CQUniversity Unit Profile.

Weighting: 15%

Length: 800-900 words (+/- 10%)

Minimum references: Four (4) scholarly references (minimum 2 must be drawn from the e-reading list, and ALL must be accessible through the CQU Library or OpenAccess Journals. URLs and/or DOIs must be provided for all scholarly references). 

CRITICAL INFORMATION:
1. All sources must be accessible via CQU Library or OpenAccess Journals and must be accompanied by a URL/DOI link. 
2. Cover page must include GenAI Statement, even if declaring non-use of AI tools. 

Task overview:

For this assessment, you are expected to develop a critical research question and objectives for an independent comparative literary project, informed by individual interests and scholarly inquiry, and will position it within the relevant social/historical/cultural/political landscape.

Choose your OWN adventure!! You will choose two texts* by two different authors** for your original literature comparison. Your research question will be presenting a unique take on these two texts* (the 'gap' in the existing literature).

For example: perhaps they've not been studied side-by-side before (though you must have a REASON to do so -- something to COMPARE), perhaps they have but you are using a new theoretical approach to analysing them, perhaps you are analysing a unique translation***, perhaps positioning these two texts side-by-side will contribute something to our understanding of genre (or subgenre) or literary movement or time or place! The literary world is your oyster!

*The unit study guides explain how to go about selecting these two texts, and the concept of addressing a research gap.
** If you are choosing translated texts, the book title and the original author may be the same, but the two books may be in different languages or may have had different translators. (For example, the original text may be Franz Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis', but you may be choosing two distinct translations to compare.
*** No, you do not have to be bi-lingual (or multi-lingual) to take this unit. Students who are, however, may choose texts in translation. If you only speak English, you may choose to look at texts that have been translated more than once and by different translators, and in that you can compare the meaning derived from those texts. You will learn about this in the first few weeks of the unit.

You will articulate a clear literary analysis method for investigating the research question, along with a clear plan for how you will conduct the necessary research (for example: what keywords or phrases are part of your search criteria?). This approach will then be demonstrated in Assessment 2: Annotated Bibliography, and end up forming part of your literature review (which forms part of your final project thesis).

You will choose a literary theory that you believe will best serve your research project (though this can change, and often does by the end of assessment 2).

The goal is to demonstrate the ability to conceptualise and design an original research project that contributes to the field of Comparative Literature.

The unit study guides and e-readings provide the content for learning how to write your own research question and how to write a research proposal with specifics on how to do so within Comparative Literature. 

Mandatory One-on-One oral viva and feedback via Zoom: 

This assessment will include a one-on-one oral feedback discussion with lecturer in week 4 facilitated via zoom (which will be locked in during week 3). This is designed for formative feedback that will confirm the suitability of the research question for the final project and the chosen texts for comparison. This early feedback session is critical for strong and focused progress, especially for students who do not attend weekly tutorials.

You must pass assessment 1 and complete your oral feedback session in order to move on to assessment 2 and assessment 3. The result of the assessment 1 will be confirmed in the feedback session – if there are recommended significant changes to either the research question or the texts for comparison (or both), these will need to be addressed prior to the final ‘okay’ to progress with the project. This will be completed by you and approved by the lecturer no later than Wednesday of week 5 to ensure you have enough time to complete A2 (due in week 6).

This is an official assessment item and the rules of academic integrity apply. Students are expected to complete this assessment independently and adhere to the conditions associated with undertaking an assessment task.

72-hour grace period applies. 

Use of GenAI Tools

Level 2 - You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

You must disclose all use of Gen AI in your submission and include a GenAI Statement on your cover page whether you used it or not.
You are expected to reference how and where it has been used using the ALC reference guide as they have defined a mechanism for this.

While the elements of this task will remain the same written descriptions may differ slightly in Moodle. Moodle descriptions may be refined or longer, aiming to provide more clarity or additional information.

1. Research Question: Clarity and relevance of research question
2. Research Method(s): Suitability of proposed method of comparison
3. Chosen Texts: Suitability of proposed texts for comparison
4. Preliminary Research: Engagement with scholarly sources (min 4; 2 from e-readings, all from CQU Library or OpenAccess Journals), correct Harvard (author-date) referencing style, correct referencing of GenAI.
5. Presentation and Referencing: Overall Presentation, including clarity of written expression, logical structure/organisation, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Must include detailed GenAI Statement, even for non-use; lack of a statement is an automatic fail of this criteria and is considered a breach of academic integrity. All sources must be accessible via CQU Library or OpenAccess Journals, with URL/DOIs links.

Full descriptions of the assessment criteria will be provided in the assessment tiles in Moodle.
While the number of criteria and the title of each criterion will remain the same, written descriptions of each criterion may differ slightly in Moodle with the goal of providing more clarity or additional information.

