Unit Outline

The connection between technology and culture has never been greater. Screen, digital media, and networking platforms are changing the practices and forms of expression that represent and reflect culture and society. By investigating the production, use and circulation of various media, this unit examines the cultural and social implications for creative expression, communication and representation.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Explain key concepts and debates in media and cultural studies
2.	Describe the impact of media practices, industries and texts on culture and society
3.	Analyse how media informs and contributes to the formation of identity for individuals and groups in various cultural contexts
4.	Design a research project to investigate the role of participatory media practices in the formation and communication of identity in various social contexts

Alterations as a result of student feedback

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Assessment Task 1: Media, Culture and Society Presentation and Reflexive Essay	See the MyLO site for the due date	30 %	LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Assessment Task 2: Identity Formation in Australia Essay	See the MyLO site for the due date	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Assessment Task 3: Ethnographic Report	See the MyLO site for the due date	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Assessment Task 1: Media, Culture and Society Presentation and Reflexive Essay

Task Description:

Working in pairs, you have the option of producing:
• A 10-12 minute narrated PowerPoint presentation
• A 5 minute video
• A 5 minute podcast
On ONE of the following research questions:
Ø Is it a problem if all the nation’s news outlets are owned by the same company?
Ø What is the connection between the media a person consumes and the formation of their identity?
Ø In a globally connected world, where there is so much media available to all, should we care about local news?
NOTE: there will be no instruction on how to produce videos or
podcasts in HEJ208, however the technical quality of the
presentation is not part of the marking criteria.
You will also need to produce a Reflexive Essay (one essay per
presentation) where you examine the thematic and technical construction of your presentation.

Task Length:

1800 words or equivalent

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Contextualise a particular media moment within the theoretical parameters of identity	LO2, LO3
2	Articulate tnotions of race, class, gender, national and/or local identity in the media moment	LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Use scholarly evidence and media material to underpin your case study	LO3, LO4
4	Creatively communicate your knowledge and ideas about the connection between media representation and sub-cultures	LO4
5	Present the material in a case study format with correct grammar, spelling and construction design	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Assessment Task 2: Identity Formation in Australia Essay

Task Description:

Media practices and texts inform our sense of ourselves as individuals, yet this construction of self includes myriad layers of belief, knowledges, class, race, gender and national identity.

You must select a current or historic debate in Australian society as a case study to examine how media is being/was used to challenge assumptions about any or several of these identities.

Present your ideas in a way that describes the construction of identity, with a focus on critical moments where media was used to challenge and either undermine or solidify these symbols of identity.

Task Length:

1800 words

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Contextualise a particular media moment within the theoretical parameters of identity	LO1
2	Use scholarly evidence and media material to underpin your case study	LO2
3	Apply theoretical knowledges to describe the media practices that construct and disseminate symbols of identity	LO4
4	Present the material in a case study format with correct grammar, spelling and construction design	LO4
5	Correct use of Harvard referencing	LO4

Assessment Task 3: Assessment Task 3: Ethnographic Report

Task Description:

Conduct an ethnographic analysis of a community (either online or in
the material world). This may be situated around a leisure or sporting
activity, a political movement or a cultural activity.
Your task is to consider the media-produced cultural artifacts that
define its boundaries and represent the inhabitants of the group. Your
ethnography will be presented in the form of a report complete with
scholarly evidence.

Task Length:

2000 words

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify and analyse a suitable community for study; this community must have generated enough media artifacts to sustain such analysis	LO1, LO2, LO3
2	Situate the community you are studying in relation to the political and/or cultural phenomena you have learned about in this unit (eg. national identity, globalisation, neoliberalism)	LO2, LO3
3	Creatively communicate your knowledge and ideas about the connection between media representation and identity	LO2, LO3, LO4
4	Contextualise your chosen community within narratives of race, class, gender and/or national/local identity where appropriate	LO2, LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.