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Unit outline_

SPAN2622: Latin American Popular Culture

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit, taught in Spanish, presents students with a variety of Latin American texts from modern and contemporary popular culture. Students are exposed to a range of different traditions and approaches to reading popular forms in the context of the history and culture of Latin America.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Spanish and Latin American Studies
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
12 credit points at 1000 level in Spanish and Latin American Studies or SPAN3001
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Fernanda Penaloza, fernanda.penaloza@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Fernanda Penaloza, fernanda.penaloza@sydney.edu.au
Vek Lewis, vek.lewis@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Presentation group assignment Oral presentation
via zoom
20% Multiple weeks 1500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Online task Short written tasks
Short answer and MCQ
15% Week 08 750 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1
Online task Short written tasks
Short answer and MCQ
15% Week 13 750 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1
Assignment Essay
Essay
50% Week 13 3000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

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 1. Introduction to the course: What is Popular Culture? Why are we studying it?; 2. The uses of culture; 3. Defining the terms Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 02 1. Theoretical foundations for understanding popular culture; 2. Approaches to popular culture; 3. Main philosophers and critical thinkers Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 03 1. Latin American popular culture in context; 2. Social and historical contexts; 3. Manifestations of popular culture; 4. Inventing the nation; 5. Mestizaje, transculturation, and cultural practices; 6. Modernities and identities Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 04 1. Myths, idols and the popular; 2. Icons of Latin America; 3. Stereotypes, misconceptions; 4. Popular imagery of mythical figures Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 05 1. Music: creations, appropriations, and interpretations; 2. Imagined communities; 3. Commodities and consumption; 4. Cultural resistance Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 06 1. Economies of race, gender and sexuality; 2. Sexuality and the exotic; 3. Bodies and consumption of popular culture; 4. Normative and alternative ways of performing sexuality and gender Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 07 1. Melodrama on screen: from cinema to the telenovela; 2. The genre of melodrama through different audiovisual media; 3. Performing and consuming emotional conflict; 4. Social classes and mass consumption Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 08 1. Sports and spectacle; 2. National identities and sport; 3. Politics and sport; 4. Masculinities Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 09 1. Religion and the popular; 2. Community participation; 3. Everyday life and religious beliefs; 4. Cultural practices and religion Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 10 1. Politics and popular culture; 2. Politics as popular culture; 3. Beyond theories of manipulation; 4. The state and popular culture Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 11 1. Radical culture?; 2. Subcultures, countercultures, and cultural resistance Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 12 1. Literature and popular culture; 2. Writers’ responses to popular culture; 3. High and low culture debate; 4. Representing the popular in literature Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 13 Graffiti: Class Presentations Seminar (2 hr)  

Attendance and class requirements

  • 1 hour Zoom tutorial + 1 one-hour Zoom lecture per week

  • Lecture recording: Most lectures will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.

  • Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

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 are contained in the SPAN2622 Course Reader, available online. You will also find a schedule on Canvas that will show the weekly breakdown of activities set in preparation to class. It is essential that you take time to complete the activities designed for you as well as reading the texts from the Course Reader as they will form the basis of the work done in class.

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. demonstrate that you are able to analyse popular culture production and reception, showing an understanding of the main issues under debate in the field of popular culture studies
  • LO2. read popular culture texts using a variety of approaches, both in terms of the content features and their relations of meaning as well as how they are received and function socially and politically
  • LO3. demonstrate an ability to argue convincingly and authoritatively about popular culture with reference to specific texts and contexts
  • LO4. demonstrate a perspective on regional cultures, religions, languages, and the arts in Latin America
  • LO5. demonstrate an ability to integrate disciplines and perspectives using a variety of mediums, methods, and modes of expression.

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.

No changes have been made since this unit was last 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.

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