Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Pauline Johnson
Contact via pauline.johnson@mq.edu.au
W6A 833
email for appointment
Sandey Fitzgerald
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
12cp at 100 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
Modernity is characterised by a number of specific developments such as: democracy, capitalism, industrialism, nationalism, individualism and bureaucratisation. These are partly antagonistic, partly complementary tendencies. In this unit we will be examining these diverse trends through the prism of a range of classical theories of modern society. We will consider from among the following: Marx, Nietzsche, Weber, Durkheim, Mead, the Frankfurt School and Foucault. None of these has the key but we suggest that all remain a vital source of illumination into tendencies and potentials of the contemporary world.
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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:
All four tutorial exercises are to be to be submitted via Turnitin by 5pm on the due dates.
Journal entries should be completed within each week where possible. All journal entries must be completed by 5pm Friday of Week 13 unless a Special Consideration request has been approved, providing an extension.
Essay Format: All Tutorial Exercises should be formatted as a formal essay. Font: Times New Roman or Palatino Linotype; Font size: 12; Line spacing: min 1.5; Margins: Left: 3cm; Right: 3cm; Top: 2.5cm; Bottom: 2.5cm (Remember, it is in your interests to make your work as easy for the marker to read as possible).
Submission: Turnitin
Late Submission Penalty
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Participation and Journal | 30% | No | Ongoing |
Tutorial Exercise 1 | 15% | No | Friday of Week 4 |
Tutorial Exercise 2 | 15% | No | Friday of Week 6 |
Tutorial Exercise 3 | 20% | No | Friday of Week 9 |
Tutorial Exercise 4 | 20% | No | Friday of Week 13 |
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 30%
Participation, consisting of attendance, considered engagement in tutorial discussions and the keeping of a weekly online journal
This unit requires building up your skills in reading some challenging social theory and you will need to come to all classes (lectures and tutorials). The tutorials are the place where you can prepare yourself for the written tutorial exercises. They require your attendance and your participation. They are your “space” where you can raise questions, discuss and clarify readings, concepts or other questions around the unit. Only you can make the tutorial work for yourself. Thus, you will need to prepare for each class. This will mean doing the readings for each week and attending the lecture.
In addition to attendance at lectures and participation in the tutorials you are required to keep a weekly online journal. This takes the form of a weekly blog, visible only to you and the tutor. There is a link provided in each week of the unit in iLearn. Each week's entry should be no more than about a page and a half, and contain your reflections on the lectures, tutorials and the readings, and any questions that come to your mind as you prepare for each week's tutorial. It may also contain comments about topics, summaries of the readings or questions that emerge from the tutorials and lectures as we work through the course week by week. In this way, the journal becomes a resource that you build throughout the course, which can be drawn on for the Tutorial Exercises.
IMPORTANT NOTE: if you expect to have significant difficulty in meeting the requirements of this assessment task because of limited access to the internet or other major disruptions or disability, please contact the tutor at the beginning of the course or as soon as you become aware of the problem so that arrangements for this task can be discussed. This will require documentation/disclosure of the circumstances.
Due: Friday of Week 4
Weighting: 15%
The task is to choose one (1) of the provided questions from a week before the due date of the exercise (i.e. from Weeks 2 to 3) and answer it in a fully referenced essay of 600 words by using lecture material and required reading(s). Your focus should be on the required reading. Only use the suggested readings as provided in the outline if you think it necessary for clarification. The essay must also include reference to the relevance of at least one of the Key Themes of Modernity as outlined in Lecture 1. 600 words is not much. You will need to be concise and get straight to the point. We are not asking for a summary of the chosen theorist's work but we are asking you to work out and explain a specific idea about modern societies as developed by the theorist.
Due: Friday of Week 6
Weighting: 15%
Due: Friday of Week 6 Weighting: 15%
The task is to choose one (1) of the provided questions from a week before the due date of the exercise (i.e. from Weeks 2- 5) and answer it in a fully referenced essay of 600 words by using the lecture material and required reading(s). Please note you must choose a theorist that you did not select for the first exercise. Only use the suggested readings as provided in the outline if you think it necessary: your focus should be on the required reading. The essay must include reference to the relevance of at least one of the Key Themes of Modernity as outlined in Lecture 1. Remember to be concise and get straight to the point as you work out and explain a specific idea about modern societies as developed by the chosen theorist.
Due: Friday of Week 9
Weighting: 20%
The task is to choose one (1) of the provided questions from a week before the due date of the exercise (i.e. from Weeks 6 to 8) and answer it in a fully referenced essay of 600 words by using lecture material, the required reading(s) and suggested readings as provided in the outline if you think it necessary. The difference between this exercise and exercises 1 and 2 is that your response must include a comparison between two of the theorists in the unit, as well as the connection to at least one of the Key Themes of Modernity outlined in Lecture 1. It should also demonstrate that you have read the feedback on the previous two exercises and attempted to address any shortcomings in those exercises.
Remember: you need to be concise and get straight to the point. Don't summarise any more than you need to in order to work out and explain a specific idea about modern societies as developed by the theorist in relation to a Key Theme.
Due: Friday of Week 13
Weighting: 20%
The task is to choose one (1) of the provided questions from a week before the due date of the exercise (i.e. from Weeks 9 to 12) and answer it in a fully referenced essay of 600 words by using lecture material, the required reading(s) and suggested readings as provided in the outline if you think it necessary. The difference between this exercise and exercises 1 and 2 is that your response must include a comparison between two of the theorists in the unit, as well as the connection to at least one of the Key Themes of Modernity outlined in Lecture 1, and it should demonstrate that you have addressed any shortcomings raised by the marker of Exercise 3.
Technologies used. This unit has a presence on ilearn (ilearn.mq.edu.au) and you will be required to have regular access to a reliable broadband internet connection and a computer.
Weekly Readings
You will find these listed in your online unit in iLearn.
You will find a course calendar in your iLearn unit.
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Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results shown in iLearn, 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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
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Date | Description |
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14/03/2018 | A change in the details of tutorial assignment 2 dues week 6. In the new version students are able to select their topics from weeks 2 to 5 ( as long as this is not the same theorist as was chosen for exercise 1). |