Outline

Overview

This capstone unit allows students to integrate and put into practice their cultural studies knowledge through work-integrated learning (WIL). Students will undertake an approved internship for direct work experience in a relevant organisation or business, where they will engage in cultural research and analysis through assigned tasks during the placement. Through pre-placement preparations, workshops and assessments, students will apply cultural studies methodologies and engage critically with experiences at the internship site.

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	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Shawna Tang, shawna.tang@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Small continuous assessment	Weekly journal Weekly journal	10%	Please select a valid week from the list below	500wd
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Weekly journal Weekly journal	10%	Please select a valid week from the list below	500wd
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Weekly journal Weekly journal	10%	Please select a valid week from the list below	500wd
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Weekly journal Weekly journal	10%	Please select a valid week from the list below	500wd
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Internship Placement Report Internship placement report	40%	Please select a valid week from the list below	1500wd
Outcomes assessed:
Attendance	Internship Placement Presentation Internship Placement Presentation	20%	Week 11	1x1000-word equivalent
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Assessment Details

As the timing of each placement is unique to each student, due dates will be determined in conversation with your academic supervisor.

Weekly Journal

4 x 500 words (40%)

The journal provides the student the opportunity to reflect on the cultural work being undertaken. Students should use it to identify and discuss pertinent issues that arise from work undertaken, both with regard to: 1) ongoing learning about the subject area: and 2) the processes and practices of cultural research.

The focus is personal reflection and analysis of work-in-progress, i.e. what you are learning about cultural work from being on placement. Some effort to respond to the ideas of others about topics at hand should be made and some effort to identify cultural issues raised by your experience and discuss them should be made. This could also involve some basic library or Internet research, and/or consideration of interactions with peers/subjects in the research project undertaken.

Deadline: *the journal should comprise a minimum of four entries, representing the internship process at different stages. At least one entry should be made for each five days spent in internship, and should be posted within three days of completing each five-day block. More than four entries may be made if desired.

Internship Placement Report

1000-word equivalent presentation (20%)

1500 words written report (40%)

The report gives an overview of the whole experience plus a consideration of its intellectual significance. It should include a summary of the placement activity, including the activity/research undertaken, the results and outcomes of the research and any limitations or challenges faced. Finally it should give a brief critical analysis and literature review of a key cultural/research method issue that was raised in the course of the placement, outlining key perspectives taken on it by other researchers and posing questions to be pursued in the research essay of GCST5907.

In short, the aims are to: 1) outline the placement activity: and 2) then discuss a research problem of intellectual significance that was generated by the placement experience.

The report should be presented and referenced in line with the Department of Gender and Cultural Studies style guide.

In combination the assessments enable the student to generate and analyse some of the most important lessons from the placement experience. They lay the groundwork for further development in the follow-on unit GCST 5907 Cultural Studies Internship Project in which the major assessment is a research essay on a topic related to the internship.

In addition to the assessments, you must attend throughout your internship placement and also receive a satisfactory report from your on-site/placement supervisor to meet the progression requirements.

It is a condition of all placement assessment that data generated in the course of your placement and personal reflection upon the placement process be confined only to the assessments below and not published in any public forum, unless you explicitly gain the approval of the placement host (e.g. if you wanted to develop your final research essay into an article for a journal, or a conference paper).

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, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
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.

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.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Multiple weeks	90 hour internship placement in full time or part time blocks and; 6 x 2 hour seminar/week	Placement (90 hr)
Week 01	Introduction to Internship capstones	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 03	Pre-placement preparation incorporating WIL principles	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 05	Critical engagements with internship: readings and discussions	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 07	Critical engagements with internship: readings and discussions	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 11	Presentations	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 13	Presentations	Seminar (2 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 (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
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

Online resources/readings may be useful to refer to in your thinking and reference in your journal whilst on placement. There may be plenty of websites relevant to your project. Some examples:

http://australiacouncil.gov.au/research
Lots of information about the ‘state of the culture industry’ in Australia

https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/ics
The research hub of the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University

http://journal.fibreculture.org
‘Fibreculture’ online journal has regular debate and discussion on information and communication technologies, network cultures, and new media.

http://creativitymachine.net
The weblog of Dr Jean Burgess; “A personal research blog about vernacular creativity and technology” with regular postings on the ‘culture industry’.

http://sgrp.typepad.com/sgrp/ Gender, Race and Philosophy: the blog

Plus more generally you may find it useful to check out websites of government departments, businesses, policy organisations, researchers, NGOs, etc.

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. Demonstrate familiarity with the applied significance of themes in cultural studies as they pertain in a particular organisational context
LO2. Identify critical and methodological issues arising from cultural research and respond to them reflexively and constructively
LO3. Critique and develop a research problem that arises from your personal experience of applied research.

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.

Assessment details have been updated to avoid some reported issues.

Additional information

The Internship Officer is able to offer guidance in finding placements, or students may find their own.

The placement may be involvement in a specific project or taking a general role in a workplace that undertakes cultural work, broadly defined. It may be undertaken either full-time over four weeks or part-time, locally or outside Sydney (when a student has no other study commitments and has adequate access to resources and means of communication). Full-time placements during semester are not permitted for full-time students.

The Internship is divided into two units. GCST5906 covers the placement activity itself, and the assessment is designed to test the student’s ability to reflect critically upon it. GCST5907 provides the student with the opportunity to undertake further academic research into a key issue related to the placement, and results in a long essay. The student has an academic supervisor from the Department of Gender and Cultural Studies who offers guidance for both units. The units may be studied in consecutive semesters or simultaneously. If taken simultaneously the student may work on their GCST5907 long essay under the guidance of their supervisor at any appropriate time after a key cultural studies issue related to the placement activity has been identified (see assessment). Where appropriate it is possible to go on placement outside of semester time.

If you have any questions or wish to meet in order to discuss the internship please feel free to contact Grace Sharkey (Internship Officer) at any time with your questions: grace.sharkey@sydney.edu.au

Approval of your internship by the unit coordinator is required before enrolment in GCST5906 and GCST5907.

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 Details

Weekly Journal

Internship Placement Report

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

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

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

GCST5906: Cultural Studies Internship Placement

Semester 1, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment Details

Weekly Journal

Internship Placement Report

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

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

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links