Outline

Overview

This unit examines theories of consumption in regards to cultural and media products and practices, with a specific focus on gender. Drawing upon a wide range of feminist media and cultural theories, we will critically analyse different forms of belonging and identity that are created through these practices. We will also pay close attention to the critiques of globalisation and consumption, theories of the 'citizen consumer' and the realities of geo-political and economic inequalities that underpin many forms of consumption.

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	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Anthea Taylor, anthea.taylor@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Jan Filmer, jan.filmer@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Alexa Appel, alexa.appel@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Research essay Essay	40%	Formal exam period Due date: 08 Jun 2020 at 23:00	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Participation n/a	10%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Critical reflection Short answer	15%	Ongoing	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Advertising analysis Written task	25%	Week 06 Due date: 30 Mar 2020 at 23:00	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research essay proposal Proposal	10%	Week 11 Due date: 11 May 2020 at 23:00	500 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Particpation:听participation is based on preparation and active engagement with ideas from the readings, lectures and class discussions. Your mark will depend on how much you bring to the course in terms of questions, examples and ideas. It will also be based on the ways and degree to which you support your fellow students, through listening, workshopping and building on others' ideas.
Critcal reflection:听Students听will chose a week/topic and submit a 500 word pr茅cis of one of the recommended听readings that clearly defines the author鈥檚 argument, methodological approach and evidence provided to support their argument.
Advertisement analysis:听This essay requires students to analyze the relationship between ideological message and aesthetic strategies in any advertisement of your choice, drawing on ideas from 2 readings in Weeks 2-6. The ad can be from visual print media (newspaper, magazine, billboard, internet) or audiovisual media (commercial). More details TBA.
Research essay proposal:听This 500 word proposal gives a plan for the final essay and provides students with an opportunity to test their ideas and get feedback. The proposal states the working thesis (central argument) of the paper as well as theoretical approach(es) and methodology to be used. It also gives summaries of three external academic sources, and discusses how they will be used to support and develop the argument.听More details TBA.
Research essay:听This paper involves building a complex understanding of a particular aspect of gender and the media covered in the unit. You will apply concepts from the course to case studies of media products/texts/experiences and the practices through which they are consumed. This essay should use relevant scholarly material to examine the ideological dimensions of how a particular brand, product, star or media text is produced and consumed. More details TBA.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the (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鈥檛 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 .

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 .

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The 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听simple extension.鈥� 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鈥檛 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听special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students,听听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	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Postfeminism, femininities and media culture	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Masculinities and advertising	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Queer culture and television	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Conceptualising and consuming pornography Guest lecture: Dr Grace Sharkey	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Gendering reality tv	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Intersectionality and feminist media studies Guest lecturer: Claudia Sirdah	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Digital media and self-branding	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Audiences: fandom and 鈥榩rodusage鈥�	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Celebrity and commodity feminism	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	#MeToo and hashtag activism	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Conclusion	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

础迟迟别苍诲补苍肠别:听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鈥檚 Board. The Examiner鈥檚 Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording:听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:听Students should commit to spend approximately three hours鈥� 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

Week 1 (24 February): Introduction听

No required readings, however these are recommended:

Harvey, A. (2019)听Feminist media studies, London: Polity听

Carter, C. et al (2013)听The Routledge Companion to Media and Gender, London: Routledge.

Week 2 (2 March): Postfeminism, femininities,听and media culture

Required readings

Gill. R. (2007) 鈥楨lements of a Sensibility鈥�,听European Journal of Cultural Studies, 10:2, 147- 166.听

Simidele Dosekun (2015) 鈥楩or Western Girls Only: Post-feminism as transnational culture?鈥�,听Feminist Media Studies,听15:6, 960-975.听

Recommended readings听

Butler, J. (2013) 鈥楩or White Girls Only?: Postfeminism and the Politics of Inclusion鈥�,听Feminist Formations, 25:1, 35-58.

Gill, R. (2016) 鈥楶ost-postfeminism?: new feminist visibilities in postfeminist times鈥�,听Feminist Media Studies,听16:4, 610-630.听

Week 3 (9 March): Masculinities听and Advertising听

Recommended readings听

Feasey, R. (2009) 鈥楽pray More, Get More: Masculinity, Television advertising and the Lynx effect鈥�,听Journal of Gender Studies,听18:4, 357-368.听

Patterson, M. & Elliott, R. (2010) 鈥楴egotiating Masculinities: Advertising and the Inversion of the Male Gaze鈥�,听Consumption Markets and Culture, 5:3, 231-249.

