AGS101 - Sex and Gender: Ideas That Changed the World

Unit details

Note: You are seeing the 2020 view of this unit information. These details may no longer be current. [Go to the current version]
Year:

2020 unit information

Important Update:

Classes and seminars in Trimester 2/Semester 2, 2020 will be online. Physical distancing for coronavirus (COVID-19) will affect delivery of other learning experiences in this unit. Please check your unit sites for announcements and updates one week prior to the start of your trimester or semester.

Last updated: 2 June 2020

Enrolment modes:

Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Cloud (online)
Trimester 3: Cloud (online), Burwood (Intensive)

Credit point(s):1
EFTSL value:0.125
Unit Chair:Trimester 1: Daniel Marshall
Trimester 3: Gilbert Caluya
Cohort rule:

Nil

Prerequisite:

Nil

Corequisite:

Nil

Incompatible with:

Nil

Typical study commitment:

Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit.

Scheduled learning activities - campus:

Trimester 1
1 x 1-hour class per week, 1 x 2-hour seminar per week

Trimester 3
Campus (Intensive):
1 x 1-hour class, 1 x 2-hour seminar (week 1)
2 x 1-hour class, 2 x 2-hour seminar (weeks 3, 5, 8, 9, 10)

Scheduled learning activities - cloud:

Trimester 1 
Online independent and collaborative learning activities including:
1 x 1-hour class per week and 1 x 2-hour seminar equivalent

Trimester 3
Online independent and collaborative learning activities including in week 1: 1 x 1-hour class (recordings provided), 1 x 2-hour seminar (or equivalent) and in weeks 3, 5, 8, 9, 10: 2 x 1-hour class (recordings provided), 2 x 2-hour seminar (or equivalent)

Content

Sex and gender are everywhere in today’s society. From the question ‘where do babies come from?’ to growing up and developing our identity, to the contemporary public contexts of the books we read, the films we watch, our lives online and the politics which govern us, sex and gender are central.  This abundance tells us that sex, sexuality and gender mean many different things to different people. More than this, they take on a variety of different meanings in different cultural contexts and at different points in history. This unit will provide you with an essential introduction to key ideas, writers and thinkers in gender and sexuality studies, approaching sex, sexuality and gender not as unchanging, universal facts, but as ideas that vary and develop. We will also focus on developing your analytical skills in critical reading, and on analysing representations of gender and sexuality in everyday culture and a range of textual forms, including novels, poetry, films and historical/archival materials. Topics to be introduced in this unit include: feminism in popular culture; histories and cultural politics of masculinity and heterosexuality; LGBTIQ rights movements; canonical feminist/queer texts and theories; transnational flows in knowledge and local histories; and contemporary controversies in sex, sexuality and gender.

 

These are the Learning Outcomes (ULO) for this unit

At the completion of this unit, successful students can:

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes

ULO1

Identify and critically reflect on representations and expressions of sex, gender and sexuality in everyday culture and a variety of textual forms, including literary and screen texts

GLO4: Critical thinking

ULO2

Recognise a range of key ideas and thinkers in gender and sexuality studies and use these resources in developing their own critical perspectives

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

ULO3

Develop and express written arguments about textual representations of sex, gender and sexuality

GLO5: Problem solving

ULO4

Develop communication skills in relation to discussions of sex, gender and sexuality

GLO2: Communication

ULO5

Develop self-management skills in relation to critical reflection and research regarding sex, gender and sexuality and participation in relevant discussions

GLO6: Self-management

These Unit Learning Outcomes are applicable for all teaching periods throughout the year

Assessment

Trimester 1:
Assessment Description Student output Grading and weighting
(% total mark for unit)
Indicative due week

Assessment 1 (Individual) - Portfolio (Weeks 1-5)

1200 words or equivalent 30% Information not yet available

Assessment 2 (Individual) - Portfolio (Weeks 6-11)

1200 words or equivalent 30% Information not yet available
Assessment 3 (Individual) - Essay 1600 words or equivalent 40% Information not yet available

Assessment

Trimester 3:
Assessment Description Student output Grading and weighting
(% total mark for unit)
Indicative due week

Assessment 1 (Individual) - Portfolio (Weeks 1-5)

1200 words or equivalent 30% Information not yet available

Assessment 2 (Individual) - Portfolio (Weeks 6-11)

1200 words or equivalent 30% Information not yet available
Assessment 3 (Individual) - Essay 1600 words or equivalent 40% Information not yet available

The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.

Learning Resource

The texts and reading list for the unit can be found on the University Library via the link AGS101
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list.

Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.

Unit Fee Information

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