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Unit outline_

GCST4210: Transforming Everyday Life

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

In this unit students will examine recent transformations of everyday life in the context of new digital communication technologies, cultures and platforms. Through in-depth case studies of everyday practices, spaces and experiences in a digital age (visual culture, algorithms and automation, communities and activism, locative and mapping technologies, the sharing economy, digital health and food cultures, social media), students will engage with theories of everyday life and research contemporary, real-world examples and contexts.

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

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Fiona Allon, fiona.allon@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment group assignment Case Study Essay/Project
Case Study Essay/Project
50% Formal exam period
Due date: 26 Nov 2021 at 23:59
3000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Peer-reviewed reflective research excercise
1 x 1000wd peer review
20% Formal exam period
Due date: 03 Dec 2021 at 23:59
1000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Close Reading Task/Reading Journal
1 x 2000wd critical reading OR 4 x short 500 word reading journal entries
30% Week 07
Due date: 24 Sep 2021 at 23:59
2000 word critical reading task/journal
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Group assignment with individually assessed component = group assignment with individually assessed component ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas

Assessment criteria

This is an advanced third year unit and therefore attendance at lectures and tutorials is required. 

This unit uses standards-based assessment for award of assessment marks. Your assessments will be evaluated solely on the basis of your individual performance. However, if you have chosen to participate in a group for your final case study project, each member of the group will be awarded the same mark.

Group participation will be assessed on a range of criteria including collaboration and communication. Where there has been a break down in communication in the group, through illness, misadventure or other circumstances, assessment will be based on the individual's performance, including a written explanation of the challenges encountered.

A marking guide will be distributed for each assessment.

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 AI in Education Canvas site.

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 Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

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 simple extension.  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’t 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 special consideration or special arrangements.

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

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education 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.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction to a Theoretical Tradition: Approaching the Everyday Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 02 The Everyday and Everydayness Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 03 Everyday Life and Modernity Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 04 Observing the Everyday: Walking the City Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 05 Observing the Everyday II: the metropolis, urban life and the Flaneur Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 06 Observing the Everyday III: Description and Interpretation Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 07 Observing the Everyday IIII: Shopping and the Department Store/Shopping Centre Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 08 CASE STUDY 1. EVERYDAY LIFE TRANSFORMED: Algorithms, Assistive Media, Platforms, Data Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 09 CASE STUDY 2. THE CITY TRANSFORMED: From the Labyrinth to Platform Urbanism Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 10 CASE STUDY 3: FOOD TRANSFORMED: From Paddock to Platform Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
CASE STUDY 4: HOME TRANSFORMED: From Smart Home to Siri Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 12 CASE STUDY 5: TRASH/WASTE/DISCARDED STUFF TRANSFORMED: Circuits of Value, From Trash to Treasure Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 13 CASE STUDY 6: MONEY/CAPITALISM TRANSFORMED: CRYPTO, COINS, AND THE POST-CAPITALIST COMMONS Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5

Attendance and class requirements

Detailed information will be provided on Canvas

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

All readings can be access through the Reading List on Canvas.

A Hard-Copy Printed Reader is also available for purchase at the University Copy Centre.

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.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Apply their knowledge of theories of everyday life to contemporary issues as well as to their own cultural practices and interests.
  • LO2. Employ critical skills in close reading, analysis and argumentation
  • LO3. Critically examine and engage with the digital transformations of everyday life and their implications for culture, society and politics
  • LO4. Identify different research methods used in the field of everyday life studies
  • LO5. Understand the key theoretical texts, thinkers and ideas in the everyday life tradition and how they may be used to understand, reframe or address specific situations in contemporary life

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney 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’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is a new unit that has not been previously offered

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

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