Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer
Rebecca Sheehan
Contact via +612 98507947
Office B110, Modern History, Level 2, Arts Precinct, 25C Wally's Walk
By appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
In this unit, we 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. Music has also been a site of struggle between the freedom that music enables and the commodification that spreads music globally. 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 hip hop, and conclude with Laura Jane Grace, Beyonce, and the contemporary music scene. Along the way, we uncover the hidden histories and pioneering contributions of women, 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. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Detailed Assessment Guidelines explaining the requirements for each assignment are available on the GEND2030 iLearn page in the Assessment Resources section. You must read these guidelines in order to successfully complete each task.
All essays are to be submitted electronically through Turnitin on the GEND2030 iLearn page. You can use Turnitin Draft Coach to check your work in advance of submission. Instructions are here: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/systems/ilearn/assignments-grades.
Please be aware of the following policies in regard to assignments:
Academic Integrity Policy: https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/academic-integrity. 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 here: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration. 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.
Late Assessment Submission Penalty
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.
This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Weekly quiz | 20% | No | Weekly throughout semester |
Research proposal (1000 words) | 30% | No | Week 7, Friday September 8 |
Research Project--Essay or Blog | 50% | No | Week 13, Friday November 3 |
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 48 hours
Due: Weekly throughout semester
Weighting: 20%
Weekly quizzes based on unit content
Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 7, Friday September 8
Weighting: 30%
This 1000 word proposal is the first step in building your final research project. It provides you with the opportunity to research a topic of interest to you within the broad scope of gender, sexuality, race, and popular music. You can choose a question to answer from the list provided, or create your own question in concert with the tutor. 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.
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 36 hours
Due: Week 13, Friday November 3
Weighting: 50%
This assignment builds on your research proposal to complete an essay or blog.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Each week there will be:
1 x 2-hour lecture.
1 x 1 hour tutorial. For internal/in-person students, there is a tutorial on campus. For online students, there is an online discussion forum on iLearn (see the separate unit guide for online students).
All readings are available via Leganto through a link on the iLearn site.
UNIT SCHEDULE
Please note that this schedule is a guide and may be subject to change
Week 1
Lecture 1: Introduction and Rock’s roots: minstrelsy to R&B
Tutorial: Introductions; music and identity
Week 2
Lecture 2: Postwar to the 1950s: From Frank Sinatra to Elvis Presley
Tutorial: Gender, Race & Sex: Sister Rosetta Tharpe & Little Richard
Week 3
Lecture 3: 1950s: Belonging and Rebellion: rock’s fans and opponents
Tutorial: Reactions to rock’n’roll
Week 4
Lecture 4: 1960s: Pop, Artifice, and Cultural Politics
Tutorial: Crossing over: girl groups, Motown, and Nina Simone
Week 5
Lecture 5: 1960s: Rock, Authenticity, and Sexual Politics
Tutorial: Liberation and oppression: women and “cock rock”
Week 6
Lecture 6: 1970s: Liberating and Queering Rock
Tutorial: Performing Difference
Week 7
Lecture 7: 1970s: Resisting the Master: reggae, punk, and the rise of disco
Tutorial: Performing Freedom
RESEARCH ESSAY PROPOSAL DUE END OF WEEK 7
*SESSION BREAK*
Week 8
Lecture 8: 1960s-1980s “Fear of a Black Planet”: from hip hop to gangsta rap
Tutorial: Do the Right Thing
Week 9
Lecture 9: 1980s: “I Want My MTV”
Tutorial: Shape shifters: Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince
Week 10
Lecture 10: 1990s: Grunge to Riot Grrrls
Tutorial: Gendering and Racialising Authenticity
Week 11
Lecture 11: 1990s-2000s: Erotica and Girl Power, R&B’s Renaissance, and the Digital Revolution
Tutorial: Survivors
Week 12
Lecture 12: The New Millennium; Conclusions
Tutorial: Conclusions
Week 13
Lecture 13: Research Essay consultations
Tutorial: Research Essay consultations
RESEARCH ESSAY DUE END OF WEEK 13
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.
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 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
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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
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.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.
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.
This semester we are trialling a weekly quiz instead of tutorial participation as an assessment component.
Unit information based on version 2023.04 of the Handbook