Recommended readings听

Desi Dwi Prianti (2018) 鈥楾owards the westernized body: a popular narrative reinforced by men's lifestyle magazines in Indonesia鈥�,听Inter-Asia Cultural Studies,听19:1, 103-116.听

Siripai, J. & Haywood, C. (2017) 鈥樷€淏randing Men鈥�: Exploring Men, Masculinity and Thai Alcohol Brands in East Asian Markets鈥�, in X. Lin et al eds.听East Asian Men, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.听

Week 4 (16 March): Queer culture and television

Required readings听

Ng, E. (2013) A 鈥淧ost-Gay鈥� Era? Media Gaystreaming, Homonormativity, and the Politics of LGBT Integration鈥�,听Communication, Culture and Critique, 6.2, 258鈥�283.

Goddard, M & Hogg, C. (2019) 鈥楽treaming intersectionality: Queer and trans television aesthetics in post-medium transformation鈥�,听Critical Studies in Television, 14. 4: 429-434.

Recommended readings
Campbell, J. ed. (2013)听Queer Media Images: LGBT perspectives,听NY: Lexington.听

Brennan, N. (2017) 'Contradictions between the subversive and the mainstream: Drag Cultures and听RuPaul's Drag Race', in Brennan, N. ed.听RuPaul's Drag Race and the Shifting Visibility of Drag Culture,听NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 29-43.听

Week 5 (23 March): Rethinking pornography

Guest lecturer: Dr Grace Sharkey

Required readings听

Albury, K. (2009) 鈥楻eading porn reparatively鈥�,听Sexualities, 12.5: 647-653.

McKee, A. (2006) 鈥楾he aesthetics of pornography: the insights of consumers鈥�,听Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 20.4: 523-539.

Recommended readings听

Liberman, R. (2015) 鈥樷€淚t鈥檚 a really great tool鈥�: feminist pornography and the promotion of sexual subjectivity鈥�,听Porn Studies, 2:2-3, 174-191.听

Smith, C. & Attwood, F. (2014) 鈥楢nti/pro/critical porn studies鈥�,听Porn Studies, 1:1-2, 7-23.

Week 6 (30 March): Gendering reality TV

Required readings听

Ouellette, L. & Hay, J.听(2008)听鈥楳akeover television, governmentality and the good citizen鈥�,听Continuum, 22:4,听471-484.

Wei L. & Sun, Z.听(2015)听鈥楢re You the One? China's TV Dating Shows and the听Sheng N眉's Predicament鈥�,听Feminist Media Studies,听15:2,听239-256.

Recommended readings听

Zhao, J.听(2018)听鈥楺ueer, yet never lesbian: a ten-year look back at the reality TV singing competition show听Super Voice Girl鈥�,听Celebrity Studies,听9:4,听470-486.

Weber, B. ed. (2014)听Reality Gendervision: Sexuality and Gender on Transatlantic Reality Television, Durham: Duke University Press.听

Week 7 (6 April): Intersectionality and feminist media studies

Guest lecturer: Claudia Sirdah

Required readings

Molina-Guzma虂n, I. and Cacho, L. (2013) 鈥楬istorically mapping contemporary intersectional feminist media studies鈥�, in听Carter, C. et al,听The Routledge Companion to Media and Gender, London: Routledge,听pp. 71-80.

Ahmed, A. (2019) 鈥楾he Clothes of My Faith鈥�,听in听M. Khan ed. It's Not About the Burqa, London, Picador, pp.听65-77.

Morsi, Y. (2017) 鈥�(The 'Fabulous' Mask of) Waleed Aly鈥�,听in听Radical Skin, Moderate Masks: De-Radicalising the Muslim and Racism in Post-Racial Societies, London: Rowman & Littlefield International, pp. 47-54.

Recommended readings

Sumi Cho,听S.,听Williams Crenshaw, K. and听McCall, L. (2013) 鈥楾oward a Field of Intersectionality Studies: Theory, Applications, and Praxis鈥�,听Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 38, no. 4: 785-810.听

Bakkar, N. (2019) 鈥極n the Representation of Muslims 鈥� Terms and Conditions Apply鈥�,听In听It's Not About the Burqa, edited by M. Khan, London: Picador, 45-63.

