Students

MAS 302 – Media Identities

2019 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor
Dennis Bruining
per appointment
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(39cp at 100 level or above) or admission to GDipArts
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit introduces students to key models used to investigate a range of identities in relation to media and communications. It covers major feminist theoretical perspectives as well as recent approaches to masculinity, sexuality and race. These approaches are applied to media forms and practices including film, print media, news, advertising, sports journalism and the internet. The unit has an emphasis on the Australian media milieu and covers concepts of identity in terms of self-realisation, social media spaces, representational practices and processes of gender mediation.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Identify and analyse the ways in which identities are constructed in the media.
  • Examine and evaluate key theoretical approaches to media identities.
  • Apply theoretical perspectives on a range of media forms and practices.
  • Articulate and support academic ideas verbally, in writing, and in audiovisual form.
  • Appraise academic literature and use that reflection to conduct independent research and reflection on media identities.

General Assessment Information

Please note the University's 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.

 

Please note MMCCS's re-mark policy: http://www.mq.edu.au/pubstatic/public/ download/?id=167914

 

The methods of feedback utilised in this unit are immediate numerical feedback in response to questions completed in the online quiz; numerical marks and rubric feedback in response to the video essay and the individual reflection; and personal consultations by appointment. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Active Participation 20% No weeks 2-12
Online quiz 25% No 09/09/2019
Video essay and reflection 55% No 21/10/2019 & 4/11/2019

Active Participation

Due: weeks 2-12
Weighting: 20%

Students are expected to attend all lectures and tutorials. Attendance at tutorials is compulsory and any missed tutorial must be accompanied by appropriate documentation (special consideration submitted online). Active participation is assessed based on students’ contribution and level of engagement at tutorials. 

 

Assessment criteria (for a full assessment rubric, please refer to iLearn):  

Reading and reflection: Evidence of engagement with the unit readings, demonstration of in-class reflection through participation in discussions and assignments.

Communication: Demonstration of clear communication skills, evidence of engagement with arguments of others.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and analyse the ways in which identities are constructed in the media.
  • Examine and evaluate key theoretical approaches to media identities.
  • Apply theoretical perspectives on a range of media forms and practices.
  • Articulate and support academic ideas verbally, in writing, and in audiovisual form.
  • Appraise academic literature and use that reflection to conduct independent research and reflection on media identities.

Online quiz

Due: 09/09/2019
Weighting: 25%

In week 7, students will take a multiple-choice quiz in iLearn. The quiz questions are based on unit readings, lectures, and tutorials from weeks 1–6. The quiz will be open all day on Monday September 9, 2019, and students are welcome to take it anywhere they like. Students have one (1) hour to complete the quiz and they are welcome to consult supporting materials. Only one attempt is allowed. Detailed instructions including examples will be provided in week 3.

 

Please note the University's 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.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and analyse the ways in which identities are constructed in the media.
  • Examine and evaluate key theoretical approaches to media identities.

Video essay and reflection

Due: 21/10/2019 & 4/11/2019
Weighting: 55%

Part 1: Video essay (25%)

Working in groups of 4, students will produce a video essay on a media personality of their choice. The video essays will analyse the construction of the chosen individual’s media identity, using the theories, concepts and examples from previous weeks. Tutorials in weeks 8–10 will be dedicated to working on the video essay. Further instructions will be provided in week 8.

 

The submission deadline of the video essay is on Monday 21 October 2019, in class. Groups must bring their video essays to class on a USB drive and be prepared to show their work and answer questions about their video essay. Each group member is expected to be present. Due to copyright reasons, groups are not allowed to distribute their work beyond the setting of the unit.

 

Assessment criteria (for a full assessment rubric, please refer to iLearn):

 

Research: Evidence of original research, demonstration of engagement with unit readings, lectures and topics.

Argument and analysis: Demonstration of a clear point of view that is presented and sustained analytically throughout the video essay.

Creative storytelling: Relevance of chosen images and clips, applicability of sound choices, length, citation of sources

Contribution to debates about media identities: Evidence of engagement with and contribution to contemporary debates on media identities

 

 

Part 2: Report (not marked)

In order to get their marks for this assessment task, each student must submit an individual report where they document the working process of the group. A template is provided in iLearn.

 

Submission is via Turnitin. The deadline is on Monday 21 October 2019.

