Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor
Michelle Arrow
Contact via michelle.arrow@mq.edu.au
Australian Hearing Hub, Level 3
email for appointments
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
39cp at 100 level or above or (6cp in HIST or MHIS or POL units at 200 level including 3cp in HIST or MHIS units)
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
Recent surveys of popular historical awareness have demonstrated that most people find out about the past from film and television, yet visual histories are often criticised for the ways they present the past. This unit will consider the limitations and possibilities of history on screen. Films like Australia, Schindler's List, Hairspray, and The Help have all provoked tremendous controversy. Do these filmic histories represent a more 'authentic' engagement with the past, or do they peddle false versions of history to a gullible public? How might we read historical films and television programs carefully and critically to understand diverse historical interpretations? This unit will develop student's understandings of the critical study of history on film, examining the ways that all historical texts (including films) make arguments about the past. The unit will examine cinematic and televisual representations of Australian, American and British histories.
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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:
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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Weekly Tutorial Quiz | 20% | No | weekly |
Film Review | 15% | No | Friday 23 August 2019 midnight |
Research Essay Proposal | 25% | No | Friday 13 September 2019, midnight |
Research Essay | 40% | No | Friday 1 November 2019 midnight |
Due: weekly
Weighting: 20%
Every week (except for week 1) you will be required to complete a short quiz consisting of two short answer questions. The quiz will test your comprehension of the weekly lecture and tutorial readings. The quiz will be marked weekly and you will receive either a mark of 0, 1 or 2 for your responses (a total of 4 marks per week). Your final mark will be calculated using your best 10 quiz results, which means that you can miss up to two quizzes across the semester. Absences are only permitted with a medical certificate - if you can provide a certificate, you will receive your average quiz grade for the week you missed.
Due: Friday 23 August 2019 midnight
Weighting: 15%
Word Limit: 650 words.
This assessment task evaluates your ability to write clearly and accessibly and your primary research skills.
Write a review of an historical film or television series for a magazine or website, such as The Guardian, The Conversation, or Junkee. The review should be written in a punchy, readable style, but it must address the following questions:
There are good examples of the kind of writing style you should emulate here (remember to read the articles on historical films only!): https://www.theguardian.com/film/film+series/rewatching-classic-australian-films
Your article should be referenced in the normal way, with footnotes and a bibliography, in the style specified in the Modern History Essay Writing Guide.
Due: Friday 13 September 2019, midnight
Weighting: 25%
This task will assess your ability to develop a research question and approach, as well as your ability to locate and analyse primary and secondary sources. It is the first step towards developing your research essay. The proposals will be returned in time for you to work on your research essay after the mid-semester break.
You should proceed as follows:
Thinking about a topic: It is best to start this process as early as possible. Look at the weekly lecture and tutorial schedule. What themes in this course do you find most interesting? What questions are you interested in exploring? Are you interested in a particular film? A time period? An historical period depicted in films?
Developing a question: Your question needs to be direct and focused, because you will be assessed on how you answer it. You can focus on debate about a particular film or set of films. You could consider how a particular historical event has been depicted in film and television, or compare a pair of films on a similar topic. You could think about the ways a broader historiographical theme or debate has been represented in historical film (reconciliation, combat experiences in war gender and biography, the US civil rights movement) or you could consider the role of genre historical films. Your essay must contain original primary research (investigating film reviews and other commentary from the time of the film's release) and it must contain secondary research as well - both research on the film itself, and research into the events or context depicted in the film.
Submitting your proposal: The proposal is due WEEK 7 via turnitin on iLearn.
Your proposal should be 1500 words and must include the following:
Grading Criteria: You will be assessed on the following criteria -
Due: Friday 1 November 2019 midnight
Weighting: 40%
This assessment task evaluates your ability to construct an argument in response to your own self-devised research question, based on primary and secondary sources. This task is the culmination of your assessment tasks in this unit; all your previous assessments are "scaffolding" this final task. You need to observe the conventions of writing and referencing as outlined in "Writing Essays in History".
Your final essay should be 3000 words, not including referencing.
This assessment is to submitted via turnitin on iLearn. Remember to submit the essay self-assessment (available on iLearn) sheet with your essay. You must also include a short statement, about one paragraph, on how you have utilised the feedback you have received throughout the semester at the various workshops in completing your final research project.
There is a rubric for this assessment task included as a PDF download in the "Assessments" section on iLearn.
Delivery:
this unit is taught through a combination of a lecture, a film screening and a tutorial - you will need to attend the lecture, film screening and the tutorial each week, and if you cannot attend the screening, then you need to catch up with the film on your own time before you come to class. You must also either attend or listen to the lecture before you attend the tutorial.
Resources:
All the required readings for MHIS303 are available via the MHIS303 iLearn site or directly through the University Library. You do not require any textbooks.
The library holds most of the required films for this unit, as well as a large number of other films you will find useful or relevant. You can also access many films through your local video store (if you still have one!) or streaming services.
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 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
Modern History Policy on late submission of assignments
We expect you to be able to plan your deadlines in order to complete all your assessment tasks on time: juggling competing deadlines is the reaiity of university study. If your work is submitted after the due date, 2% of your grade will be deducted for every day that the assessment task is late. Work that is more than 2 weeks late may not be accepted (unless you have applied for special consideration) and it may be marked on a pass/fail basis.
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
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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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