Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer
Ilona Hongisto
Contact via 02 9850 2117
Y3A193F
Wednesdays 11-12
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit focuses on the critical turns of media theory. The unit explores key concepts and historical contexts relating to a range of media, and elaborates on their materiality and communicative modalities. This unit will provide opportunities for critical reflection and/or creative production relevant to specific disciplinary areas.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Attendance and Participation | 25% | No | Week 1 to week 12 |
Short Essay | 15% | No | 24.3. |
Peer Feedback | 5% | No | 29.3. |
Oral Presentation | 15% | No | Weeks 11 and 12 |
Final Essay | 40% | No | 7.6. |
Due: Week 1 to week 12
Weighting: 25%
Participation will be assessed based on the student’s active contribution to class discussion. Each student is expected to formulate at least two (2) questions per reading and to bring these questions into the class discussion. In addition, each student is expected to think of and share one (1) practical example inspired by each of the readings. These examples are meant to elucidate the arguments of the readings. In weeks 11 and 12, participation will be assessed based on active engagement with other students’ presentations. This may include questions, comments or comparative examples that reflect on the presentation topics.
Due: 24.3.
Weighting: 15%
Students will write a 1000-word essay on the notion of the medium and the practice of (re)mediation. The essays will draw on the readings and discussions from the first three weeks (McLuhan, Kittler, Grusin & Bolter) and they will link the arguments of the readings to a reflection of the student’s own preferred medium. Detailed essay instructions will be provided in week 1.
Submission is via Turnitin.
Late submissions will incur a penalty of 10% per day.
Assessment criteria:
Reading and research: Evidence of thorough engagement with unit literature. Demonstration of application of gained knowledge to new contexts and media.
Argument and analysis: Evidence of critical thinking (through evaluating the arguments of others and supporting one’s own position); evidence of relational thinking (through making connections between key ideas from the unit and supporting these connections).
Communication and style: Strategies for communicating ideas and arguments demonstrate imagination and critical reflection. The writing is fluent, language is polished and referencing is complete. The structure supports the argument and offers a clear and balanced exposition of theoretical and practical knowledge.
Due: 29.3.
Weighting: 5%
Each student will give feedback of a fellow student’s essay. Feedback sessions will be held in week 5 (29.3.). Students will be given a feedback template that they need to fill out, go through and discuss with the author of the essay. After the feedback session, each student writes a report of the session on a template provided by the unit convener. Both the feedback template and the report will then be submitted to Turnitin by Friday 30.3.
Late submissions incur a penalty of 10% per day.
Assessment criteria:
Evaluation and reflection: Evidence of critical thinking through evaluating the arguments of others. Demonstration of reflection through relational thinking (through making connections between the readings and other media examples).
Communication: Demonstration of thorough engagement with the work of others. Evidence of supportive feedback: clear and justified indication of positive aspects and those that could be ameliorated.
Due: Weeks 11 and 12
Weighting: 15%
Students will prepare 15-minute in class presentations on their chosen topic. Although the choice of topic is free within the overall frame of the unit, students are required to engage both with academic literature and media-related practices. The aim of the presentation is to prepare students for their final essay by laying out their research topic, research question, research materials and key literature. The presentation should give a clear indication of their field of research; including a tentative argument, context, as well as problem areas and possible solutions.
Assessment criteria:
Demonstration of critical thinking: Students will be assessed based on how they canvas their field of research in the presentation.
Evaluation and application of knowledge: Students will be assessed based on their ability to apply gained knowledge and theories to new contexts and media.
Communication and clarity of presentation: Students will be assessed based on how they convey and defend their ideas in the presentation; including the use of visual aids, structure and time-management.
Due: 7.6.
Weighting: 40%
Students will write a 4000-word research essay that builds on the short essay, peer feedback, the oral presentation and class discussions. The essay should have a clearly articulated research question, an argument that is developed and supported throughout the essay, as well as a structure that supports the argument. The essay should engage with the unit readings as well as include independent readings. A minimum of six (6) academic references is required.
Submission is via Turnitin.
Late submissions incur a penalty of 10% per day.
Assessment criteria:
Reading and research: Evidence of thorough engagement with unit literature and independent readings. Demonstration of advanced knowledge of the research field and application of knowledge to new contexts and media.
Argument and analysis: Well-articulated and well-supported argument; evidence of critical thinking (through evaluating the arguments of others and supporting one’s own position); evidence of relational thinking (through making connections between key ideas from the unit and wider literature, and supporting these connections).
Communication: Strategies for communicating ideas and arguments demonstrate imagination and critical reflection. Chosen examples and case studies are original, and they are related to other examples in innovative ways.
Style and Referencing: Fluent writing, polished language and complete referencing are required. The structure must support the argument and offer a clear and balanced exposition of theoretical and practical knowledge.
Week 1: History of Communication
Week 2: The Medium McLuhan, Marshall (1994/1964), “The Medium is the Message” in Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. The MIT Press, 7–21. Kittler, Friedrich (2014) ‘The City Is a Medium’ in The Truth of the Technological World: Essays on the Genealogy of Presence. Stanford: Stanford University Press, pp. 138–151
Week 3: Remediation Grusin, Richard & Jay David Bolter (2000) ‘Immediacy, hypermediacy, remediation’ in Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press, pp. 21–50
Week 4: Read & Write
Week 5: Peer feedback sessions
Week 6: Media archaeology Strauwen, Wanda (2013) ‘Media Archaeology: Where Film History, Media Art, and New Media (Can) Meet’ in Julia Noordegraaf et al (eds.) Preserving and Exhibiting Media Art: Challenges and Perspectives. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, pp. 59–79. http://www.oapen.org/search?identifier=530353
Week 7: Media archives Baron, Jaimie (2013) ‘The archive affect: The archival fragment and the production of historical “presence”’ in The Archive Effect: Found footage and the audiovisual experience of history. London: Routledge, pp. 109–137.
Recess
Week 8: Network culture Terranova, Tizziana (2004) ‘Three propositions on Informational Cultures’ in Network Culture: Politics for the Information Age. London: Pluto Press, pp. 6–38.
Week 9: Social media Dijck, José van (2012) ‘Engineering Sociality in a Culture of Connectivity’ in The Culture of Connectivity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, chapter 1.
Week 10: Big data boyd, danah & Kate Crawford (2012) ‘Critical questions for big data’ in Information, Communication & Society vol. 15:5, pp. 662–679. DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2012.678878
Week 11: Oral presentations
Week 12: Oral presentations
Week 13: Final essay preparation
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.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
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