Outline

Overview

Our bodies are an important way we interact with society. Our identities, interactions with power and social and political institutions and even our leisure are mediated through and upon the body. Drawing on the expertise and research interests of a team of staff members, we explore various sociological perspectives relating to the body in society.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	SCLG3609
Academic unit	Sociology and Criminology
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	SCLG2526 or SCLG2603 or SCLG2614 or SCLG2619 or SCLG2636 or GCST2614 or GCST3634
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 2000 level in Sociology
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Nadine Ehlers, nadine.ehlers@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Small continuous assessment	Weekly Discussion Posts Reading Reflection	20%	Multiple weeks	1500wd equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Participation Active engagement in class seminars	10%	Ongoing	ongoing
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Essay Essay	30%	Week 07 Due date: 15 Sep 2023 at 17:00	2000wd
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Take-home Exercise Essay	40%	Week 13 Due date: 03 Nov 2023 at 17:00	2500wd
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Weekly Discussion Posts

Each student will submit a 1-paragraph reflection on the readings for Week 2-6 and Weeks 8-11—to be posted to the discussion forum on Canvas. This reflection should include your considered response to the readings and questions for clarification and/or discussion. Please post 2-3 detailed questions at the end of your entry. NB: you should NOT provide a summary but your thoughts on the readings. What did you find interesting/troubling, how can you link this to other material we’ve looked at, what did the reading provoke you to think about?

Research Essay

The essay question will be provided in the first few weeks of the course. This essay will focus on your ability to synthesize and deploy the theories/concepts we cover in Weeks 1-6.

Take-home Exercise

The take-home exercise will be in essay form. Students will be given a choice of essay questions at the opening date of the take-home exercise in Week 12, to be completed in 1 week. Essays will be due in Week 13.

Participation

Please note that participation marks are not given for simple attendance.

All students are expected to come to class having read all assigned materials and prepared for in-class discussion. ‘Participation’ is defined here as actively taking part in discussion generated by me, as well as initiating conversation and participating in discussion generated by other students. It includes raising questions, exchanging ideas, discussing course themes, offering criticisms, and providing information. Hence, evidence of independent and additional research will be rewarded. As a rule of thumb, the more reading and research you do, the better you will be able to demonstrate your knowledge.

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:

Weekly discussion posts must be submitted by 5pm the day before the seminar. Not submitting by this time will mean a 0 grade for that week. All other assessments are subject to the University standard late penalties.

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	Introduction: Dominant Understandings of the Body	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 02	Beyond Flesh and Bone	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 03	Docile Bodies and a Regularized Social Body?	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 04	Gendered and Sexed Bodies	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 05	Racialized Bodies	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 06	Bodies and Disability	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 07	Writing Week	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 08	Surgical and Reconstructed Bodies	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 09	Commodified Bodies	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 10	Trans Bodies	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 11	Non/Human Bodies	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 12	Course Workshop	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 13	Writing work	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: No recordings as this is a seminar
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction. Note, as this is a seminar, the success of the class required deep reading of course materials
Assignments: all assignment/assessment tasks must be submitted in order to pass this course

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 readings are available on the Unit Canvas page.

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 substantive knowledge of sociological perspectives on the body in society, and have a firm grasp of relevant theories, principles, and practices
LO2. evaluate new knowledge about sociological perspectives on the body through independent research
LO3. think critically in relation to sociological perspectives on the body
LO4. demonstrate reflexivity and self-awareness in relation to your learning and position as social actors
LO5. assimilate, organise and criticise a corpus of academic materials, including those containing substantive and empirical concerns, and those of a more theoretical nature
LO6. demonstrate the skills, integrity and personal resilience to critically engage in sociological argumentation and conduct sociological research using best ethical practice
LO7. demonstrate cultural competency through participation and collaboration in seminars, tutorials and online, as well as through various forms of study and group-work concerning the ways bodies interact with society.

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.

New coordinator. Reading materials, weekly topics, and assignments changed

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

SCLG3609: Sociology of the Body

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

Media

Student links

About us

Connect