Students

GEND230 – Sex, Race, and Rock

2018 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Dr Rebecca Sheehan
Contact via email
W6A831
by appointment
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to GDipArts or (12cp at 100 level or above)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
In this unit, we will explore the cultural history of and links between sexuality, gender, race, and rock music. Influenced by black and working-class cultures, and with sexuality embedded in its form and practice, rock music has challenged and transformed existing norms of family, sex and gender. It has also been a site of struggle between the freedom that music enables, and the commodification that spreads its sounds and meanings. We begin with slave songs in the nineteenth century and travel through the 1950s boom of rock’n’roll and Elvis, the 1960s British Invasion, the 1970s emergence of disco, the 1980s MTV revolution, and conclude with Laura Jane Grace, Beyoncé, and the contemporary music scene. Along the way, we uncover the hidden histories and pioneering contributions of women—especially women of colour, explore how glam rock, disco, and MTV laid the foundations of performative gender and queer theories, and learn how social identities and ideals have been reflected in and shaped by rock music.

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:

  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

General Assessment Information

There are 5 assessments in GEND230, consisting of weekly tutorial participation, an annotated bibliography, a research essay proposal, a research essay, and a final presentation. Taken together, the tasks are designed to aid your learning and test your understanding of the unit material.

Tasks 2, 3, 4, and 5 must be submitted via Turnitin.

Students should be aware of the following policies in regard to assignments:

Academic Honesty Policy: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html. The university takes plagiarism very seriously and there are penalties for using other people's work as your own. This includes directly quoting other people's work without quotation marks and/or acknowledgement. Please check this unit's iLearn site for resources on how to cite your sources properly and avoid plagiarism.

Special Consideration Policy: https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration

Assessment Policy: https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/assessment. For specifics on Grading Policy, click on the "Schedule 1" tab.

Requests for Extensions

To request an extension for a period up to and including 5 working days, please email your tutor.

To apply for an extension of more than 5 working days please complete a Special Consideration request and submit it online through AskMQ. For more information see the Special Consideration Policy above and find further details here: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration/disruption-to-studies. 

Late Assessment Penalty

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.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Tutorial participation 10% No Weekly
Annotated bibliography 10% No Sunday Week 4
1000 word paper proposal 25% No Sunday Week 7
Final essay 2500 words 40% No Sunday Week 13
Final Presentation 15% No Weeks 11, 12, 13

Tutorial participation

Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%

On-campus students: Active engagement in discussion is an important part of university learning. Tutorial participation and attendance at the tutorial each week is required. Your mark will reflect the quality and quantity of your participation. It takes into consideration:

  • your knowledge of the material (you show evidence that you have listened to the lectures and done the required reading)
  • your active participation in discussions and tasks. This includes, at minimum, responding to questions posed by the tutor and responding to what others in your tutorial have said.
  • your overall contribution.

Note that you are expected to attend 80% of the tutorials. Active participation in less than 80% of tutorials will incur a ‘fail’ unless exceptional circumstances prevail and Special Consideration is granted.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.

Annotated bibliography

Due: Sunday Week 4
Weighting: 10%

This assessment task gets you started on your research paper. It requires you to choose a topic from the list of questions provided, and identify and familiarise yourself with sources that provide evidence on that topic. The annotated bibliography should be divided into primary and secondary sources. The number of primary sources you use depends on the topic and type of assignment you have chosen, but as a guide, aim for 5 minimum primary sources. You should consult and incorporate at least 10 secondary works into your paper.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

1000 word paper proposal

Due: Sunday Week 7
Weighting: 25%

This assessment task builds on the information you gathered for your annotated bibliography and requires you to map your research paper. It requires you to identify/pose research questions about your topic, and discuss how you will answer your question. Your proposal should include:

1. The question you will answer

2. Identify research questions and possible answers: what smaller questions do you need to answer in order to answer your big question? What hypothetical answers have you formed based on your research?

3. A brief analysis of the literature relating to your topic. This should include: major debates, agreement and disagreement amongst scholars, absences in the literature if there are any, different approaches and methods (2-3 paragraphs)

4. An annotated bibliography. This should include the annotated bibliography you have already submitted, as well as additional sources you have found or been recommended. The annotated bibliography is not part of the word count of this assignment.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

Final essay 2500 words

Due: Sunday Week 13
Weighting: 40%

The major assessment in this unit is a research paper. It provides you with the opportunity to research and write (or create a podcast, website, or some other multimedia project) about an area of interest to you within the broad scope of gender, sexuality, race, and rock. You can choose a question to answer from the list provided, or create your own question in concert with the tutor and/or convenor. The annotated bibliography and paper proposal are the first two steps in the process of building this paper. This is a research assignment in which you will be expected to address a prompt/answer a question using an evidence-based argument. That evidence must be comprised of primary and secondary sources, including songs. See iLearn for additional information, including possible questions and topics.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

