Outline

Overview

How do objects, diseases, bodies, ideas and texts travel across time and space? What emotions and anxieties do their travels entail? How do words narrate the encounters and blending of diverse entities? How are texts themselves transformed by these contacts and reading practices altered? This unit will study the diverse ways in which a variety of literary texts and intermedial artifacts enact crossings and contacts between people, things and ideas. It will explore concepts of transmission and infection, and will entail considerations of language and material culture, race, gender and the environment.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	International Comparative Literature and Translation Studies
Credit points	6
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
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Benjamin Nickl, benjamin.nickl@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 31 March 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Research Essay Research essay	40%	Formal exam period Due date: 10 Jun 2025 at 23:59	1x2500wd
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Textual analysis exercise (test) Tests will be held at the end of specific modules as a supervised, in-class assessment item (pen and paper).	25%	Multiple weeks	1500 words total equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Presentation Individual or group presentation (followed by upload of ppt and bibliography) Instructions are available on Canvas site	15%	Ongoing	10 mins/equivalent to 1000wd
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Reflective diary A journal-based diary for students to demonstrate active and continuous engagement with the learning materials during the semester.	20%	Ongoing	1000wd
Outcomes assessed:
= AI allowed ?

Assessment summary

Students will be required to complete an in-class, supervised textual analysis assessment without the use of AI or electronics, keep a reflective learning diary to demonstrate their active engagement during the semester, present on a module topic in class, and produce a research essay based on an essay question with topics provided in class by the instructors.

Assessment criteria

Assessment rubrics: Please visit the Canvas site for detailed marking rubrics and grade descriptors attached to each assessment item and for detailed information on what students must do to complete an assessment item.

Assessment grading: This unit follows the University of Sydney undergraduate marking scheme. Please see here for details: The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy (Schedule 1). Each faculty or school and unit of study has specific criteria for meeting the learning outcomes of each unit. These can generally be found in your unit of study outline. Contact your unit of study coordinator for further details.

Result code	Result name	Mark range	Description
HD	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.
DI	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.
CR	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.
PS	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.
FA	Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.
AF	Absent fail	0 - 49	When you haven’t completed all assessment tasks or met the attendance requirements.
CN	Cancelled	No mark	When your enrolment has been cancelled.
DC	Discontinued not to count as failure	No mark or 0	When you discontinue a unit under special circumstances (outlined in clause 92 of the Coursework Policy), after the relevant census date.
DF	Discontinue – fail	No mark or 0	When you discontinue a unit after the relevant census date but before the DF deadline, and you have not been granted a discontinuation under special circumstances.
FR	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.
SR	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.
WD	Withdrawn	No mark	When you discontinue a unit before the relevant census date. WD grades do not appear on your academic transcript.
NE	Not examinable	No mark or 0	When you have exhausted your options to sit replacement exams or replacement assessment tests. An NE does not count as a fail on your transcript and won’t be included in your weighted average mark (WAM).

IC (incomplete) results: ‘Incomplete’ results are temporary results used when your final grade has not been finalised. Your results may be incomplete because: 1) you were granted an extension to submit a final piece of work due to illness or misadventure 2) your examiner needs to seek additional information before awarding your grade 3) your honours program, exchange program or placement finishes after the session ends (this may take several weeks, depending on the unit of study). Your faculty or school will need to approve and finalise your result. Once this has happened, your results notice will be updated and you’ll receive an email notifying you of the change. If you have any questions regarding an Incomplete result, contact your unit of study coordinator.

Result code	Result name	Mark range	Description
IC	Incomplete	0 - 100	Temporarily used when further information is being sought or additional work considered before a final result is given. You will not be able to re-enrol with an IC result.
RI	Result incomplete	0 - 100	Temporarily used in cases where a result will remain incomplete for a longer period than the IC (Incomplete) result. You will be able to re-enrol with an RI result.
UC	Unit of Study Continuing	No mark or 0	When a unit continues in the following session. You will be able to re-enrol with a UC result.
J2	Incomplete	0 - 100	Temporarily used when an investigation is taking place into a potential instance of misconduct or an academic integrity breach. You will be able to re-enrol with a J2 result.

Permitted AI use:

Expectations regarding the use of AI in this unit and the assessment items:

· For all assessment items that permit AI use, students must acknowledge their use of AI tools, and ensure their final work is original, and not copied directly from a generative AI tool. All software or tool usage must be acknowledged, and all sources referenced.

· Students should keep records of how they use generative AI in their assignments and keep copies of generative AI outputs as evidence of their research and writing process.

Where the use of AI is permitted (Presentation):

· You are permitted to use generative AI to help you 1) generate ideas for the assessment 2) suggest a structure or outline 3) refine your grammar and language - this use must be acknowledged.

· For example, it may be helpful to use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and other generative AI to brainstorm initial ideas and approaches for completing the presentation outline and edit, or Google Gemini to help you draft a general plan.

· For revising and editing sentences or bullet point items in your presentation slides, it may be helpful to use AI tools such as Grammarly to directly suggest readability improvements to your text in terms of grammar and expression.

· However, you must develop or edit those ideas to a substantial degree to ensure your submission is your own, original work.

How to acknowledge your use of AI:

· Use of generative artificial intelligence must be appropriately acknowledged. You can do this by inserting a note at the top or end of your submission where you need to list and describe the AI tool(s) that you used, what you used it/them to do, what prompt(s) you provided, and how the output of the artificial intelligence was used or adapted by you. This additional description does not add to your word count.

· An example of such an acknowledgement that you may provide might look like this: I acknowledge the use of ChatGPT (https://chat.openai.com/) to refine the academic language of my own work. On (insert date) I submitted my (introduction statement) with the prompt to<“Improve the academic tone and accuracy of language, including grammatical structures, punctuation and vocabulary”>. The output (clarify version history) was then modified further to better represent my own tone and style of academic prose.

For more information see guide to grades.

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

Except for supervised exams or in-semester tests, you may use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessments unless expressly prohibited by your unit coordinator.

For exams and in-semester tests, the use of AI and automated writing tools is not allowed unless expressly permitted in the assessment instructions.

The icons in the assessment table above indicate whether AI is allowed – whether full AI, or only some AI (the latter is referred to as “AI restricted”). If no icon is shown, AI use is not permitted at all for the task. Refer to Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks for this unit.

Your final submission must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of automated writing tools or generative AI, and any material generated that you include in your final submission must be properly referenced. You may be required to submit generative AI inputs and outputs that you used during your assessment process, or drafts of your original work. Inappropriate use of generative AI is considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

The Current Students website provides information on artificial intelligence in assessments. For help on how to correctly acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the  AI in Education Canvas site.

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:

The late penalties in this unit for all assessment items with due dates follow the penalty scheme provided by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, with a standard percentage deduction for up to 10 calendar days. After 10 days, a mark of 0 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.

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.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity	Learning outcomes
Weekly	A full programme is available on Canvas	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)

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.

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. Situate a range of texts and art works within current debates in cross-cultural translatability and/or transmediality
LO2. Compare and analyse different representations of contact zones
LO3. Discuss the role of words, images and objects in the transmission of knowledge and cultural practices.
LO4. Locate, organise and evaluate a variety of critical sources and deploy these in the construction of a coherent argument
LO5. Communicate effectively and ethically using traditional and digital methods

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.

The teaching team will discuss classroom practice and student engagement throughout semester and will draw on student evaluations, peer consultation and recent developments in relevant disciplinary areas to review the unit after each iteration.

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

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

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

ICLS3102: Transit, Transmission, Contagion

Semester 1, 2025 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

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

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links