USSC1604: Semester 1, 2023

University home

Library

Current students

Staff intranet

Find an event

Give

Current students

Units USSC1604 Semester 1 2023 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

USSC1604: Sex, Race and Rock: US Culture

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Remote

Overview

This unit explores the cultural history of and intersections between sexuality, race and rock music in the United States from Elvis to Beyonce. Influenced by black and working-class cultures, and with sexuality embedded in its form and practice, rock music challenged and transformed existing norms of family, sex and gender. Through subjects including Black women, glam rock, and disco, we will learn that rock music, far from frivolous, provided a realm for rebellion, freedom, community and profit.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	United States Studies Centre
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	USSC2604
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Aaron Nyerges, aaron.nyerges@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length

Assessment summary

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.

Learning support

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Rock's roots: Minstrelsy, Vaudeville, jazz and blues	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Postwar to the 1950s: from Frank Sinatra to Elvis Presley	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Gender, race and class: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Little Richard and Elvis	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	1950s: Belonging and rebellion: rock's fans and opponents	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Reactions to rock'n'roll	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 04	1960s: Pop, artifice and civil rights	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Crossing over: girl groups, Motown and Nina Simone	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 05	1960s: Rock, authenticity and sexual politics	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Liberation and oppression: women and "cock rock"	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 06	1970s: Rock's divergence: from glam and punk to reggae and metal	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Freedom and masculinities	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	1970s: The mothership connection: soul, funk and the rise of disco	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Music as escape	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 08	1980s: Pop and its malcontents: R&B, new wave, post punk and electro	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Shape shifters: Madonna, Michael Jackson, Springsteen and Prince	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 10	1980s: "Fear of a Black Planet:" from hip hop to gangsta rap	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Protest and play: hip hop	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 11	1990s: Grunge to riot grrrls	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Being real: grunge and riot grrl	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 12	1990s: Girl power, R&B's renaissance, and the digital revolution	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Group presentations	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 13	2000s: Identity, music and the rise of streaming	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Group presentations	Tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) 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 for this unit can be accessed on the Library eReserve link available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes

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.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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

LO1. understand sexuality, gender and race in the cultural history of American rock and rock's impact on social norms
LO2. critically analyse popular cultural forms in scholarly ways
LO3. express conceptually difficult ideas and independent critical thinking in oral and written forms
LO4. pose research questions and access and synthesise diverse sources to build and defend a reasoned position in response to those questions.

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
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

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

Student evaluations have indicated a greater need for lecture recording access. Recordings will be automatically available for this unit.

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.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect