Students are required to write a 1,000 word essay that responds to the statement below: 

• In his essay ‘Culture Is Ordinary,’ Cultural Studies Scholar Raymond Williams writes: ‘the questions I ask about our culture are questions about our general and common purposes, yet also questions about deep personal meanings. Culture is ordinary, in every society and in every mind’ (1985/2002, p. 93). Drawing on an example from your everyday life, discuss Williams’ understanding of ‘culture’ and explore why mundane, ordinary and seemingly routine aspects of everyday life may be worthy of analysis. 

In their essays, students are required to draw on the unit readings and their own experience in order to explain Williams’ understanding of ‘culture.’ They should also aim to identify why our everyday lives are an important site of study; what can analysis of the mundane tell us?

Students are also required to develop academic writing skills in their essays. If you have any questions about the structure of an academic essay, please ask your tutor, raise questions on the general discussion board and use the resources available at mq.edu.au/learningskills. You should also include in-text referencing and attach a reference list at the end of their essay. For more information on referencing please follow the link to Macquarie University Library’s Referencing Guide here: http://libguides.mq.edu.au/Referencing.

Essays will be marked according to the following assessment criteria:

1. Demonstrates a clear and effective grasp of relevant key concepts
2. Demonstrates engagement with the unit readings and material
3. Demonstrates thoughtful reflection on the importance of analysing the ‘ordinary’ and everyday life
4. Stages a well-supported analysis of relevant key concepts and their own experience
5. Effective use of writing skills to present academic research, including consistent and accurate use of in-text referencing

Submission: Students will submit Essay One via the Turnitin link on the unit iLearn Site.

Disruptions to Studies: In this unit, extensions will only be granted in line with the university's Disruption to Studies Policy. If you experience a serious and unexpected disruption to your studies and would like to seek an extension of 1-7 days, please contact your unit convenor. If you are seeking an extension of more than 7 days, please submit a disruption to studies notification via ask.mq.edu.au. Extensions will not be granted on the grounds of work commitments. For more information about this process, please read the section below on policies and procedures.

Late Penalty: Students who submit late work without an extension ​will receive a penalty of 10% per day. This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for Disruption to Studies is made and approved.

For this assessment, students are required to select two of their own responses to the weekly activities undertaken in the discussion forms between weeks one to eight. They are required to complete a 400-500 word scholarly reflection task for each post.

In these scholarly reflections, students are required to (a) outline the context of their post on the discussion forum, (b) demonstrate how it enhances their understanding of the key concepts or methods explored in the unit, and (c) discuss how their thoughts have developed since writing their post.

Students can find a template for this assessment task in the Assessments and Guides Section on the ilearn page. Each post they include should be 150-300 words in length (about a paragraph). This means you may either use a full post, or an extract. The posts are not included in the word count.

This assessment task will be marked according to the following assessment criteria:

1. Well-selected sample of two of the student’s weekly responses to the activities
2. Demonstrates a clear grasp of relevant key theoretical concepts and their context
3. Demonstrates the ability to identify the significance and implications of relevant key concepts
4. Demonstrates a critical engagement with relevant unit readings, cultural studies scholarship and debates
5. Stages a thoughtful reflection on the process of learning and engaging with cultural studies scholarship
6. Effective use of writing skills to present academic research, including consistent and accurate use of in-text referencing. 

Submission: Students will submit this task via the Turnitin link on the unit iLearn Site.

Disruptions to Studies: In this unit, extensions will only be granted in line with the university's Disruption to Studies Policy. If you experience a serious and unexpected disruption to your studies and would like to seek an extension of 1-7 days, please contact your unit convenor. If you are seeking an extension of more than 7 days, please submit a disruption to studies notification via ask.mq.edu.au. Extensions will not be granted on the grounds of work commitments. For more information about this process, please read the section below on policies and procedures.

Late Penalty: Students who submit late work without an extension ​will receive a penalty of 10% per day. This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for Disruption to Studies is made and approved.

Examine Amanda Palmer’s ‘The Art of Asking,’ available to stream and download here: http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking.html

Discuss the ways in which Palmer’s argument is aligned with Hall’s claim that cultural studies provides us with: ‘a way of thinking, a strategy for survival, and/or a resource for resistance’ (Hall, “The Emergence of Cultural Studies and the Crisis of the Humanities”, October, v 53, 1990, p22). Your explanation should draw directly on material we have covered in the course, including drawing on key theorists, theories or approaches, as well as any additional research you have done to help support your argument.

This assessment task will be marked according to the following assessment criteria:

1. Demonstrates the ability to deploy analytical skills in order to develop a scholarly and well-supported argument
2. Demonstrates a clear and effective grasp of relevant key concepts
3. Demonstrates critical and sustained engagement with the unit readings
4. Demonstrates knowledge and critique of key issues and methods within cultural studies
5. Ability to stage a well-supported analysis of texts and culture
6. Effective use of writing skills to present academic research, including consistent and accurate use of in-text referencing.

Submission: Students will submit this task via the Turnitin link on the unit iLearn Site.

Disruptions to Studies: In this unit, extensions will only be granted in line with the university's Disruption to Studies Policy. If you experience a serious and unexpected disruption to your studies and would like to seek an extension of 1-7 days, please contact your unit convenor. If you are seeking an extension of more than 7 days, please submit a disruption to studies notification via ask.mq.edu.au. Extensions will not be granted on the grounds of work commitments. For more information about this process, please read the section below on policies and procedures.

Late Penalty: Students who submit late work without an extension ​will receive a penalty of 10% per day. This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for Disruption to Studies is made and approved.