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)	Vivien Nara, vivien.nara@sydney.edu.au
	Jia Guo, jia.guo@sydney.edu.au
	Franky Ferrer-Best, francesca.ferrer-best@sydney.edu.au
	Meihua Lu, meihua.lu@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Research essay Essay	40%	Formal exam period Due date: 05 Jun 2023 at 23:59	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Participation n/a	10%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Group presentation Short answer	15%	Ongoing	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Advertising analysis Written task	25%	Week 06 Due date: 27 Mar 2023 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research essay proposal Proposal	10%	Week 10 Due date: 08 May 2023 at 23:59	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.
Group presentation:听Students听will chose a week/topic and form a group to critically consider that week鈥檚 readings. The group will听submit a 500 word pr茅cis of one of the required 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).听
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
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.听

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	Students in this range will have exhibited a sophisticated understanding of issues relating to gender, media and consumption, demonstrating听a high-level听understanding听and use of听relevant concepts听and theoretical frameworks. Written work will be of exceptional听quality,听in terms of expression and structure, will be听highly aligned with the unit aims, and will offer original, persuasive insights into the areas covered.
Distinction	75 - 84	Students who achieve this grade will have demonstrated a deep engagement with the key issues and debates听covered in the course, with very听high听quality written work, in terms of structure, style and content,听that aligns with the unit aims.
Credit	65 - 74	Students in this range will have exhibited a听good grasp of the key issues covered in the course, generally aligned听with the course aims,听and written work will be of听good quality but with some room for improvement in terms of content, style and and structure听and some deeper critical thinking.
Pass	50 - 64	Students will have exhibited a basic听understanding of the concepts and theoretical frameworks canvassed in the course.听Written work may听have听aligned听somewhat听with the unit aims, but there may be issues with expression, structure, augmentation and evidence.
Fail	0 - 49	Students in this range will not have听met the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

听

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	Intersectionality in/and gender and cultural studies	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Postfeminism and femininities	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Masculinities and advertising	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	"Femvertising"	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Queer culture and television	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Gendering reality TV	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Digital self-branding	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Fandoms	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Reading week	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Celebrity feminisms	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Hashtag activisms	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Conclusion/course wrap up	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: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

WMST6903 Gender, media and consumer societies

Week 1 (20 Feb): Introduction听

No required readings, however these are recommended as an introduction to feminist media studies:

Harvey, A. (2019)听Feminist Media Studies, London: Sage听

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

Week 2 (27 Feb): Intersectionality and/in gender and cultural studies

Required readings听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

Edwards, E. & Esposito, J. (2020) Introduction,听Intersectional Analysis as a Method to Analyze Popular Culture: Clarity in the Matrix, NY: Routledge, pp. 1-25.

Validivia, A.N. (2021) 鈥楩eminist Media Studies: We need to take intersectionality seriously鈥�, in Ebert, S. & Bachman, I. eds,听Reflections on Feminist Communication and Media Scholarship: Theory, Method, Impact, Routledge: London, pp. 133-47

Recommending readings

Hill Collins, P. (2019) 鈥業ntersectionality as critical inquiry鈥�, in听Intersectionality as critical social theory, Durham: Duke University Press, 21-53.

Oak Kim, J.听(2022)听鈥業ntersectionality in quality feminist television: rethinking women鈥檚 solidarity in听The Handmaid鈥檚 Tale听and听Big Little Lies鈥�,听Feminist Media Studies,听22(6),听1463-1477.

Week 3 (6 March): Postfeminism and femininities

Required readings

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

Dosekun, S. (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 4 (13 March): Masculinities and Advertising听

Required 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

Knudsen, G. & Andersen, L., (2020) 鈥淐hanging Masculinity, One Ad at a Time鈥�,听Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture, 15(2), p.63鈥�78. doi:听

Recommended readings听

Prianti, D. (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

Pando-Canteli, MJ, and Pilar Rodriguez, M. (2021) 鈥樷€淢envertising鈥� and the Resistances to New Masculinities in Audiovisual Representations鈥�.听International journal of communication, Jan: 493-513.

Week 5 (20 March): 鈥楩emvertising鈥櫶�

Required readings

Varghese, N. & Kumar, N.听(2020)听鈥楩eminism in advertising: irony or revolution? A听critical review of femvertising鈥�,听Feminist Media Studies,听DOI:听.

Wallis, C. & Shen, Y.听(2018)听鈥楾he SK-II #changedestiny campaign and the limits of commodity activism for women鈥檚 equality in neo/non-liberal China鈥�,听Critical Studies in Media Communication,听35:4,听376-389.