 

 

Part 3: Individual reflection (30%)

Due: Monday 4 November 2019

Students will write a 1500-word reflection (excluding references and bibliography) on identity construction in the media. Students are expected to compare the media identity they explored in the video essay to that of another media personality. The reflection should not be a summary of the video essay but should address media identity analytically.

The essay should identify applicable intersectional areas of identity (such as gender, race, ethnicity, age, class, gender, or sex) and relate these to the strategies with which identities are constructed in the media.  

 

This is a formal essay which will require clear referencing and appropriate research. The weekly readings and other recommended texts are an important place to start for this assessment task. Please use Harvard Referencing System (refer to the guide in iLearn).

 

Submission is via Turnitin. The deadline is on Monday 4 November 2019.

 

Assessment criteria (for a full assessment rubric, please refer to iLearn):

 

Reflection: ability to identify key tendencies and debates in media identities, and to comment on them critically.

 

Reading and research: evidence of critical engagement with set course materials (unit readings, lectures and tutorials); evidence of independent research on identity construction in the media, evidence of independent research on the chosen media personalities.

 

Argument and analysis: well-articulated and well-supported argument; evidence of critical thinking through taking a position in relation to the readings and independently discovered research materials. Supporting this position throughout the essay. Demonstration of productive comparison between the two media personalities through outlining appropriate axes of comparison.

 

Writing and structure: clear, logical and coherent structure; clarity of expression; appropriate referencing; sticking to the word limit.

 

Please note the University's 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.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and analyse the ways in which identities are constructed in the media.
  • Examine and evaluate key theoretical approaches to media identities.
  • Apply theoretical perspectives on a range of media forms and practices.
  • Articulate and support academic ideas verbally, in writing, and in audiovisual form.
  • Appraise academic literature and use that reflection to conduct independent research and reflection on media identities.

Delivery and Resources

Tutorials begin in week 2, lectures begin in week 1.

All unit readings are available online through the library's Leganto service (please refer to the link in iLearn). 

 

Week 1: Ways of seeing

Berger, John (1972) ‘Ways of Seeing’ in Amelia Jones (ed.) The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader. 2nd edition. London: Routledge, pp. 49­–52 (chapter 7).

 

Mulvey, Laura (1975) ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ in Amelia Jones (ed.) The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader. 2nd edition. London: Routledge, pp. 57­–65 (chapter 9). 

 

 

Week 2: Representation and visibility

Hall, Stuart (1997) ‘The Work of Representation’ in Stuart Hall (ed.) Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: Sage, 1997: 15–30. 

 

Thompson, John B. (2005) ‘The new visibility’ in Theory, Culture & Society vol. 22:6, pp. 31-51.

 

 

Week 3: Race and ethnicity

Dyer, Richard (1997) ‘The matter of whiteness’ in White. London: Routledge, pp. 1-14.

 

hooks, Bell (1992) ‘Eating the Other: desire and resistance’ in Black Looks. Race and Representation. Boston: South End Press: pp. 21-39.  

 

 

Week 4: Sex and gender

Butler, Judith (1988) ‘Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory’ in Theatre Journal vol. 40:4, pp. 519-531.

 

Rossi, Leena-Maija (2011) ‘”Happy” and “unhappy” performatives. Images and norms of heterosexuality’ in Australian Feminist Studies vol. 26:67, pp. 9-23.

 

 

Week 5: Class

Lawler, Stephanie (2014) ‘Heroic workers and angry young men: Nostalgic stories of class in England’ in European Journal of Cultural Studies vol. 17:6, pp. 701-720.

 

Skeggs, Beverly (2009) ‘The moral economy of person production: the class relations of self-performance on “reality” television’ in The Sociological Review, 57:4, pp. 626-644.

 

 

Week 6: Age

Joanne Faulkner (2011) ‘Vulnerability and the passing of childhood in Bill Henson: Innocence in the age of mechanical reproduction’ in Parrhesia vol. 11, pp. 44–55.

 

Boyle, Ellexis & Sean Brayton (2012) ‘Ageing Masculinities and “Muscle work” in Hollywood Action Film: An Analysis of The Expendables’ in Men and Masculinities vol. 15:5, pp. 468-485.

 

 

Week 7: Online quiz

No readings.

 

 

Recess.