Week 8 (20 April): Digital media and self-branding听

Required readings听

Berryman, R. & Kavka, M. (2017) 鈥樷€淚 Guess A Lot of People See Me as a Big Sister or a Friend鈥�: the role of intimacy in the celebrification of beauty vloggers鈥�,听Journal of Gender Studies, 26:3, 307-320.听

Zhang, G. & Hjorth, L. (2019) 鈥楲ive-streaming, games and politics of gender performance: The case of听Nu 虉zhubo听in China鈥�,听Convergence, 25: 5-6, 807鈥�825.

Recommended readings听

Henderson, M. & Taylor, A. (2019), 鈥榊ouTube beauty vlogs: intimate publics and postfeminist confidence and care鈥�, in M. Henderson & A. Taylor,听Postfeminism in Context, London: Routledge, pp. 123-154.

Beta, A. R. (2014). 鈥楬ijabers: How young urban muslim women redefine themselves in Indonesia鈥�,听International Communication Gazette,听76(4-5), 377-389.听

Week 9 (27 April) 鈥� Audiences: Fandom and produsage听

Hautakangas, M. (2015) 鈥樷€淚t鈥檚 Ok to be joyful鈥�? My Little Pony and Brony masculinity鈥�,听Journal of Popular Television, 3:1, 111-118.听

Chunyu Zhang听(2016)听鈥楲oving Boys Twice as Much: Chinese Women鈥檚 Paradoxical Fandom of 鈥淏oys鈥� Love鈥� Fiction鈥�,听Women's Studies in Communication,听39:3,听249-267.

Recommended readings

Pinkowitz, J.M. (2011) 鈥樷€淭he rabid fans that take听Twilight听much too seriously鈥�:听The construction and rejection of excess in听Twilight听antifandom鈥�,听Transformative Works and Culture, No. 7.听

Jensen, J. (1992) 鈥楩andom as Pathology: The Consequences of Characterization鈥�, in L. Lewis ed.听The Adoring Audience: Fan Cultures and Popular Media, London: Routledge, pp. 9-29.听

Week 10 (4 May) 鈥� Reading Week (prep for Proposal, due next week)听

No set readings for this week.听

Week 11 (11 May) 鈥� Celebrity and commodity feminism

Hobson, J. (2017) 鈥楥elebrity Feminism: More than a Gateway鈥�,听Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 42:4, 999-1007.

Brady, A. (2016) 鈥楾aking time between g-string changes to educate ourselves: Sinead O鈥機onnor, Miley Cyrus, and celebrity feminism鈥�,听Feminist Media Studies, 16.1: 429-444.听

Recommended readings听

Taylor, A. (2016) Celebrity and the Feminist Blockbuster,听Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.听

Wang, B. (2019) 鈥業n Search of Celebrity Feminists in Contemporary China鈥�, in S. Cai (ed.),听Female Celebrities in Contemporary Chinese Society, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 185-208.

Week 12 (18 May) 鈥� #MeToo and Hashtag Activism听

Required readings

Clark-Parsons, R. (2019) 鈥淚 SEE YOU, I BELIEVE YOU, I STAND WITH YOU鈥�: #MeToo and the performance of networked feminist visibility鈥�,听Feminist Media Studies, DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2019.1628797.

Zang, J. (2019) 鈥榊ou Say #MeToo, I Say #MiTu: China鈥檚 Online Campaigns Against Sexual Abuse鈥�, in B. Fileborn, R. Loney-Howes (eds.),听#MeToo and the Politics of Social Change, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 71-83.

Recommended readings听

Brown, M., Ray, R., Summers, E. & Fraistat, N. (2017) 鈥�#SayHerName: a case study of intersectional social media activism鈥�,听Ethnic and Racial Studies, 40:11, 1831-1846.听

Mendes, K et al (2019)听Digital Feminist Activism, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Week 13 (25 May) 鈥� Conclusion / Essay Discussion听

No readings for this week.听

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. Encourage students to develop critical and creative approaches for understanding consumption both as a theoretical concept and as lived practice
LO2. Increase familiarity with some of the main ways that media and cultural theories have understood consumption
LO3. Develop critical writing and discussion skills for analysing academic and popular texts with respect to gender, media and consumption
LO4. Articulate the key ways that cultural theorists have understood consumption, particularly with regard to media and gender
LO5. Draw on cultural theories about consumption to analyse and critique various modes of consumption in media and popular culture
LO6. Relate these theories to those of transnationalism, identity and difference

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all 爆料王 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鈥檚 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

Disclaimer

Important: the 爆料王 regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an .

爆料王

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

爆料王

WMST6903: Gender, Media and Consumer Societies

Semester 1, 2020 [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