Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Anthony Lambert
Contact via anthony.lambert@mq.edu.au
Room 253 / Level 2 Admin Hub, 10 Hadenfeld Ave
Email for appointment
Lecturer
Theresa Senft
Contact via theresa.senft@mq.edu.au
10 Hadenfeld Ave
Email for appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit brings together theories, practices and texts that explore the relationship between visual media and the way people act in their everyday lives. This unit introduces critical concepts to analyse visual texts, technologies, and communication practices. From film, television, photography and advertising, to social media applications and sites, we look at the ways media and communication shape (and are shaped by) our social worlds, our bodies and identities, changing technologies and online communities. We focus on visual communication and normalising practices, contemporary politics, events, embodiment, digital cultures, globalisation and social networking. Within these frameworks, we explore the (re)production, performance and use of identity and subjectivity, and canvass notions of genre, discourse, power and textuality through the application and testing of methods of visual analysis. Finally, we place visual communication within the personal, the sensory and the everyday through the practical exploration of social media use.
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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:
Late Submissions - Guidelines
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved:
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Tutorial Exercise | 30% | No | Ongoing |
Screening Response | 10% | No | Week 7 |
Visual Analysis | 30% | No | Week 11 Thurs by 6:00PM |
Screen Tests | 30% | No | Weeks 4, 8, 12 |
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 30%
Outline:
You will lead the tutorial for a minimum of ten minutes per person (through an original image or textual analysis and discussion/group activity). Your tutor will allocate topics/weeks and dates in the first tutorial and the exercises will begin in the following week.
Submission Requirements:
You will conduct, in class, either an analysis of one specific visual text (image, film sequence, an online or in-app image, clip, thread or activity), and/ or a quiz, debate, game or other group activity based on your research using the key terms and concepts with respect to the weekly topics. Define and explain these with examples from the readings and research you have done. There is no written component to this exercise - it is assessed in class and you do not submit any materials. You may work as a team with your classmates who have the same topic if you choose, though each student must present for ten minutes. Each student is graded individually.
Criteria:
You are graded in class, on a series of criteria including: conceptual understanding, originality and presentation - each out of five, with a total score out of thirty. There are no presentations in tutorial week following the screening (see Screening Response section). Seek assistance from your tutor if you have any problems. If you do not fulfil this assessment and have no appropriate Special Consideration or extension arrangements in place, you may lose 30% of your overall grade for this unit.
Late Submissions - Guidelines
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved:
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 10%
Outline:
In the tutorial following the screening in week 7, you will bring to class a written statement of 300 words that offers 1) a synopsis/description of the film/text and 2) explain how you think the screening relates to the study of visual communication by addressing the weekly questions under the iLearn topic banner.
Submission Requirements:
You will read this aloud in the class for feedback and submit the final copy to your tutor via the iLearn link at the end of the week. This should be no longer than 300 words. You should also bring to class names/examples of other visual texts that deal with the same topics/themes for discussion. In addition to your own responses, in class you should explicitly engage with, respond to and initiate discussion around the weekly themes.
Criteria:
This assessment explicitly requires your participation in class, the presentation of your own response, and the online submission of your written work.
Late Submissions - Guidelines
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved:
Due: Week 11 Thurs by 6:00PM
Weighting: 30%
Outline:
You will conduct a critical analysis on a set topic from specific material covered and associated screenings from across the first half of the semester.
Submission Requirements:
The length is 1200 Words - Due Thursday of week 11 by 6:00 pm. Submission is online only via the ILearn Turnitin Assignments link.
Criteria:
a) Extent to which the essay is focused on the specific question selected
b) Structure: statement of aims in introduction, organisation of material (logical order and flow of discussion), conclusion
c) Clarity of argument, quality of analysis and fluency in cultural studies terms
d) Identification of appropriate themes and concepts from the set texts and further reading and their usefulness in the analysis of examples
e) Use of appropriate evidence to support claims
f) Adequate and appropriate citation of sources
g) Presentation: format, spelling, syntax, grammar and expression
Late Submissions - Guidelines
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved:
Due: Weeks 4, 8, 12
Weighting: 30%
Outline:
There are three periodic tests to be completed across the semester, and each test is worth 10 percent (30 percent in total).
Submission Requirements:
You will complete the tests online via the quizzes section on iLearn. The tests are timed and are scored automatically through the online system. Each test will comprise a series of questions taken from lectures and readings from within three-four week periods in the course.
Criteria:
Please read the following notes and instructions:
1. The tests will take the form of ten direct-answer questions.
2. Whilst you undertake the tests in your own time and are able to consult your notes, the questions will come to you randomly and the time for each test will be capped at fifteen minutes.
3. Test one (due week 4) will cover week 1-4, test two will cover weeks 5-9 (due week 9), and test three (due week 12) will cover weeks 10-12 and the third screening.
