Outline

Overview

This unit traces the history of screen cultures from film to apps, focusing on how popular media is used to produce and represent masculinity and femininity. Students will consider cinema, television, videogames, the internet and mobile devices, asking how changing media forms and practices impact on our gendered identities and everyday lives.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Gender and Cultural Studies
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Jia Guo, jia.guo@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Sertan Saral, sertan.saral@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Jia Guo, jia.guo@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Georgia Munro-Cook, georgia.munro-cook@sydney.edu.au
	Hussein Kobeissi, hussein.kobeissi@sydney.edu.au
	Meihua Lu, meihua.lu@sydney.edu.au
	Soomin Hong, soomin.hong@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Final Take-Home Assignment See canvas for details	40%	Formal exam period Due date: 17 Nov 2023 at 23:59	2,000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Media Analysis Journal 1 See Canvas for details	10%	Week 05 Due date: 01 Sep 2023 at 23:59	650 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Media Analysis Journal 2 See Canvas for details	15%	Week 09 Due date: 06 Oct 2023 at 23:59	850 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Media Analysis Journal 3 See Canvas for details	25%	Week 13 Due date: 03 Nov 2023 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Participation See canvas for details	10%	Weekly	Assessed in class time
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

1x 650 wd media analysis journal-1 (10%)
1x 850 wd media analysis journal- 2 (15%)
1x 1000 wd media analysis journal-3 (25%)
1x 2000 final essay (40%)
Tutorial participation (10%)

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	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at 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 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.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

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.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to Screen Cultures and Gender	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Mapping Screen/Gender Cultures	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Mapping Screen/Gender Cultures	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	The Impact of Popular Cinema	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	The Impact of Popular Cinema	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 04	Television, Gender and Genre	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Television, Gender and Genre	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 05	Age, Gender, Government, and Videogames	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Age, Gender, Government, and Videogames	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 06	Online Culture from the Internet to Social Media	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Online Culture from the Internet to Social Media	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	Changing Film; Changing Genders	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Changing Film; Changing Genders	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 08	New TV Suppliers and Representational Diversity	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	New TV Suppliers and Representational Diversity	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	Media Fandom	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Media Fandom	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 10	Online Activism and Cancel Culture	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Online Activism and Cancel Culture	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 11	Lifestyle and dating apps	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Lifestyle and dating apps	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 12	"We're All in this Together" - representing Covid-19 and "social distancing"	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	"We're All in this Together" - representing Covid-19 and "social distancing"	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 13	Conclusions - screen cultures and affective networks	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Conclusions - screen cultures and affective networks	Tutorial (1 hr)

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: All lectures will be recorded and made available to students on the Canvas site. Lectures will include opportunities for questions and interactions that will not be available to students watching a downloaded version after the lecture time.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

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

All required and also all recommended readings are listed on the unit’s Canvas page and available electronically through that site.

See the online syllabus here for more information: https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/34749/assignments/syllabus.

Learning outcomes

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.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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

LO1. critically appraise the relations between cultural change and changing media technologies
LO2. appreciate the relationships between popular media forms and gendered identities
LO3. apply techniques of discourse analysis, cultural historical analysis, and related theoretical concepts to screen-based popular culture
LO4. research evidence and articulate arguments about culture, technology and gender
LO5. communicate ideas effectively in academic discourse.

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
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

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

This unit has been adjusted in response to student feedback from previous iterations of the course.

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.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

GCST1603: Screen Cultures and Gender: Film to Apps

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links