Weighting: 25%

Length:  
Part A: 1600-2400 words (max 2400 words)
Part B: 200 words
The word count is considered from the first word of the first annotation (Part A) to the last word of the future research section (Part B), exclusive of the bibliographic reference before each annotation. It excludes the cover page and reference list (if applicable - Part B). It includes in-text citations and direct quotations.

CRITICAL INFORMATION:
1. All sources must be accessible via CQU Library or OpenAccess Journals and must be accompanied by a URL/DOI link. 
2. Cover page must include GenAI Statement, even if declaring non-use of AI tools. 

PART A: Annotated Bibliography

Scholarly References: min 8 - max 12

The purpose of an annotated bibliography in academic writing is to provide a comprehensive overview and critical evaluation of the sources relevant to a particular research topic.

You are required to create an annotated bibliography comprising no less than 8 (eight) and no more than 12 (twelve) scholarly sources. ALL sources must have a URL or a DOI (journal articles), and must be accessible via CQU Library or OpenAccess journals. 

Each annotation should be no more than 200 words.

This assessment requires you to research and select a minimum of 8 scholarly sources related to your research question, that should help contextualise your research problem, and write an evaluative paragraph for each source. This paragraph will summarise the main ideas and assess the source's relevance, quality, and credibility.

The annotated bibliography should comprise a mix of scholarly journal articles, books and book chapters closely related to your proposed research question.

The bibliography will demonstrate consideration of social/historical/cultural/political context.

You must apply Harvard (author date) standard referencing style throughout the assignment. Be accurate and check and double check the Harvard style requirements.

This assignment will help you to critically evaluate sources and begin synthesising research for your final research project: Assessment 3.

Note: The annotations are not just a review or summary of the content of the source/reference. The annotation needs to demonstrate your ability to critically evaluate and analyse the literature and relate its relevance to your comparative research project. It is expected that the literature used in this assignment will be relevant to Assessment Item 3: Research Project in this unit. 

PART B: Articulation of Further Research

Length: 200 words

In Part B you are required to write a paragraph summarising the next steps in your research for this project.

You might talk about: What questions arose from your annotated bibliography and what do you need to learn/find out to answer them? What other sources have you flagged to find and read? What knowledge is "missing" from the base you've collected thus far? What keywords/phrases did not yield strong results in your initial search phase and what adjustments have you made? What else do you need to know and how are you going to research this?

This will be written in your first-person voice, and is reflective in nature. The response should be unique to your research question. 

No minimum references apply to this, nor do you need to include a reference list unless you refer to specific book titles or journals in your paragraph. 

Mandatory One-on-One oral viva and feedback via Zoom: 

This assessment will include a one-on-one oral feedback discussion with lecturer in week 7 facilitated via zoom (which will be locked in by week 6). This is designed for formative feedback where we can discuss what was found during the research up to this point, any current challenges, and put in place any strategies moving forward. 

From this point, the final six weeks are an intense period where you are close reading and writing up findings all heading towards assessment 3: your 5,000+ word thesis. This mid-point feedback session is critical, especially for students who are unable to attend weekly tutorials. 

The result of the assessment 2 will be confirmed in the feedback session.

This is an official assessment item and the rules of academic integrity apply. Students are expected to complete this assessment independently and adhere to the conditions associated with undertaking an assessment task.

72-hour grace period applies. 

Use of GenAI Tools

Level 2 - You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

You must disclose all use of Gen AI in your submission and include a GenAI Statement on your cover page whether you used it or not.
You are expected to reference how and where it has been used using the ALC reference guide as they have defined a mechanism for this.

While the elements of this task will remain the same written descriptions may differ slightly in Moodle. Moodle descriptions may be refined or longer, aiming to provide more clarity or additional information.

1. Source Selection: Demonstrates an overall methodical or logical process for source selection, emphasising quality, credibility, and relevance. 
2. Critical analysis and evaluation of sources: Each annotation demonstrates critical analysis of the source, including evaluating the research methods, considering the social/historical/cultural/political context as relevant to the research proposal, evaluating the theory used and its relevance (or difference), summary and evaluation of the key themes/arguments.
3. Connection to the Project: Each annotation demonstrates the link between the source and proposed research project, and evaluates its usefulness and potential application in the final thesis.  
4. Future Research: Is written in a reflective, first-person voice that addresses any gaps or challenges in the research process thus far, and clearly articulates the foreseeable additional research needed to complete the project. 
5. Presentation and Referencing: The submission applies correct style, formatting, and layout for an Annotated Bibliography, including utilising academic prose style and referencing according with the Harvard (author date) style requirements for the minimum of 8 scholarly references, and the submission properly edited, spell-checked and grammar-checked. Must include detailed GenAI Statement, even for non-use; lack of a statement is an automatic fail of this criterion and is considered a breach of academic integrity. All sources must be accessible via CQU Library or OpenAccess Journals and include URL/DOI links.

