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Unit of study_

ARIN6903: Digital Media and Society

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Digital media technologies are increasingly central to society, culture and everyday life. They mediate individual experience, reconfigure communities and build connections into networks. This unit introduces key theories and explores the role of digital media in visuality, feelings, identities, power relations, activist practices, mobilities and algorithmic cultures. Students are equipped with tools for researching digital cultures and sociality to design a research project using ethnographic and/or text-mining methods.

Unit details and rules

Unit code ARIN6903
Academic unit Media and Communications
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Chris Chesher, chris.chesher@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Chris Chesher, chris.chesher@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s) Bruno Rodriguez Armesto, bruno.rodriguezarmesto@sydney.edu.au
Conor Spence, conor.spence@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Participation Attendance and Participation
Attend & participate in seminars and online.
10% Ongoing 500 words equivalent
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2
Assignment Topical short essay
Write an essay on one of the questions provided.
30% Week 06
Due date: 13 Sep 2022 at 23:59

Closing date: 29 Sep 2022
2000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2
Assignment group assignment Project presentation video
Prepare and upload an 8 minute video outlining your research
20% Week 08
Due date: 23 Sep 2022 at 23:59

Closing date: 07 Oct 2022
8 minute video (1000 words equiv each)
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Assignment group assignment Research report (in pairs)
Research and write a report on an online community or network
40% Week 13
Due date: 31 Oct 2022 at 23:59

Closing date: 15 Nov 2022
2500 words each. 5000 words total.
Outcomes assessed: LO3 LO4
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

Work is of an exceptional standard with awareness of the discipline, critical insight and independent research 

Distinction

75 - 84

Work is of a high standard demonstrating awareness of the discipline, critical insight and independent research 

Credit

65 - 74

Fulfills the requirements of the assessment to a good standard with demonstrated effort. 

Pass

50 - 64

Fulfills the requirements of the assessment to an acceptable standard. 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

All assessments must be submitted to pass this unit of study. 

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Digital society Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 02 Social media platforms Seminar (2 hr) LO1
Week 03 Beyond optimism and pessimism Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 04 Interaction and identity / researching digital society Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 05 Communities and networks / digital ethnography Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 06 Visuality and visibility / SNA and CTA Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 07 Feeling digital Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO4
Week 08 Power and exploitation Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 09 Video project presentations (Week 1) Seminar (2 hr) LO3 LO4
Week 10 Video project presentations (Week 2) Seminar (2 hr) LO3 LO4
Week 11 Activism and mobilisation Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO4
Week 12 Datafication and algorithms Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO4
Week 13 Software and devices / Digital media and social change Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
  • Lecture recording: Seminars are not recorded. If this unit is run online the lecturer will prepare a mini-lecture and classes will be conducted on Zoom. 
  • Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time each week (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction. 
  • All assessments must be completed to pass this unit of study. 
  • Each student in a group gets the same grade for a group assignment. If you having team problems, notify your tutor early to arrange for mediation. 

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Required textbook: 

Lindgren, Simon (2022) Digital Media & Society. London: Sage.
Additional readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas, or in the Library. 

This unit will be taught both on Camperdown Campus (CC) and remote (RE) using Zoom. Please turn on your camera for the duration of the class. This will be taken into account as participation. 

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate a critical understanding of key concepts in social studies of digital media
  • LO2. understand key debates in digital media
  • LO3. demonstrate collaboration and teamwork
  • LO4. collaboratively conceive and develop a research proposal and research report.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This unit has been revised to include additional optional readings based on the feedback from the previous time that this unit ran. We clarified the exercise instructions. We made the quiz non-assessable.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.