Students
CUL 120 – Living Culture
2017 – S1 Day
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Ian Collinson
Contact via email
Y3A 191G
By appointment, please email
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| Credit points |
Credit points
3
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
From the printed page to the internet, from figurative painting to digital photography, from radio to the iPod, from film to the webcam, the last hundred years have seen a radical transformation in the way ideas and values are communicated, and how we're entertained. These changes aren't just a revolution in technology, however. They have been accompanied by an even more radical transformation in how people understand their place in the world. From modem authority to post-modern multiplicity, from national identity to global fluidity, from passive consumption to interactivity, our understandings of who we are, how we relate to one another and how we identify ourselves have also been transformed. The aim of this unit, and cultural studies in general, is to introduce you to how these changes are related to one another, and how they affect the way we live, play and work.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the practice of Cultural Studies, in particular, the concepts and thinkers that are central to the field.
- Engage critically with cultural texts and practices from everyday life.
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of the material effects of ways of knowing, and a capacity to intervene in those processes.
- Demonstrate commitment to the problematisation of inequality.
- Engage with the ideas of others, present ideas in a coherent manner, and offer evidence to support their arguments.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-class multiple choice quiz | 30% | No | Variable (weeks 3-12) |
| Essay plan | 30% | No | 11.59 pm 12/4/17 (wk 7) |
| Major essay | 30% | No | 11.59 pm 7/6/17 (wk 13) |
| Tutorial participation | 10% | No | Continuous from Week 2 |
In-class multiple choice quiz
Due: Variable (weeks 3-12)
Weighting: 30%
We will have three ‘surprise’ in-class multiple choice quizzes during the semester. These quizzes will take place between weeks 3 and 12.
In each you will be asked to display your knowledge of particular key terms and concepts introduced in the previous week's lectures and reading (e.g. a quiz in week 10 would examine the content from week 9). Each quiz is worth 10%. If you are absent from a quiz you must produce a medical certificate if you wish to sit a supplementary test at the end of the semester.
Please note: you will complete one of these in-class quizzes in either week 3, 4 or 5. This will allow your tutors to give you some early feedback.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the practice of Cultural Studies, in particular, the concepts and thinkers that are central to the field.
- Engage critically with cultural texts and practices from everyday life.
- Engage with the ideas of others, present ideas in a coherent manner, and offer evidence to support their arguments.
Essay plan
Due: 11.59 pm 12/4/17 (wk 7)
Weighting: 30%
Length: 1000 words
Assignment must be submitted through Turnitin.
Essay questions will be posted on the iLearn site in week 2.
Detailed instructions for this task will be posted in iLearn.
This assignment will be assessed according to the following criteria: its relevance to question; potential argument and structure; proposed use of theories/theoretical concepts; appropriate and innovative examples; the quality of research resources, their relevance and usefulness in the analysis; written expression and referencing.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the practice of Cultural Studies, in particular, the concepts and thinkers that are central to the field.
- Engage critically with cultural texts and practices from everyday life.
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of the material effects of ways of knowing, and a capacity to intervene in those processes.
- Demonstrate commitment to the problematisation of inequality.
- Engage with the ideas of others, present ideas in a coherent manner, and offer evidence to support their arguments.
Major essay
Due: 11.59 pm 7/6/17 (wk 13)
Weighting: 30%
Length: 2000 words (not including reference list)
Essay must be submitted through Turnitin.
Essay questions and more detailed instructions will be posted in iLearn in week 2.
The essay will be assessed according to the following criteria: its relevance to the question; demonstration of critical thinking, argument and analysis; identification and use of appropriate cultural theory; the quality of research sources and the use of research in support of analysis and argument; essay structure; written expression and referencing.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the practice of Cultural Studies, in particular, the concepts and thinkers that are central to the field.
- Engage critically with cultural texts and practices from everyday life.
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of the material effects of ways of knowing, and a capacity to intervene in those processes.
- Demonstrate commitment to the problematisation of inequality.
- Engage with the ideas of others, present ideas in a coherent manner, and offer evidence to support their arguments.
Tutorial participation
Due: Continuous from Week 2
Weighting: 10%
Students will be assessed on their active participation in tutorial activities in week 3-12.
Participation will be assessed according to the following criteria: informed engagement in class discussions and involvement in group exercises.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the practice of Cultural Studies, in particular, the concepts and thinkers that are central to the field.
- Engage critically with cultural texts and practices from everyday life.
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of the material effects of ways of knowing, and a capacity to intervene in those processes.
- Engage with the ideas of others, present ideas in a coherent manner, and offer evidence to support their arguments.
Delivery and Resources
Lectures will be held on Thursdays 12-1, in the W5A P.G. Price Theatre. Tutorials are held on Thursday afternoon and at various times on Friday.
For up-to-date lecture and tutorial times and classroom locations please consult the MQ Timetable website: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au.
Lectures will be recorded and made available via Echo360 which you may access through ilearn.
There is a reader for this unit which should be purchased via the Co-op Bookshop. There is no text book for CUL120.
Please make sure that you are enrolled in a tutorial.
Tutorials for this unit begin in Week 1.
Unit Schedule
1. What is culture? What is cultural studies?
Week 1 (week beginning Monday 27th Feb): Introduction: What is Cultural Studies?
