Outline

Overview

Following directly from GCST5906, this unit requires that students complete a research project based on their internship placement experience, developing their understanding of cultural research in theory and in practice and their capacity to conduct independent research.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Gender and Cultural Studies
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	GCST5906
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Guy Redden, guy.redden@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Guy Redden, guy.redden@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Placement	Research essay Research essay Please see description below	100%	Multiple weeks	4000wd
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Written proposal or Oral Presentation Written proposal or Oral Presentation	0%	Week 03	1000wd
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Research Proposal

No longer than 1000 words (pass/fail, no mark awarded)

The proposal expands on the issue of critical interest identified in the placement report, or may introduce another issue that is related to the placement if you have changed your mind about your long essay topic. It provides an outline a plan for the research essay. There can be some level of repetition from the proposed research problem from you GCST5906 report. The point of the proposal is to provide an updated plan as orientation for the supervision of the long essay. The proposal will include:

The working title for the essay
Research Aim: What is the main aim of the project – what do you seek to demonstrate or find out, about what?
Research Questions: How can your main aim be broken down into some specific research questions?
Rationale/significance: How would addressing the aims and questions above contribute to issues in broader fields of inquiry and what are they?
Research plan: What bodies of literature and theory will you consult? If the project involves empirical work, what methods will you use?

The research proposal must be approved by your supervisor for you to be eligible to submit your research essay.

If you are drawing upon data that was generated in placement you must attach:

1) evidence that you have informed the placement host of the nature and extent of this data, that it will be used for GCST5907 assessment only (unless otherwise agreed), and have asked them whether, for commercial or ethical reasons, they require any other restrictions on the way it is used (e.g. anonymisation).

2) evidence that the placement host has agreed to the use of the data with any specified conditions.

Please note that generally any data collated on or via human subjects cannot be used. Please ensure you discuss this with the Internship Officer prior to submission.

Deadline: To be submitted to your supervisor via email within the first three weeks of semester, or when commencing the long essay process if both units are taken in the same semester.

Research Essay

4000 - 5000 words (100%)

The research essay is an independent piece of work undertaken in response to an issue that was raised in the course of placement and broadly sits in the field of cultural studies. There are no restrictions on the kind of essay you can write and your essay does not need to be about what happened on placement. The focus may be theoretical, conceptual or empirical. It may involve research into secondary literature and empirical data as relevant. Subject to the host’s agreement (as part of the proposal above) it may draw upon data generated during the placement itself, or you may undertake new empirical research on a small scale.

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

Deadline: For students enrolled in GCST5906 and GCST5907 simultaneously the deadline is 7 weeks after the last day of placement. For students enrolled in GCST5907 only, the deadline is the last working day of the examination period.

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 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.

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	Learning outcomes

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.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

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 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

GCST5907: Cultural Studies Internship Project

Semester 2, 2024 [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

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