ANTH 2041 - Popular Culture: Passion, Style, Vibe

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2016

Popular culture today constitutes a vital arena in which people derive great pleasure and make meaning in their lives. Through the myriad forms of popular culture in everyday life people define, explore and experiment with their identity and the identity of their society. Through music, shopping, soap operas, fashion and fandom people participate in contrasting strategies of living, building relations with others and society. The course investigates how theorists from a number of distinct academic disciplines have approached the issue of popular culture and mass consumption, and highlights what anthropology offers in terms of providing context-derived insights into distinct and discursive arenas of popular consumption and identity.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ANTH 2041
    Course Popular Culture: Passion, Style, Vibe
    Coordinating Unit Anthropology and Development Studies
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites At least 12 units of level 1 Arts courses
    Incompatible ANTH 2022 or ANTH 3022
    Course Description Popular culture today constitutes a vital arena in which people derive great pleasure and make meaning in their lives. Through the myriad forms of popular culture in everyday life people define, explore and experiment with their identity and the identity of their society. Through music, shopping, soap operas, fashion and fandom people participate in contrasting strategies of living, building relations with others and society. The course investigates how theorists from a number of distinct academic disciplines have approached the issue of popular culture and mass consumption, and highlights what anthropology offers in terms of providing context-derived insights into distinct and discursive arenas of popular consumption and identity.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Dianne Rodger

    Dr Andrew Skuse
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
    1 Develop an understanding of the broad nature and theories of the anthropological analysis of popular culture
    2 Deepen knowledge of and insight into key issues concerning the study of popular culture in anthropology
    3 Obtain the ability to understand and apply key theoretical approaches to ethnographic representations of contemporary popular culture like music, shopping and art
    4 Develop the ability to critically evaluate central themes, propositions and concepts in the anthropology of popular culture
    5 Develop the skills to work collaboratively in teams as well as individually in a learning and research environment
    6 Foster an interest in and commitment to continuous learning and social scientific research
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1, 2
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    3,4
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    5
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    5.6
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    1,2,3
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    5
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    A book of readings will be made available from the Image and Copy Centre for online purchase. These and other resources will also be available via MyUni
    Recommended Resources
    The references provided in the book of readings and others sourced from the course profile will be the recommended resources for this course
    Online Learning
    This course will make use of the online learning tool MyUni as a platform for learning in the course, making announcements, making course material and assignments available as well as other course material such as Lecture PowerPoints.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course is based on participation and attendance in lectures and workshops on a weekly basis
    Workload

    No information currently available.

    Learning Activities Summary
    Lecture Plan:

    Week One - Introducing Popular Culture
    Week Two - Popular Consumption: from domination to resistance
    Week Three - From Text to Contexts: ethnographical approaches to popular cultural forms and global consumption
    Week Four -  Research Activity - exploring 'art' in the city of Adelaide
    Week Five - Shopping: the treat, thrift and the sacrifice
    Week Six - Subcultural expressions
    Week Seven - Fashion and Style
    Week Eight - Technology and Culture: emergent social forms
    Week Nine - Disposing Culture: popular objects in transition
    Week Ten - Researching Popular Culture
    Week Eleven - Essay preparation
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    Small Group Discovery Experience is a core component in this course. A SGDE group project runs throughout the semester.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    The assessment fort his course has four components:

    Workshop Participation and Attendance
    Research Activity
    SGDE Group Project
    Research Essay
    Assessment Detail
    Workshop Participation and Attendance 10%
    SGDE Group Project 25%
    Research Activity 25%
    Research Essay 40%



    Submission

    No information currently available.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

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