Week 2 (week beginning Monday 6th March): From Humanism to Poststructuralism
Sullivan, N. (2012) ‘Humanism and Poststructuralism’ – notes for CUL120
2. Thinking about culture: key concepts for cultural analysis
Week 3 (week beginning Monday 13th March): Subjects, Bodies, Selves
Mansfield, N. (2000) 'Foucault: the Subject, and Power', Subjectivity: Theories of Self from Freud to Haraway, Sydney: Allen & Unwin, pp. 51-65.
Week 4: (week beginning Monday 20th March): Performance/Performativity
Horanyi, R. (2013) 'Performance and Performativity', in A. Elliot (ed.) Routledge Handbook of Social and Cultural Theory, London: Routledge
Week 5: (week beginning Monday 27th March): Place/Space
Thrift, N. (2009) 'Space: The Fundamental Stuff of Geography', in G. Valentine, S. Holloway & S. Price (eds) Key Concepts in Geography, London: Sage.
3. 'Who do you think you are?': culture & identity
Week 6: (week beginning Monday 3rd April): Gender
Alsop, R., A. Fitzsimons and K. Lennon (2002) 'Natural Women and Men', Theorizing Gender, Cambridge: Polity Press.
Week 7: (week beginning Monday 10th April) There are no classes this week
Week 8: (week beginning Monday 1st May): Sexuality
Weeks, J. (2010) 'The Invention of Sexuality', Sexuality, 3rd ed., London: Routledge.
Week 9: (week beginning Monday 8th May): Race
Hall, S. (1997) 'The Spectacle of the Other', Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
4. Living Culture: issues and challenges
Week 10: (week beginning Monday 15th May): Nature/Culture
Arias-Maldondao, M. (2015) 'What is Nature?', Environment and Society: Socionatural Relations in the Anthropocene, Heidelberg: Springer
Week 11: (week beginning Monday 22nd May): Technoculture
Bell, D. (2006) Science, Technology and Culture: Issues in Culture and Media Studies, Milton Keynes: Open University Press
Week 12: (week beginning Monday 29th May): Ethics
Zylinska, J. (2006) 'Cultural Studies and Ethics', in G. Hall and C. Birchall (eds) New Cultural Studies: Adventures in Theory, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Week 13: No Classes
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html
Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Additional Information
The Department of Media, Music, Communication & Cultural Studies has an assignment remark policy. Please find the relevant information/application form here: http://www.mq.edu.au/pubstatic/public/download/?id=167914
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Graduate Capabilities
Creative and Innovative
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Engage critically with cultural texts and practices from everyday life.
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of the material effects of ways of knowing, and a capacity to intervene in those processes.
- Demonstrate commitment to the problematisation of inequality.
Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Demonstrate knowledge of the practice of Cultural Studies, in particular, the concepts and thinkers that are central to the field.
- Engage critically with cultural texts and practices from everyday life.
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of the material effects of ways of knowing, and a capacity to intervene in those processes.
- Demonstrate commitment to the problematisation of inequality.
Assessment tasks
- In-class multiple choice quiz
- Essay plan
- Major essay
- Tutorial participation
Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Demonstrate knowledge of the practice of Cultural Studies, in particular, the concepts and thinkers that are central to the field.
- Engage critically with cultural texts and practices from everyday life.
- Demonstrate commitment to the problematisation of inequality.
- Engage with the ideas of others, present ideas in a coherent manner, and offer evidence to support their arguments.
Assessment tasks
- In-class multiple choice quiz
- Essay plan
- Major essay
- Tutorial participation
Problem Solving and Research Capability
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Engage critically with cultural texts and practices from everyday life.
- Demonstrate commitment to the problematisation of inequality.
Assessment tasks
- Essay plan
- Major essay
Effective Communication
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of the material effects of ways of knowing, and a capacity to intervene in those processes.
- Demonstrate commitment to the problematisation of inequality.
- Engage with the ideas of others, present ideas in a coherent manner, and offer evidence to support their arguments.
Assessment tasks
- In-class multiple choice quiz
- Essay plan
- Major essay
- Tutorial participation
Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of the material effects of ways of knowing, and a capacity to intervene in those processes.
- Demonstrate commitment to the problematisation of inequality.
Assessment task
- Major essay
Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible
We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of the material effects of ways of knowing, and a capacity to intervene in those processes.
- Demonstrate commitment to the problematisation of inequality.
Assessment tasks
- Essay plan
- Major essay
Changes from Previous Offering
The 2017 offering of this unit is largely the same as the 2016 version. The CUL120 Reader has, however, been updated.
Assignment Submission
Assignment Submission
All assignment are to be submitted via the appropriate turnitin link in ilearn.
Students should familiarise themselves with the University's Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Late Penalties
Essays that are submitted late will be penalised 10% per day late unless the student has organised an extension of time beforehand. Students will be expected to provide a medical certificate or other written evidence of serious misadventure. Please note that weekends and public holidays count towards the late period.
Changes since First Published
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 15/02/2017 | There was a change to the due date for the essay plan assignment. |
| 14/02/2017 | Changes have been made to the weighting of the major essay and the weighting and word length of the essay plan assessment. |