AGS101 - Sex and Gender: Ideas That Changed the World
Unit details
| Year: | 2021 unit information |
|---|---|
| Important Update: | Unit delivery will continue to be provided in line with the most current COVIDSafe health guidelines. This may include a mix of on-campus and online activities. To find out how you are impacted, please check your unit sites for announcements and updates. Unit sites open one week prior to the start of each Trimester/Semester. Thank you for your flexibility and commitment to studying with Deakin in 2021. Last updated: 4 June 2021 |
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Cloud (online) |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 1: Daniel Marshall Trimester 3: Emma Whatman |
| 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: | 1 x 1-hour class (online) per week, 1 x 2-hour seminar per week |
| Scheduled learning activities - cloud: | Online independent and collaborative learning activities including 1 x 1-hour class (online) per week, 1 x 2-hour seminar or equivalent per week |
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 tells us that sex, sexuality and gender mean 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. Approaching sex, sexuality and gender not as unchanging, universal facts, but as ideas that vary and develop, this unit will help you make sense of different ways of thinking about gender and sexual diversity by providing you with an essential introduction to key ideas, writers and thinkers in gender and sexuality studies.
We will also focus on developing your skills to critically analyse diverse expressions of gender and sexuality in everyday culture and a range of textual forms, including writing, screen texts, advertising, and historical/archival materials. Topics to be introduced in this unit include: feminism in popular culture; changing understandings of masculinity and heterosexuality; LGBTIQ rights movements and activism; influential texts and theories in gender and sexuality studies; decolonising approaches; and contemporary controversies in sex, sexuality and gender.
This unit provides an excellent introduction to students seeking to understand more about the diversity of sex, gender and sexuality in people’s lives and everyday culture. In particular, it provides students with critical skills to better understand and analyse the diversity of gender and sexuality across a wide range of contexts, including in popular culture, personal relationships, the creative arts, humanities research, politics and a range of workplace contexts including schooling, healthcare, psychology, law, marketing, criminology and social policy.
For students studying the Gender and Sexuality Studies major, this is one of four compulsory core units (the others are AGS102, AGS200, and AGS300). This unit is also available as an elective for students who are not studying the GSS major.
| ULO | 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 - Portfolio | 1200 words or equivalent | 30% | Weeks 1-5 |
| Assessment 2 - Portfolio | 1200 words or equivalent | 30% | Weeks 6-11 |
| Assessment 3 - 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 - Quiz | 1400 words or equivalent | 35% | Week 5 |
| Assessment 2 - Portfolio | 1400 words or equivalent | 35% | Week 9 |
| Assessment 3 - Essay | 1200 words or equivalent | 30% | Week 12 |
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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