HSTY2629: Semester 2, 2025

Units HSTY2629 Semester 2 2025 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

HSTY2629: Sex and Scandal

Semester 2, 2025 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

What makes a scandal This unit examines sensational case studies from France, the British Empire, and America, beginning with the outrage surrounding Marie-Antoinette and then weaving through the increasingly strait-laced nineteenth century, in which scandals abounded, destroying reputations, rulers, and families. It was not behaviour itself, but the ever-changing interpretations of behaviour that gave rise to condemnation and scandalised indignation. Examining occasions when social rules have been flouted allows us to consider the ways in which such rules are themselves constituted, maintained, and challenged.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	History
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 1000 level in History or Ancient History
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	HSTY2029
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Kirsten McKenzie, kirsten.mckenzie@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 1 September 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
Written exam ?	Final Exam 1.5 hours duration (1,500 word-equivalent)	40%	Formal exam period	1.5 hours	AI prohibited
Outcomes assessed:
Out-of-class quiz	Early Feedback Task #earlyfeedbacktask	0%	Week 03 Due date: 15 Aug 2025 at 23:59	Short quiz	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Written work	Bibliography instructions will be provided in canvas	10%	Week 04 Due date: 29 Aug 2025 at 23:59	500	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Written work	Essay 2,500 words	40%	Week 10 Due date: 17 Oct 2025 at 23:59	2500 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Contribution	Participation Preparation for and scholarly participation in tutorials. Assessed throughout semester in class.	10%	Weekly	n/a	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
= early feedback task ?

Early feedback task

This unit includes an early feedback task, designed to give you feedback prior to the census date for this unit. Details are provided in the Canvas site and your result will be recorded in your Marks page. It is important that you actively engage with this task so that the University can support you to be successful in this unit.

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on canvas

Assessment criteria

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

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 University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

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
Week 01	Course Introduction	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 01	What Makes a Scandal	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	Reading Scandal	Lecture (1 hr)
	Policing Sexuality in Early America	Lecture (1 hr)
	Scandal in the Early Republic	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	Rakes & Coquettes	Tutorial (1 hr)
	Redefining Virtue	Lecture (1 hr)
	Corrupting Virtue	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 04	Raunchy Royals	Lecture (1 hr)
	Raunchy Royals ctnd	Lecture (1 hr)
	Politics, Pornography & Propaganda	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 05	Presidential Scandals	Tutorial (1 hr)
	Political Scandals	Lecture (1 hr)
	The Rise of Sensationalism	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 06	Scandal in the Colonies	Lecture (1 hr)
	Scandal in the Colonies ctnd	Lecture (1 hr)
	Sex, Race & Empire	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	Beecher Tilton Scandal	Tutorial (1 hr)
	Keeping Sex Pure	Lecture (1 hr)
	Keeping Sex Pure ctnd	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 08	individual consultations	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	White Slavery	Tutorial (1 hr)
	Moral Panics in Late Victorian Britain	Lecture (1 hr)
	Moral Panics in Early Twentieth Century US	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 10	Wilde Trials	Tutorial (1 hr)
	The Wilde Trials	Lecture (1 hr)
	Scandalizing London: Oscar Wilde ctnd	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 11	Crossing Boundaries	Tutorial (1 hr)
	The Rise of Sexology	Lecture (1 hr)
	Gender Crossing in Colonial Australia	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 12	The Kinsey Reports	Tutorial (1 hr)
	Towards Kinsey	Lecture (1 hr)
	Rethinking Scandal	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 13	Key Themes	Lecture (1 hr)
	Key Themes	Lecture (1 hr)
	Key Themes	Tutorial (1 hr)

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.

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. Research and Inquiry. This unit encourages independent research. Students will define their research projects in the light of the content and approaches introduced in the reading list, lectures and tutorials. They will be encouraged not simply to retell stories of old scandals but to analyse and interpret these within a framework of cultural history, asking how and why they became stories and scandals in the first place. They will build their historical awareness through primary research and wide critical reading.
LO2. Information Literacy. Students will use appropriate media, tools and methodologies to locate, access and use information; critically evaluate the sources, values, validity and currency of that information; and use it critically and creatively in their essays.
LO3. Personal and Intellectual Autonomy. Students are encouraged to develop independent learning skills, driven by intellectual curiosity.
LO4. Ethical, Social and Professional Understanding. Students will continue to acquire and practise the highest standards of ethical behaviour associated with the discipline of history. By studying the impact of rumour, gossip and media on public reputation and politics, they will achieve an improved understanding of the significance of values in the creation and transmission of information, and a more sophisticated grasp of what scandal reveals about social mores and political anxieties.
LO5. Communication. Students will be encouraged to develop a high standard of oral and written communication skills in tutorial discussion and written work.

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 not been taught in a few years. Its learning activities and assessment structure have been entirely revised to follow the updated standards of the History department progression model.

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

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links