Recommended readings

Myers, C. (2022). 鈥楾he Femvertising of Beauty: Rhinoplasty of the Negroid Nose in Brazil鈥�, In: Gwynne, J. (ed)听The Cultural Politics of Femvertising. Palgrave Studies in (Re)Presenting Gender. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp.193-213.

Taylor, J, Johnston, J. & Whitehead, K. (2014) 鈥楢 Corporation in Feminist Clothing? Young Women Discuss the Dove 鈥楻eal Beauty鈥� Campaign鈥�,听Critical Sociology, 42(1):123-144.

Week 6 (27 March): Queer culture and television

*Advertising analysis due

Required readings听

McNicholas Smith, K. & Tyler, I.听(2017)听鈥楲esbian brides: post-queer popular culture鈥�,听Feminist Media Studies,听17:3,315-331.

McLaren, J.T, Bryant, S. & Brown, B. (2021) 鈥淪ee me! Recognize me!鈥� An analysis of transgender media representation鈥�,听Communication Quarterly, 69:2, 172-191.

Recommended readings

Smith, K.N. (2020) 鈥業ntroduction鈥�, in听Lesbians on Television: New Queer Visibility & The Lesbian Normal, New York: Intellect Books.

Parsemain, A.L. (2019). Chapter 9: 鈥楻ealistic Entertainment: The Complex Pedagogy of听罢谤补苍蝉辫补谤别苍迟鈥�,听The Pedagogy of Queer TV, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 193-212.

Week 7 (3 April): 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.

Lewis, T. Martin, F & Sun, W. (2016) 鈥楻isky Romance: Navigating Late Modern Identities and Relationships on Chinese and Indian Lifestyle TV鈥�,听Telemodernities: Television and Transforming Lives in Asia,听Durham: Duke University Press, 196-221.

Recommended readings听

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

Graefer A. (2018) 鈥楴o place like home: Patriotism and femininity in German reality television鈥�,听Critical Studies in Television,13(1):24-41.听

10 April public holiday

Week 8: (17 April): Digital self-branding

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',听Journal of Gender Studies, 26:3, 307-320.听

Hiebert, A. & Kortes-Miller, K. (2021) 鈥楩inding home in online community: exploring TikTok as a support for gender and sexual minority youth throughout COVID-19鈥�,听Journal of LGBT Youth, DOI: 10.1080/19361653.2021.2009953

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.

Hurley, Z. (2022) 鈥楳iddle Eastern women influencers鈥� interdependent/independent subjectification on Tiktok: feminist postdigital transnational inquiry鈥�,听Information, Communication & Society, 25:6, 734-751.

Week 9 -听Fandoms

Anselmo, D. (2018) 鈥楪ender and Queer Fan Labor on Tumblr:听The Case of BBC鈥檚听Sherlock鈥�,听Feminist Media Histories, 4 (1): 84鈥�114.听

Palmer, Z. D. (2022). 鈥淚鈥檓 Going to Love and Tolerate the Shit Out of You鈥�: Hybrid Masculinities in the Brony Community鈥�.听Men and Masculinities, 25(1): 87鈥�105.

Recommended readings

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, 9-29.听

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',听Transformative Works and Culture, No. 7.听

Week 10 Reading Week

Week 11 (8 May) Celebrity feminisms听

* Research essay proposal due.

Required readings

Chidgey, C. (2021) 鈥楶ostfeminism鈩�: celebrity feminism, branding and the performance of activist capital鈥�,听Feminist Media Studies, 21(7): 1055-1071.

Jackson, S. (2020) 鈥樷€淎 very basic view of feminism鈥�: feminist girls and meanings of (celebrity) feminism鈥�,听Feminist Media Studies, DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2020.1762236.

Recommended readings听

Taylor, A. (2016) 鈥楥onclusion: The Future of Feminist Star Studies鈥�, in听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 (15 May) 鈥� Hashtag activisms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

Euisol Jeong, E. & Lee, J.听(2018)听鈥榃e take the red pill, we confront the DickTrix: online feminist activism and the augmentation of gendered realities in South Korea鈥�,听Feminist Media Studies,听18:4,听705-717.

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

听Week 13 (22 May) Course wrap/revision/essay discussion

No required readings this week.

*5 June research essay due.

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.

Some case studies and readings have been updated to take account of developments in the field.

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, 2023 [Normal day] - Remote

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