Students

MMCC2016 – Sex, Death and Politics: Media Representations

2022 – Session 1, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Chris Muller
chris.muller@mq.edu.au
Sharon Greenfield
sharon.greenfield@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit is about the common (yet often scandalous) dilemmas or big issues we confront or have to ethically decide upon in our everyday lives. For example, why do we, or would we, decide to have an affair or a one night stand? Why do we decide to have kids, or not? Why do we decide to work, or be educated? Why do we decide it is important to prolong human life, or not (euthanasia)? Why do we choose to eat or not eat animals? Selecting from topics such as health, environment, science, to adultery, marriage, abortion, euthanasia, religion, war, sport, and work, this unit will draw on a number of key thinkers, ethical and practical approaches, and media representations, to debate how and why we make the decisions we do, why we think some decisions are more important than others, and how our decisions are influenced by media and politicians, religion and society, family and friends.

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: analyse, identify, and communicate broad and specific arguments in contemporary media, cultural, political, and ethical debates.
  • ULO2: evaluate various media representations that contribute to cultural, social, and ethical values.
  • ULO3: apply theoretical arguments underpinning contemporary issues and debates to specific ethical decision making in everyday life.
  • ULO4: apply team and individual problem solving and enquiry based learning to contemporary social, cultural, and ethical issues and debates.
  • ULO5: reflect critically on the impact and consequence of one's arguments on others, while respecting the difference of counterarguments.

General Assessment Information

Please note that the University and the Faculty of Arts have launched a new assessment policy effective as of 1 July 2021. This new policy particularly affects LATE SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENTS.

The Faculty policy in relation to late assessment submissions is as follows:

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 (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests, etc.

 

To be very clear:

· Unless you have applied for special consideration and had your application approved, for each day your assignment is late, 10 marks will be deducted. For example, if you submit your assignment 7 days late, 70 marks will be deducted, which means you will fail that assignment.

· If your assignment is more than 7 days late (including weekends), you will get 0 marks for your assignment.

These are serious penalties that will substantially alter your final grade and even determine whether you pass or fail this unit. Please make every effort to submit your assignment by the due date.

If you find you cannot submit your assignment on time, please apply for Special Consideration through AskMQ. Make sure you read Macquarie University's policy regarding Special Consideration requests before you apply: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Position Paper 35% No Topics 1-4, 23:59 on 03/04/22; Topics 5-6,23:59 on 10/04/22
Team Debate 35% No In class weeks 9-12; video: 72hrs prior to your debate
Self-Reflective Essay 30% No 23:59 on 05/06/22 (debates week 9-12)

Position Paper

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 38 hours
Due: Topics 1-4, 23:59 on 03/04/22; Topics 5-6,23:59 on 10/04/22
Weighting: 35%

 

Students will choose a class topic and write a position paper in the form of an essay that develops a particular argument. The essay needs to respond to a clearly identified case study / media representation of a particular topic and build on course reading, analysis of relations of power and individual research. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse, identify, and communicate broad and specific arguments in contemporary media, cultural, political, and ethical debates.
  • evaluate various media representations that contribute to cultural, social, and ethical values.
  • apply theoretical arguments underpinning contemporary issues and debates to specific ethical decision making in everyday life.
  • apply team and individual problem solving and enquiry based learning to contemporary social, cultural, and ethical issues and debates.

Team Debate

Assessment Type 1: Debate
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: In class weeks 9-12; video: 72hrs prior to your debate
Weighting: 35%

 

Students will be assigned a team, which will focus on a particular topic from the weekly lectorials. Students will be randomly assigned to one side of the argument and will develop, debate and defend a specific position. Debates will happen in scheduled class hours where possible. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse, identify, and communicate broad and specific arguments in contemporary media, cultural, political, and ethical debates.
  • evaluate various media representations that contribute to cultural, social, and ethical values.
  • apply theoretical arguments underpinning contemporary issues and debates to specific ethical decision making in everyday life.
  • apply team and individual problem solving and enquiry based learning to contemporary social, cultural, and ethical issues and debates.
  • reflect critically on the impact and consequence of one's arguments on others, while respecting the difference of counterarguments.

Self-Reflective Essay

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 23:59 on 05/06/22 (debates week 9-12)
Weighting: 30%

 

Students will write a scholarly essay on the nuances and complications that arose when arguing for a specific position before an audience of peers. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse, identify, and communicate broad and specific arguments in contemporary media, cultural, political, and ethical debates.
  • evaluate various media representations that contribute to cultural, social, and ethical values.
  • apply theoretical arguments underpinning contemporary issues and debates to specific ethical decision making in everyday life.
  • apply team and individual problem solving and enquiry based learning to contemporary social, cultural, and ethical issues and debates.
  • reflect critically on the impact and consequence of one's arguments on others, while respecting the difference of counterarguments.

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

F2F: this class will run in a lectorial format as a two hour seminar in a lecture theatre. From weeks 1-8 clases entail of interactive lectures interspearsed by peer discussion and debate activities. From weeks 9-12 students will present their team debates.

Online: the first hour will comprise of a live, interactive lecture that is followed by a debate workshop in which students will engage in peer discussion and debate activities. Debate workshops will be accessed via a separate zoom link that can be found on iLearn. From weeks 9-12 students will present their team debates.

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