 

 

Week 8: Body image

Kyrölä, Katariina & Hannele Harjunen (2017) ‘Phantom/liminal fat and feminist theories of the body’ in Feminist Theory (first published 23 March 2017), pp. 1-19. DOI: 10.1177/1464700117700035

 

 

Week 9: The making of a celebrity

Coleman-Bell, Ramona (2006) ‘”Dropping it like it’s hot”: the sporting body of Serena Williams’ in Su Holmes and Sean Redmond (eds.) Framing Celebrity. London: Routledge, 2006: pp. 195–205.

 

 

Week 10: The presentation of self

Alexander, Jonathan & Elizabeth Losh (2010) ‘A YouTube of One’s Own? "Coming Out" Videos as Rhetorical Action’ in Christopher Pullen & Margaret Cooper (eds.) LGBT Identity and Online New Media. London: Routledge: pp. 37–50 (chapter 2).

 

 

Week 11: The seer and the seen 

Mark Andrejevic (2002) ‘Reality TV and Voyerism’ in Reality TV: The work of being watched. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, pp. 173–194.

 

 

Week 12: Seriality and truth

Ruth Page (2013) ‘Seriality and Storytelling in Social Media’ in Storyworlds: A Journal of Narrative Studies Vol. 5, pp. 31-54

 

 

Week 13: Essay preparation

No readings.

 

Policies and Procedures

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).

Student Code of Conduct

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

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

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

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

IT Help

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.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

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:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify and analyse the ways in which identities are constructed in the media.
  • Examine and evaluate key theoretical approaches to media identities.
  • Apply theoretical perspectives on a range of media forms and practices.
  • Articulate and support academic ideas verbally, in writing, and in audiovisual form.
  • Appraise academic literature and use that reflection to conduct independent research and reflection on media identities.

Assessment tasks

  • Active Participation
  • Video essay and reflection

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

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:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify and analyse the ways in which identities are constructed in the media.
  • Examine and evaluate key theoretical approaches to media identities.
  • Apply theoretical perspectives on a range of media forms and practices.
  • Articulate and support academic ideas verbally, in writing, and in audiovisual form.
  • Appraise academic literature and use that reflection to conduct independent research and reflection on media identities.

Assessment tasks

  • Active Participation
  • Video essay and reflection

Commitment to Continuous Learning

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:

Learning outcome

  • Appraise academic literature and use that reflection to conduct independent research and reflection on media identities.

Assessment tasks

  • Active Participation
  • Video essay and reflection

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

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:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify and analyse the ways in which identities are constructed in the media.
  • Examine and evaluate key theoretical approaches to media identities.
  • Apply theoretical perspectives on a range of media forms and practices.
  • Appraise academic literature and use that reflection to conduct independent research and reflection on media identities.

Assessment tasks

  • Active Participation
  • Online quiz
  • Video essay and reflection

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

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:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify and analyse the ways in which identities are constructed in the media.
  • Examine and evaluate key theoretical approaches to media identities.
  • Apply theoretical perspectives on a range of media forms and practices.
  • Articulate and support academic ideas verbally, in writing, and in audiovisual form.
  • Appraise academic literature and use that reflection to conduct independent research and reflection on media identities.

Assessment tasks

  • Active Participation
  • Video essay and reflection

Problem Solving and Research Capability

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:

Learning outcomes

  • Examine and evaluate key theoretical approaches to media identities.
  • Apply theoretical perspectives on a range of media forms and practices.
  • Articulate and support academic ideas verbally, in writing, and in audiovisual form.
  • Appraise academic literature and use that reflection to conduct independent research and reflection on media identities.

Assessment tasks

  • Active Participation
  • Video essay and reflection

Effective Communication

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:

Learning outcomes

  • Articulate and support academic ideas verbally, in writing, and in audiovisual form.
  • Appraise academic literature and use that reflection to conduct independent research and reflection on media identities.

Assessment tasks

  • Active Participation
  • Video essay and reflection

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

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:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify and analyse the ways in which identities are constructed in the media.
  • Examine and evaluate key theoretical approaches to media identities.
  • Apply theoretical perspectives on a range of media forms and practices.

Assessment tasks

  • Active Participation
  • Video essay and reflection

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

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:

Learning outcomes

  • Identify and analyse the ways in which identities are constructed in the media.
  • Examine and evaluate key theoretical approaches to media identities.
  • Apply theoretical perspectives on a range of media forms and practices.

Assessment tasks

  • Active Participation
  • Video essay and reflection