Outline

Overview

This unit examines the representation and practices of intimate relations focusing especially on the intersection between intimacy and constructions of gender. Divided into three sections, the unit will examine theories of love and friendship, contemporary cultural representations of love, desire and friendship, and the ethics and politics of erotics. This unit will also examine new technologies of intimacy, and discuss their implications for gender and sexuality.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	GCST2610
Academic unit	Gender and Cultural Studies
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	WMST2010
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 1000 level in Gender Studies
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Grace Sharkey, grace.sharkey@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Final Essay	50%	Formal exam period Due date: 22 Nov 2021 at 23:00	2000
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Tutorial Participation	10%	Ongoing	Ongoing
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Tutorial Reflection	10%	Ongoing	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	First Essay	30%	Week 06 Due date: 17 Sep 2021 at 23:00	1500
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Tutorial Participation: This unit has a Tutorial Participation grade. There are several ways to show participation in this course. You must come to lectures and tutorials. You must do the compulsory readings and come to class ready to discuss and ask questions. A reminder that asking for help or voicing confusion in the classroom is a great way to participate in class. Particpation in group discussion is also highly regarded. This course has an online component and your participation on online boards through the Canvas site will also be taken into account. We also reward active listening and academic generosity more broadly.
Tutorial Reflection: The Tutorial Reflection is an exercise that will give you the opportunity to reflect on the readings for one week of the course in greater detail. You will also be expected to come to tutorials on your designated week with a question/questions to lead the class discussion. At the start of semester, students will choose a topic from the course outline that is of interest to them.
During your chosen week, read the set texts, come to the lecture and help lead tutorial discussion in small groups (this is not a public speaking exercise). You will then write 500 words describing what you have learned about the topic. You will be assessed on how well you summarise the week’s set reading/readings (in your own words), and how you relate the topic to examples either in class or in contemporary culture. You will be rewarded for critically engaging with the material and by how well you express your ideas. This assessment is due within one week of your chosen topic (i.e. by the following Monday) and must be lodged via Turnitin by 11.59pm that night.
First Essay: Students will have a choice of questions. Questions will be distributed in lectures and online in week 3. Questions will be based on material covered in weeks 1-5 inclusive.
Final Essay: Students will have a choice of essay questions. These will be distributed in lectures and online in week 10. Essay topics will be based on readings from weeks 6-12.

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
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
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.

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.

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.

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	Politics of Love	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Intimate Publics and Sexual Citizenship	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Being Single	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Meeting Someone	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Falling in Love	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	In the Bedroom	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 07	Moving In	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Getting Married	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Having Kids	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Having Friends	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Love and the Nation	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Love as Method	Lecture and tutorial (3 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: Most lectures will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your learning experience – attend zoom sessions live whenever possible.
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

A full list of required readings will be provided through the unit’s eReserve.

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. understand theories of intimacy, sexuality and friendship within gender and cultural studies
LO2. apply critical skills to interdisciplinary representations of intimacy, love and friendship
LO3. evaluate public debates and concerns about intimacy, sexuality and friendship
LO4. understand the relationship between intimacy, subjectivity and the public sphere
LO5. demonstrate research, writing and oral communication skills through a variety of assessment tasks
LO6. demonstrate independent thinking and interpretation
LO7. demonstrate group work skills through discussion in tutorials
LO8. demonstrate self-directed learning skills through reflection exercises and meeting deadlines.

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 format of the assessments has been changed as a result of student feedback from 2019 (as well as some changes necessary due to covid19). The teaching staff for this unit really appreciate all student feedback and take it into account when developing material for the following year.

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

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

GCST2610: Intimacy, Love and Friendship

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Remote

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

Media

Student links

About us

Connect