Full descriptions of the assessment criteria will be provided in the assessment tiles in Moodle.
While the number of criteria and the title of each criterion will remain the same, written descriptions of each criterion may differ slightly in Moodle with the goal of providing more clarity or additional information.

Weighting: 60%

Length: min 5000 - max 6000 words
The word count is considered from the first word of the Introduction to the last word of the Conclusion. It excludes the cover page, abstract, contents page, reference list and appendices (if applicable). It includes in-text citations and direct quotations.

CRITICAL INFORMATION:
1. All sources must be accessible via CQU Library or OpenAccess Journals and must be accompanied by a URL/DOI link. 
2. Cover page must include GenAI Statement, even if declaring non-use of AI tools. 

Minimum Scholarly Sources: twelve (12) (this does not include the texts being analysed).

Task Overview:

As part of your studies in Comparative Literature, you will undertake a substantial research project that will allow you to explore a literary topic of your choice in depth. This project aims to develop your skills in independent research, critical literary analysis, and scholarly writing, while also fostering an understanding of the broader social, historical, cultural, and political contexts that shape literary works.

This project begins within assessments 1 & 2, where you develop your research question, literary construct (theme, genre, style, time period, translation, etc), method of analysis and begin your research from a variety of primary and secondary sources. This project is the culmination of further extensive research, and analysis and comparison of how your chosen literary construct is represented and interpreted in different contexts.

Through this process, you will gain experience in the rich and evolving discipline of comparative literature, and in synthesising diverse works of literature through critical approaches.

This project is a substantial written work that demonstrates your ability to engage with complex literary concepts, articulate original insights, and situate their analysis within a broader scholarly discourse.

It is not an extended essay. It is an original research project conducted by you and the written expression should reflect this (first-person voice is encouraged). 

The final thesis will be comprised of an arrangement of the following elements:

• Cover Page (including the title of your research project, and detailed GenAI statement).
• Introduction (including background context, research question and aims). 
• Literature Review (the existing literature around your topic -- the 'landscape' in which your research sits [hint: this begins with your annotated bibliography]).
• Critical Theory (What you chose and why? How is it relevant? What does using this theory contribute? etc).
• Methods of Literary Analysis (how you will analyse/compare).
• Comparative Analysis and Discussion (the meaty bit. This is the outcome of all your reading and analysing. What did you find?)
• Conclusion
• Reference List

The feedback sessions after assessments 1 and 2, along with the unit materials and weekly tutorials, are critical for developing your understanding of these elements of a research paper, and how you plan to structure your final thesis. These are ideas you discuss with me, your unit coordinator in the role of a 'supervisor', in our assessment viva/feedback sessions, tutorials and any drop-in sessions or scheduled one-on-one chats. 

This is an official assessment item and the rules of academic integrity apply. Students are expected to complete this assessment independently and adhere to the conditions associated with undertaking an assessment task.

Late assignments may receive a grade but no feedback.

72-hour grace period applies. 

Use of GenAI Tools

Level 2 - You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

IMPORTANT: Note that this definition does not include WRITING or REWRITING any text -- yours or not. 

You must disclose all use of GenAI in your submission and include a GenAI Statement on your cover page whether you used it or not.
You are expected to reference how and where it has been used using the ALC reference guide as they have defined a mechanism for this.

While the elements of this task will remain the same written descriptions may differ slightly in Moodle. Moodle descriptions may be refined or longer, aiming to provide more clarity or additional information.

1. Originality and Contribution: The project's research questions and aims are original, the analysis and discussion present a contribution to the discipline
2. Comparative Analysis: concerns the depth and success of the comparative analysis as defined by the unit; hinges on directly quoted textual evidence; includes identification and use of appropriate methods of literary analysis
3. Research: demonstrates research quality and source integration, well-beyond identification and summary; literature review is thematically or conceptually organised; evidence is specific, relevant and correctly cited
4. Critical Literary Theory: Critical literary theory is appropriately justified and is applied consistently throughout the analysis. Its use has a measurable impact on the analysis
5. Presentation and Referencing: The submission applies correct style, formatting, and layout appropriate for a research thesis, including utilising academic prose style and referencing according with the Harvard (author date) style requirements for the minimum of 12 scholarly references, and the submission properly edited, spell-checked and grammar-checked. Must include detailed GenAI Statement, even for non-use; lack of a statement is an automatic fail of this criterion and is considered a breach of academic integrity. All sources must be accessible via CQU Library or OpenAccess Journals and include URL/DOI links.

Full descriptions of the assessment criteria will be provided in the assessment tiles in Moodle.
While the number of criteria and the title of each criterion will remain the same, written descriptions of each criterion may differ slightly in Moodle with the goal of providing more clarity or additional information.