Students

MHIS3065 – From the Beats to the Bachelorette: A History of Popular Culture since 1945

2022 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Michelle Arrow
michelle.arrow@mq.edu.au
Level 2, 25 Wally's Walk Building B
please email for an appointment
Tutor
Michael Nicholls
michael.nicholls@mq.edu.au
please email for an appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above OR (20cp in HIST or MHIS or MHIX units at 2000 level)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

What can we learn about the past when we examine it through the lens of popular culture? This unit traces a history of popular culture in the United States of America and Australia from the 1950s to the present, exploring the ways that popular culture can magnify and reflect changing ideas about race, class, gender, and ideology. We will examine the impact of new technologies, moral panics over popular culture, and whether popular culture constituted a form of cultural citizenship. Film, television, music and other media are used in this unit to evoke seminal moments in the history of popular culture and students are encouraged to explore these non-discursive forms as primary sources. Students are also encouraged to consider the reception of popular culture by audiences and to think about their own experience of popular culture historically. This unit will be of particular interest to students in media, education, and cultural studies, as well as history.

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:

  • ULO1: Locate, read, and analyse different kinds of historical evidence (primary sources), including visual and textual sources
  • ULO3: Identify key arguments in secondary source materials and apply them in your own historical arguments
  • ULO2: Devise and answer research questions drawing on primary and secondary evidence
  • ULO4: Communicate thoughtfully in classroom discussions, and in a range of written forms
  • ULO5: Be able to identify and analyse key developments in the history of popular culture since 1945
  • ULO6: Analyse selected examples of popular culture produced since 1945 in their historical contexts, and describe the ways these examples, relate to, and reflect, broader, social, cultural, and political trends

General Assessment Information

Unless a special consideration request has been submitted and approved, a) a penalty for lateness will apply - 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date and b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (including weekends) after the original submission deadline.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Research Project Proposal 20% No 23:59, 8/4/22
Research Essay 50% No 23:59, 3/6/22
Weekly Quiz 30% No 23:59 18/3/22, 23:59 29/4/22, 23:59 27/5/22

Research Project Proposal

Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 23:59, 8/4/22
Weighting: 20%

 

This task will assess student’s ability to develop a research question and approach, as well as your ability to locate and analyse primary and secondary sources. Students will respond to a series of questions to prepare the proposal.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Locate, read, and analyse different kinds of historical evidence (primary sources), including visual and textual sources
  • Identify key arguments in secondary source materials and apply them in your own historical arguments
  • Devise and answer research questions drawing on primary and secondary evidence
  • Communicate thoughtfully in classroom discussions, and in a range of written forms
  • Be able to identify and analyse key developments in the history of popular culture since 1945

Research Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: 23:59, 3/6/22
Weighting: 50%

 

This assessment task evaluates student’s ability to construct an argument in response to a self-devised research question, based on primary and secondary sources. This task is the culmination of the assessment tasks in this unit; previous assessments provide scaffolding for this final task.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Locate, read, and analyse different kinds of historical evidence (primary sources), including visual and textual sources
  • Identify key arguments in secondary source materials and apply them in your own historical arguments
  • Devise and answer research questions drawing on primary and secondary evidence
  • Communicate thoughtfully in classroom discussions, and in a range of written forms
  • Be able to identify and analyse key developments in the history of popular culture since 1945
  • Analyse selected examples of popular culture produced since 1945 in their historical contexts, and describe the ways these examples, relate to, and reflect, broader, social, cultural, and political trends

Weekly Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: 23:59 18/3/22, 23:59 29/4/22, 23:59 27/5/22
Weighting: 30%

 

A set of two short answer quiz questions that will be embedded in the online lecture and should be completed before the weekly tutorial/online discussions.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Locate, read, and analyse different kinds of historical evidence (primary sources), including visual and textual sources
  • Identify key arguments in secondary source materials and apply them in your own historical arguments
  • Devise and answer research questions drawing on primary and secondary evidence
  • Communicate thoughtfully in classroom discussions, and in a range of written forms

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Delivery and Resources

Delivery:

this unit is taught through a combination of online lectures and supplementary materials (including film clips and music videos) and asynchronous, online tutorial discussions - the lectures will be available online, and you must listen to the lectures and complete the weekly readings before you before you participate in the online discussions.

Unit webpage and technology used and required:

Online units can be accessed at: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au

PC and Internet access are required. Basic computer skills (eg internet browsing) and skills in word processing are also a requirement.

Required reading:

Students will need to have access to the following required text: Michelle Arrow, Friday on Our Minds: Popular Culture since 1945 (Sydney: UNSW Press, 2009). You do not have to purchase the book, though you might find it is easier to prepare each week if you do so. The book is available to purchase through Booktopia, and it is also available from the university library to borrow or to access as an ebook. 

The iLearn site for this unit lists the required weekly readings alongside Friday on Our Minds. These readings are available on Leganto, via the Macquarie University library.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

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

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook