Students

MMCC3016 – Media Ethics

2025 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Jillian Kramer
jillian.kramer@mq.edu.au
Contact via Please email or attend a zoom drop in session
25B Wally's Walk, room 442.
Please see ilearn.
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit is about the ways in which various narratives are ethically produced, disseminated and represented by the media. As such, it links the skills, knowledge and insights students have gained from various Media courses to relevant future pathways. Questions that this unit will ask include: how are media debates ethically conceived and represented? What are the ethical implications of un-sourced media narratives? How does the media therefore construct and shape culture, society and individuals? The unit will draw on a number of media theories, ethical and practical approaches, as well as previous course content and knowledge to debate the role of the media in shaping public opinion, and ethical decision-making around various narratives, including news stories, and social perceptions. In other words, how are we influenced by media in relation to ethical decision-making more generally?

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 and evaluate contemporary ethical debates around global media production, consumption, distribution, and re-circulation.
  • ULO2: communicate the debates and issues around 'media ethics' in a way that encourages group learning, deliberation and discussion.
  • ULO3: produce media that delivers an ethics-related argument.
  • ULO4: synthesise, analyse and reflect on how to ethically shape media content, or consume media representations in future employment and daily life.

General Assessment Information

Late Submission and Special Consideration

Students with a pre-existing disability/health condition or prolonged adverse circumstances may be eligible for ongoing assistance and support. Such support is governed by other policies and may be sought and coordinated through Campus Wellbeing and Support Services.

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

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 written reports and recordings only. Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.

To be very clear:

  • Unless you have applied for special consideration and had your application approved, for each day your assignment is late, 5 marks will be deducted. For example, if you submit your assignment 7 days late, 35 marks will be deducted, which means you will likely fail that assignment.
  • If your assignment is more than 7 days late (including weekends), you will get 0 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
Engagement 30% No Weeks 2 & 5
Presentation 30% No Ongoing
Case Study 40% No 08/11/2025

Engagement

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 29 hours
Due: Weeks 2 & 5
Weighting: 30%

 

Students are required to demonstrate their engagement with unit content throughout the semester. Please see ilearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse and evaluate contemporary ethical debates around global media production, consumption, distribution, and re-circulation.
  • synthesise, analyse and reflect on how to ethically shape media content, or consume media representations in future employment and daily life.

Presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 29 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 30%

 

Students will work in groups to develop and deliver a presentation that responds to specific prompts. Please see ilearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse and evaluate contemporary ethical debates around global media production, consumption, distribution, and re-circulation.
  • communicate the debates and issues around 'media ethics' in a way that encourages group learning, deliberation and discussion.
  • synthesise, analyse and reflect on how to ethically shape media content, or consume media representations in future employment and daily life.

Case Study

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: 08/11/2025
Weighting: 40%

 

Students are required to demonstrate their research, writing and analytical skills by engaging with contemporary ethical debates around media. Please see ilearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse and evaluate contemporary ethical debates around global media production, consumption, distribution, and re-circulation.
  • produce media that delivers an ethics-related argument.
  • synthesise, analyse and reflect on how to ethically shape media content, or consume media representations in future employment and daily life.

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

Unit Delivery:

  • Lectures: lectures will take place on-campus at the scheduled time. They will also be recorded and uploaded to Echo360. Please check ilearn for the schedule. Lectures start in week one.
  • Tutorials: tutorials will be offered both in-person and via zoom. It is strongly recommended that students attend all tutorials in order to meet with their peers for the group assessment, engage with unit concepts, discuss upcoming assessments and share questions. Tutorials start in week two.

Unit Resources:

  • Readings: students are required to complete the weekly readings. The readings will be available via Leganto links in ilearn.
  • Assessments: students will be required to complete assessments using their own equipment (including phones and/or computers).

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 connect.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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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 the Service Connect Portal, 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 2025.03 of the Handbook