Final Presentation

Due: Weeks 11, 12, 13
Weighting: 15%

The final presentation builds on the work that you have done in tutorials including the weekly reading. In groups of approximately 5 people, in the final tutorial/s of the semester, you will present an argument about one of the unit’s themes for approximately 10 minutes (2 minutes per person). To prepare, each group member will need to write 500 words addressing the theme, using tutorial readings, discussions, and lecture content. These notes must be submitted online before the tutorial in week 11. In tutorials in week 11, you will bring your notes to discuss with other members of your group and prepare your final presentation. The tutorials in weeks 12 and 13 will be devoted to final presentations.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

Delivery and Resources

Lectures will be on Fridays, 11am to 1pm. The lecture room is: 17 Wallys Walk T1 Theatre also known as 17WW.

Lectures will be recorded.

All readings are available via Leganto--there is a link on the iLearn site.

Unit Schedule

UNIT SCHEDULE

Please note that schedule is a general guide and may be subject to change

Week 1

March 2

Lecture 1: Introduction and Rock’s roots: minstrelsy to R&B

 

Tutorial

No Tutorial. Suggested reading: W E B DuBois “Of the Sorrow Songs”

Week 2

March 9

Lecture 2: Postwar to the 1950s: From Frank Sinatra to Elvis Presley

 

Tutorial

Gender, Race & Class: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Little Richard & Elvis

Week 3

March 16

Lecture 3: 1950s: Belonging and Rebellion: rock’s fans and opponents

**discussion of annotated bibliography

 

Tutorial

Reactions to rock’n’roll

Week 4

March 23

Lecture 4: 1960s: Pop, Artifice, and Cultural Politics

 

Tutorial

Crossing over: girl groups, Motown, and Nina Simone

Annotated bibliography due

Week 4

Sunday

March 25

 

Week 5

March 30*

Easter Public Holiday. No lecture 5 today

 

Tutorial

Easter Public Holiday. No tutorial today

Week 6

April 6

Lecture 6: 1960s: Rock, Authenticity, and Sexual Politics

 

Tutorial

Liberation and oppression: women and “cock rock”

Week 7

April 13

Lecture 7: 1970s: Rock’s divergence: from glam and punk to reggae and metal

 

Tutorial

“I’maman”

Paper proposal due

Sunday

April 15

 

SESSION BREAK

April 16-29

 

Week 8

May 4

Lecture 8: 1970s: The Mothership Connection: soul, funk, and the rise of disco

 

Tutorial

Bodies and escape

Week 9

May 11

Lecture 9: 1980s: “I Want My MTV”

 

Tutorial

Shape shifters: Madonna, Michael Jackson, Springsteen, Prince

Week 10

May 18

Lecture 10: “Fear of a Black Planet”: from hip hop to gangsta rap

 

Tutorial

Protest and Play: Hip hop

Final presentation notes due

Week 11 Thursday May 24

 

Week 11

May 25

Lecture 11: 1990s: Grunge to Riot Grrrls

 

Tutorial

Final presentations preparation

Week 12

June 1

Lecture 12: 1990s-2000s: Erotica and Girl Power, R&B’s Renaissance, and the Digital Revolution

 

Tutorial

Final presentations

Week 13

June 8

Lecture 13: 2000s: Conclusions and course evaluations

 

Tutorial

Final presentations

Research paper due

Week 13 Sunday June 10

 

* NB: Public holiday on Friday March 30.

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/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.

Requests for Extensions and Late Penalties

To apply for an extension of more than 5 working days, please complete the disruption to studies notification and submitted online through AskMQ. See the Disruption to Studies Policy above and find further details here: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration/disruption-to-studies

Late assessments without an approved extension will incur a penalty of two marks (out of 100) per working day (ie. week day).

 

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

  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial participation
  • 1000 word paper proposal
  • Final essay 2500 words
  • Final Presentation

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial participation
  • Annotated bibliography
  • 1000 word paper proposal
  • Final essay 2500 words
  • Final Presentation

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial participation
  • 1000 word paper proposal
  • Final essay 2500 words

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

  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial participation
  • Annotated bibliography
  • 1000 word paper proposal
  • Final essay 2500 words
  • Final Presentation

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

  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial participation
  • Annotated bibliography
  • 1000 word paper proposal
  • Final essay 2500 words
  • Final Presentation

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

  • Critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial participation
  • Annotated bibliography
  • 1000 word paper proposal
  • Final essay 2500 words
  • Final Presentation

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

  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial participation
  • Annotated bibliography
  • 1000 word paper proposal
  • Final essay 2500 words
  • Final Presentation

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

  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial participation
  • Final essay 2500 words

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

  • Interpret sexuality, gender, and race in the cultural history of Western rock music and rock’s impact on social norms.
  • Critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways.
  • Evaluate and express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms.
  • Pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial participation
  • Final essay 2500 words