Skip to main content
Unit outline_

HSTY2629: Sex and Scandal

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

What makes a scandal? This unit examines a number of sensational case studies from England, America and Australia, beginning with the outrage surrounding Marie-Antoinette and then weaving through the increasingly strait-laced nineteenth century, in which scandals abounded, destroying reputations, rulers and families. It was not behaviour itself, but the ever-changing interpretations of behaviour that gave rise to condemnation and scandalised indignation. Examining occasions when social rules have been flouted allows us to consider the ways in which such rules are themselves constituted, maintained and challenged.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit History
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
12 credit points at 1000 level in History or Ancient History
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
HSTY2029
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Frances M Clarke, frances.clarke@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Final exam (Record+) Type B final exam Exam
Instructions will be given on canvas
30% Formal exam period 1 hour
Outcomes assessed: LO3 LO4 LO5
Participation Participation
n/a
10% Ongoing n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3
Assignment Proposal
instructions can be found on canvas
5% Week 06
Due date: 28 Mar 2022 at 23:59
500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Bibliography
instructions will be provided in canvas
5% Week 06
Due date: 28 Mar 2022 at 23:59
500
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Essay
Instructions will be provided in canvas
50% Week 10
Due date: 02 May 2022 at 23:59
2500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Type B final exam = Type B final exam ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on canvas

Assessment criteria

.

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 Course Introduction Lecture (1 hr)  
What Makes a Scandal Lecture (1 hr)  
Week 02 Reading Scandal Lecture (1 hr)  
Policing Sexuality in Early America Lecture (1 hr)  
Scandal in the Early Republic Tutorial (1 hr)  
Rakes & Coquettes Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 03 Redefining Virtue Lecture (1 hr)  
Corrupting Virtue Lecture (1 hr)  
Week 04 Raunchy Royals Lecture (1 hr)  
Raunchy Royals ctnd Lecture (1 hr)  
Politics, Pornography & Propaganda Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 05 Presidential Scandals Tutorial (1 hr)  
Political Scandals Lecture (1 hr)  
The Rise of Sensationalism Lecture (1 hr)  
Week 06 Scandal in the Colonies Lecture (1 hr)  
Scandal in the Colonies ctnd Lecture (1 hr)  
Sex, Race & Empire Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 07 Beecher Tilton Scandal Tutorial (1 hr)  
Keeping Sex Pure Lecture (1 hr)  
Keeping Sex Pure ctnd Lecture (1 hr)  
Week 08 individual consultations Tutorial (1 hr)  
Week 09 White Slavery Tutorial (1 hr)  
Moral Panics in Late Victorian Britain Lecture (1 hr)  
Moral Panics in Early Twentieth Century US Lecture (1 hr)  
Week 10 Wilde Trials Tutorial (1 hr)  
The Wilde Trials Lecture (1 hr)  
Scandalizing London: Oscar Wilde ctnd Lecture (1 hr)  
Week 11 Crossing Boundaries Tutorial (1 hr)  
The Rise of Sexology Lecture (1 hr)  
Obscenity Trials Lecture (1 hr)  
Week 12 The Kinsey Reports Tutorial (1 hr)  
Towards Kinsey Lecture (1 hr)  
Rethinking Scandal Lecture (1 hr)  
Week 13 Key Themes Lecture (1 hr)  
Key Themes Lecture (1 hr)  
Key Themes Tutorial (1 hr)  

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.

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. Research and Inquiry. This unit encourages independent research. Students will define their research projects in the light of the content and approaches introduced in the reading list, lectures and tutorials. They will be encouraged not simply to retell stories of old scandals but to analyse and interpret these within a framework of cultural history, asking how and why they became stories and scandals in the first place. They will build their historical awareness through primary research and wide critical reading.
  • LO2. Information Literacy. Students will use appropriate media, tools and methodologies to locate, access and use information; critically evaluate the sources, values, validity and currency of that information; and use it critically and creatively in their essays.
  • LO3. Personal and Intellectual Autonomy. Students are encouraged to develop independent learning skills, driven by intellectual curiosity.
  • LO4. Ethical, Social and Professional Understanding. Students will continue to acquire and practise the highest standards of ethical behaviour associated with the discipline of history. By studying the impact of rumour, gossip and media on public reputation and politics, they will achieve an improved understanding of the significance of values in the creation and transmission of information, and a more sophisticated grasp of what scandal reveals about social mores and political anxieties.
  • LO5. Communication. Students will be encouraged to develop a high standard of oral and written communication skills in tutorial discussion and written work.

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 unit has not been taught in a few years. Its learning activities and assessment structure have been entirely revised to follow the updated standards of the History department progression model.

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.