Students

MMCC2061 – Photo Media

2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor and tutor
Nicole Matthews
nicole.matthews@mq.edu.au
Contact via Please contact me by email. Do not leave phone messages
10 HA 165C
to be announced on ilearn
Tutor
Alison Walker
alison.walker@mq.edu.au
Tutor
Emily Hunt
emily.hunt@mq.edu.au
Lecturer
Jane Simon
contact Nicole.Matthews@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 examines the practice of photography across diverse cultural contexts and media platforms. It will introduce critical debates about the practice of photography and a number of key themes in the history of photography. The unit will consider a range of genres, texts and practices including snapshots and online photo sharing, family albums, photography as art and photojournalism. The unit will include the following topics: street photography and ethics; the photograph as evidence and instrument of organisation; domestic photography and amateurism; photography and otherness; and the place of photography in contemporary digital media cultures.

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: identify key themes, ideas and concepts in theories of photography.
  • ULO2: distinguish between and critically evaluate theoretical positions on photographic practices and texts.
  • ULO3: analyse and critically evaluate photographs according to themes, genres, and forms.
  • ULO4: communicate narratives and ideas through the combination of photographs and text
  • ULO5: evidence engagement with and reflection on contemporary photographic media.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Penalty 

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
Online quizzes 25% No Quiz 1 18/03/2022-22/03/2022; Quiz 2 27/05/2022-31/05/2022
Online reflections 25% No 23:00 Tues weekly; final reflection 23:00 03/06/2022 Wk 13
Photo essay and reflection 50% No 17:00 06/05/2022 Friday Week 9

Online quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Quiz 1 18/03/2022-22/03/2022; Quiz 2 27/05/2022-31/05/2022
Weighting: 25%

 

During semester there will be two quizzes that will be accessed via iLearn. The quizzes will require students to answer a series of questions relating to the key readings, lecture content and photographic examples from the unit. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • identify key themes, ideas and concepts in theories of photography.
  • distinguish between and critically evaluate theoretical positions on photographic practices and texts.
  • evidence engagement with and reflection on contemporary photographic media.

Online reflections

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 23:00 Tues weekly; final reflection 23:00 03/06/2022 Wk 13
Weighting: 25%

 

Each week students will be asked to write a short reflection responding to a prompt/question related to the weekly topic and readings, and post it to ilearn ahead of the tutorial. At the end of the semester students will write a final reflection outlining how their understanding of photography has been developed or shaped by readings, photographs or photographers discussed in the unit. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • identify key themes, ideas and concepts in theories of photography.
  • distinguish between and critically evaluate theoretical positions on photographic practices and texts.
  • analyse and critically evaluate photographs according to themes, genres, and forms.
  • evidence engagement with and reflection on contemporary photographic media.

Photo essay and reflection

Assessment Type 1: Creative work
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: 17:00 06/05/2022 Friday Week 9
Weighting: 50%

 

The photo essay assignment gives you the opportunity to make connections between the theory and practice of photography. Students will not be assessed on technical photographic skills but rather on their understanding of the genre of the photo essay, their ability to communicate a clear narrative in the photo essay, the creativity of their response and the clarity of the accompanying writing. Students will also provide a reflection on the process of producing a photo essay. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • identify key themes, ideas and concepts in theories of photography.
  • communicate narratives and ideas through the combination of photographs and text
  • evidence engagement with and reflection on contemporary photographic media.

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

Lectures are recorded and will be posted online for viewing on the Monday of each week.

For external students, tutorials will be live via zoom.

For internal students, tutorials will be face to face on campus unless public health orders recommend otherwise. 

If internal students are unwell or required to isolate due to COVID exposure, please contact the convenor to receive details of the online zoom link for access to an online tutorial.  Please do not attend face to face tutorials if you have any symptoms or are a close contact.  

More details will be available on ilearn.

Unit Schedule

Topics include:

Photographic seeing; photojournalism and documentary photography; street photography; the photo essay; photography, identity and the self-portrait; Photography, evidence and crime; Photography and landscape; reviewing photo exhibitions; photography and belonging; family photography; photography and travel.

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 2022.03 of the Handbook