Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Dr Rebecca Sheehan
Contact via email
W6A831
by appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to GDipArts or (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
In this unit, we will 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. It has also been a site of struggle between the freedom that music enables, and the commodification that spreads its sounds and meanings. 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 conclude with Laura Jane Grace, Beyoncé, and the contemporary music scene. Along the way, we uncover the hidden histories and pioneering contributions of women—especially women of colour, 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.
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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:
There are 5 assessments in GEND230, consisting of weekly tutorial participation, an annotated bibliography, a research essay proposal, a research essay, and a final presentation. Taken together, the tasks are designed to aid your learning and test your understanding of the unit material.
Tasks 2, 3, 4, and 5 must be submitted via Turnitin.
Students should be aware of the following policies in regard to assignments:
Academic Honesty Policy: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html. 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 through AskMQ. 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/disruption-to-studies.
Late Assessment 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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Tutorial participation | 10% | No | Weekly |
Annotated bibliography | 10% | No | Sunday Week 4 |
1000 word paper proposal | 25% | No | Sunday Week 7 |
Final essay 2500 words | 40% | No | Sunday Week 13 |
Final Presentation | 15% | No | Weeks 11, 12, 13 |
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%
On-campus students: Active engagement in discussion is an important part of university learning. Tutorial participation and attendance at the tutorial each week is required. Your mark will reflect the quality and quantity of your participation. It takes into consideration:
Note that you are expected to attend 80% of the tutorials. Active participation in less than 80% of tutorials will incur a ‘fail’ unless exceptional circumstances prevail and Special Consideration is granted.
Due: Sunday Week 4
Weighting: 10%
This assessment task gets you started on your research paper. It requires you to choose a topic from the list of questions provided, and identify and familiarise yourself with sources that provide evidence on that topic. The annotated bibliography should be divided into primary and secondary sources. The number of primary sources you use depends on the topic and type of assignment you have chosen, but as a guide, aim for 5 minimum primary sources. You should consult and incorporate at least 10 secondary works into your paper.
Due: Sunday Week 7
Weighting: 25%
This assessment task builds on the information you gathered for your annotated bibliography and requires you to map your research paper. It requires you to identify/pose research questions about your topic, and discuss how you will answer your question. Your proposal should include:
1. The question you will answer
2. Identify research questions and possible answers: what smaller questions do you need to answer in order to answer your big question? What hypothetical answers have you formed based on your research?
3. A brief analysis of the literature relating to your topic. This should include: major debates, agreement and disagreement amongst scholars, absences in the literature if there are any, different approaches and methods (2-3 paragraphs)
4. An annotated bibliography. This should include the annotated bibliography you have already submitted, as well as additional sources you have found or been recommended. The annotated bibliography is not part of the word count of this assignment.
Due: Sunday Week 13
Weighting: 40%
The major assessment in this unit is a research paper. It provides you with the opportunity to research and write (or create a podcast, website, or some other multimedia project) about an area of interest to you within the broad scope of gender, sexuality, race, and rock. You can choose a question to answer from the list provided, or create your own question in concert with the tutor and/or convenor. The annotated bibliography and paper proposal are the first two steps in the process of building this paper. 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. See iLearn for additional information, including possible questions and topics.
Due: Weeks 11, 12, 13
Weighting: 15%
The final presentation builds on the work that you have done in tutorials including the weekly reading. In groups of approximately 5 people, in the final tutorial/s of the semester, you will present an argument about one of the unit’s themes for approximately 10 minutes (2 minutes per person). To prepare, each group member will need to write 500 words addressing the theme, using tutorial readings, discussions, and lecture content. These notes must be submitted online before the tutorial in week 11. In tutorials in week 11, you will bring your notes to discuss with other members of your group and prepare your final presentation. The tutorials in weeks 12 and 13 will be devoted to final presentations.
Lectures will be on Fridays, 11am to 1pm. The lecture room is: 17 Wallys Walk T1 Theatre also known as 17WW.
Lectures will be recorded.
All readings are available via Leganto--there is a link on the iLearn site.
UNIT SCHEDULE
Please note that schedule is a general guide and may be subject to change
Week 1 |
March 2 |
Lecture 1: Introduction and Rock’s roots: minstrelsy to R&B |
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Tutorial |
No Tutorial. Suggested reading: W E B DuBois “Of the Sorrow Songs” |
Week 2 |
March 9 |
Lecture 2: Postwar to the 1950s: From Frank Sinatra to Elvis Presley |
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Tutorial |
Gender, Race & Class: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Little Richard & Elvis |
Week 3 |
March 16 |
Lecture 3: 1950s: Belonging and Rebellion: rock’s fans and opponents **discussion of annotated bibliography |
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Tutorial |
Reactions to rock’n’roll |
Week 4 |
March 23 |
Lecture 4: 1960s: Pop, Artifice, and Cultural Politics |
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Tutorial |
Crossing over: girl groups, Motown, and Nina Simone |
Annotated bibliography due |
Week 4 Sunday March 25 |
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Week 5 |
March 30* |
Easter Public Holiday. No lecture 5 today |
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Tutorial |
Easter Public Holiday. No tutorial today |
Week 6 |
April 6 |
Lecture 6: 1960s: Rock, Authenticity, and Sexual Politics |
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Tutorial |
Liberation and oppression: women and “cock rock” |
Week 7 |
April 13 |
Lecture 7: 1970s: Rock’s divergence: from glam and punk to reggae and metal |
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Tutorial |
“I’maman” |
Paper proposal due |
Sunday April 15 |
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SESSION BREAK |
April 16-29 |
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Week 8 |
May 4 |
Lecture 8: 1970s: The Mothership Connection: soul, funk, and the rise of disco |
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Tutorial |
Bodies and escape |
Week 9 |
May 11 |
Lecture 9: 1980s: “I Want My MTV” |
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Tutorial |
Shape shifters: Madonna, Michael Jackson, Springsteen, Prince |
Week 10 |
May 18 |
Lecture 10: “Fear of a Black Planet”: from hip hop to gangsta rap |
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Tutorial |
Protest and Play: Hip hop |
Final presentation notes due |
Week 11 Thursday May 24 |
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Week 11 |
May 25 |
Lecture 11: 1990s: Grunge to Riot Grrrls |
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Tutorial |
Final presentations preparation |
Week 12 |
June 1 |
Lecture 12: 1990s-2000s: Erotica and Girl Power, R&B’s Renaissance, and the Digital Revolution |
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Tutorial |
Final presentations |
Week 13 |
June 8 |
Lecture 13: 2000s: Conclusions and course evaluations |
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Tutorial |
Final presentations |
Research paper due |
Week 13 Sunday June 10 |
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* NB: Public holiday on Friday March 30.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
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.
Requests for Extensions and Late Penalties
To apply for an extension of more than 5 working days, please complete the disruption to studies notification and submitted online through AskMQ. See the Disruption to Studies Policy above and find further details here: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration/disruption-to-studies
Late assessments without an approved extension will incur a penalty of two marks (out of 100) per working day (ie. week day).
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.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
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.
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This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by: