with the policy.

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.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity	Learning outcomes

Attendance and class requirements

follows the Faculty of Arts attendance and class requirements policy as per relevant handbook, please familiarise yourself with the policy

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

all materials will be accessible at no additional cost via the CANVAS/Leganto access point.

Learning outcomes

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.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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

LO1. discuss in writing and in class the ins an outs of popular fiction and culture, and be able to compare and contrast these details across various popular genres of fiction and entertainment media.
LO2. understand and present in a written essay or creative project alternative the elements of popular of common culture that are reflected in popular fiction writing and other media types and productions and illustrate how they go hand in hand with popular literature, including translation of popular fictions from one culture/language into another.
LO3. apply a selection of relevant terms and methodology skills to the comparative analysis of popular fiction and culture.
LO4. produce independently materials and a final media project based on the unit task of designing a podcast episode for a popular fiction and culture podcast.
LO5. utilise their media literacy skills to add to their academic study and thereby develop a deeper sense of popular culture awareness.

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
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

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

This unit will be offered for the first time in S1 2022.

Additional information

Additional costs

none

Work, health and safety

no special requirements noted

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.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

ICLS3101: Popular Fiction and Culture

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Remote

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect