Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Michelle Arrow
Lorna Barrow
Matthew Bailey
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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
Popular culture is ubiquitous in today’s world. We cannot turn without being confronted by it in some form. It is so pervasive, so powerful an influence on daily lives, that it must be historically significant. But how? From the Beats to Big Brother traces the history of popular culture in the United States, Australia and Britain from the fifties to the present. It particularly focuses on the ways in which class, gender, race and politics have shaped the experience of popular culture. Film, television, music, music video and other forms of new media will be used to evoke seminal moments in the history of popular culture and students will be encouraged to explore such non-discursive forms as primary sources. Students will also be encouraged to consider the reception of popular culture by audiences and to think about their own experience of popular culture historically. This unit offers an important addition to conventional history by exploring the depths of what has often been seen as superficial culture. It raises a number of questions about how we might analyse this culture, whilst offering a detailed explanation for its historical genesis and global dissemination.
All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.open.edu.au/student-admin-and-support/key-dates/
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Weekly Quiz | 25% | No | weekly |
Primary Source Analysis | 10% | No | 27 August 11.55pm |
Research essay proposal | 25% | No | 17 September 11.55pm |
Research Essay | 40% | No | 6 November 11.55pm |
Due: weekly
Weighting: 25%
You will find a quiz in the iLearn block for each week of this unit, consisting of two short-answer questions (you only need to write a maximum of 2-3 sentences for each answer). The quiz is timed - you will have 10 minutes to write your responses. One question will assess your understanding of the week's lectures, the other will assess your understanding of the readings. You will do twelve quizzes over the semester (plus one practice test in week one, which is not graded); the best ten will count towards your grade. The quiz will be graded out of 4 (2 possible marks per question). You will receive feedback in the form of model answers for each question.
NOTE: You will need to complete your quiz before midnight on Sunday of each week. Unless you are ill or have an unavoidable absence, and can provide documentation, you will not be able to make up any quizzes after the week in which they are given.
Due: 27 August 11.55pm
Weighting: 10%
In our week 3 discussions, we will focus on analysing primary sources and how to use them in a research essay. We will be working online with a supplied primary source that relates to this week's topic area.
You will then be supplied (via iLearn) with an additional primary source that also relates to this week's topic area. Using the skills we developed in our discussion, you have one week to write a 500-word analysis of the supplied primary source.
The written piece is to be submitted by Sunday 27 August at 11.55pm
Due: 17 September 11.55pm
Weighting: 25%
This task will assess your ability to develop a research question and approach, as well as your ability to locate and analyse primary and secondary sources. It is the first step towards developing your research essay. The proposals will be returned in time for you to work on your research essay after the mid-semester break.
You should proceed as follows:
Thinking about a topic: It is best to start this process as early as possible. Look at the weekly lecture and tutorial schedule. What themes in this course do you find most interesting? What questions are you interested in exploring? Do you want to write about Australia, the United States, or both?
Try to think about popular culture historically - that is, think carefully about how we can use popular culture as evidence of past attitudes, representations, ideologies, and points of view. You are aiming to relate popular culture to broader social, cultural, and political events and ideas, and to relate popular culture to the broader society that produced it.
Developing a question: Your question needs to be direct and focused, because you will be assessed on how you answer it - for example, "How did x reveal ideas about y in the American 1950s?". You can focus on media debate about a particular pop culture text or group of texts, or examine responses of a particular kind of pop culture consumer to an item of pop culture. You can trace the ways responses to a particular event, new technology (for example, television) or social movement (for example, feminism, the Iraq War) played out in popular culture, or explore how certain popular culture texts represent gender or race or sexuality in particular historical contexts and reflect - or contest - dominant representations.
Submitting your proposal: The proposal is due Sunday 17 September at 11.55pm via turnitin on iLearn.
Your proposal should be 1500 words and must include the following:
Due: 6 November 11.55pm
Weighting: 40%
This assessment task evaluates your ability to construct an argument in response to your own self-devised research question, based on primary and secondary sources. This task is the culmination of your assessment tasks in this unit; all your previous assessments are "scaffolding" this final task. You need to observe the conventions of writing and referencing as outlined in "Writing Essays in History".
Your final essay should be 3000 words, not including referencing.
This assessment is to submitted via turnitin on iLearn. Remember to submit the essay self-assessment (available on iLearn) sheet with your essay. You must also include a short statement, about one paragraph, on how you have utilised the feedback you have received on your research proposal when completing your final research project.
There is a rubric for this assessment task included as a PDF download in the "Assessments" section on iLearn.
Delivery is all online. Resources and reading materials online supplement the textbook: Michelle Arrow, Friday on Our Minds: Popular Culture in Australia since 1945 (Sydney : UNSW Press, 2009)
Week 1 |
Historians and popular culture
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Week 2 |
Popular culture and family life
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Week 3 |
Suburban rebels
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Week 4 |
Youth cultures
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Week 5 |
The Sixties and the counterculture
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Week 6 |
Black Power & popular culture
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Week 7 |
Essay workshop
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Week 8 |
The sexual revolution and the seventies
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Week 9 |
The Eighties
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Week 10 |
Hip-Hop & Black culture
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Week 11 |
Postmodern gender cultures
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Week 12 |
Interactivity & reality TV
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Week 13 |
Popular culture and history |
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
The University recognises that students may experience events or conditions that adversely affect their academic performance. If you experience serious and unavoidable difficulties at exam time or when assessment tasks are due, you can consider applying for Special Consideration.
You need to show that the circumstances:
If you feel that your studies have been impacted submit an application as follows:
Outcome
Once your submission is assessed, an appropriate outcome will be organised.
You can withdraw from your subjects prior to the census date (last day to withdraw). If you successfully withdraw before the census date, you won’t need to apply for Special Circumstances. If you find yourself unable to withdraw from your subjects before the census date - you might be able to apply for Special Circumstances. If you’re eligible, we can refund your fees and overturn your fail grade.
If you’re studying Single Subjects using FEE-HELP or paying up front, you can apply online.
If you’re studying a degree using HECS-HELP, you’ll need to apply directly to Macquarie University.
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/
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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
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.
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