4. You are encouraged to revise before logging on to begin east test.
Late Submissions - Guidelines
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved:
Delivery Mode: Internal, Daytime
This unit will use: Echo, iLearn, Turnitin
Lectures and Tutorials
Lectures: Mondays 12:00 PM in T1, 10 Hadenfeld Avenue. See Echo block on iLearn for recorded weekly lectures and sides/notes. Lectures, screenings, readings and appropriate work must be watched/done prior to tutorials.
Tutorials: As per timetable (1 hr per week) TUTORIALS BEGIN IN WEEK ONE
Screening: The link to week 8 screening is available under the weekly tab or via the library Kanopy streaming service.
For current updates, classrooms and times please consult the MQU Timetables website: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au.
ESSENTIAL WEEKLY READINGS/SCREENINGS FOR THIS UNIT AS FOLLOWS. All entries are available via Unit Readings on the library site.
Week 1: Becker, Karin (2004) ‘Where is the Visual Culture in Contemporary Theories of Media and Communication ?’, Nordicom Review, 25(1-2), 149-157.
Week 2: Barnes, Susan B. (2012) ‘Language of images: signs, symbols, and semiotics’ in An introduction to visual communication: from cave art to second life, New York: Peter Lang, 58-76.
Week 3: Madikiza, Lucky & Elirea Bornman (2007) ‘International communication: shifting paradigms, theories and foci of interest’, Communicatio, 33(2), 11-44.
Week 4: Mihailidis, P. and Viotty, S. (2017) ‘Spreadable Spectacle in Digital Culture: Civic Expression, Fake News, and the Role of Media Literacies in “Post-Fact” Society’, American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 61(4), 441–454.
Week 5: Nash, M., & Warin, M. (2017) ‘Squeezed between identity politics and intersectionality: A critique of “thin privilege” in Fat Studies’, Feminist Theory, 18(1), 69-87.
Week 6: Kiarina Kodela, A. (2016) ‘Monsters of Biopower: Terror(ism) and Horror in the Era of Affect’, Philosophy Today, 60(1), 193-205.
Week 7: Nordmarken, S. (2014) ‘Becoming Ever More Monstrous: Feeling Transgender In-Betweenness’, Qualitative Inquiry, Vol 20(1) 37–50.
Screening: My Transgender Life (2016) Available: Kanopy Streaming
Week 8: No Readings
Week 9: Van Dijck, J. (2013) ‘Engineering Sociality in a Culture of Connectivity’, in The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 3-23.
Week 10: Senft, T. M., & N. K. Baym (2015) ‘What does the selfie say? Investigating a global phenomenon’, International Journal of Communication, 9(Feature), 1588-1606.
Week 11: Albury, K. and Crawford K. (2012) ‘Sexting, consent and young people’s ethics: Beyond Megan’s Story’, Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 26: 3, pp. 463-473.
Week 12: Zuckerman, E. (2014) ‘New Media, New Civics?’, Policy and Internet, 6:2, pp.151-158
Week 13: No Readings
NOTE: All readings for this course are through the library's online catalogue and it is your responsibility to access and read/ watch all materials before the appropriate tutorial. Please see the iLearn page for MECO100 for further information.
Week 1 Lecture : Visual Communication
Week 2 Lecture: Semiotic Communication
Week 3 Lecture: Global Communication
Week 4 Lecture: Spectacular Communication
Week 5 Lecture: Fat Culture
Week 6 Lecture: Monstrous Culture
Week 7 Screening: Trans Culture
Week 8: Reading Week (No Classes)
Week 9 Lecture: Social Media
Week 10 Lecture: Social Selfhood
Week 11 Lecture: Social Sharing
Week 12 Lecture: Social Change
Week 13: Course Review (No Classes)
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
The Department of Media, Music, Communication & Cultural Studies has an assignment remark policy. Please find the relevant information/application form here: http://www.mq.edu.au/pubstatic/public/download/?id=167914
Assessment standards in this unit align with the University's grade descriptors, available at: https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/assessment
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.
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
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:
Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Attendance
CUL 121 requires that students atend every weekly (hour-long) tutorial. In addition to the formal lectures there are some weeks in which short films or television programs are screened. Attendance at lectures is strongly advised as lectures and screenings actively supplement the material covered in readings and provide the basis for tutorial activities and essay questions. Lecture links may be found on the iLearn page and abbreviated notes will be posted to each weekly section.
Examination(s)
There is no examination for CUL121. Please see notes regarding assessment.
Assignment submission
ALL ASSIGNMENTS to be submitted in online or in class. You must structure and reference essays appropriately, including a full and correct bibliography. See relevant sections in this guide for details with respect to turnitin, plagiarism and academic writing services.
Extensions and penalties
You should complete all components of this course. Work submitted late without extension or proof/documentation of extenuating circumstances will incur a five percent penalty for each day after the due date. Extensions will not be permitted unless you have made an appropriate application for Disruption to Studies.