Outline

Overview

This unit examines theories of consumption in regards to cultural and media products and practices, with a specific focus on gender. Drawing upon a wide range of feminist media and cultural theories, we will critically analyse different forms of belonging and identity that are created through these practices. We will also pay close attention to the critiques of globalisation and consumption, theories of the 'citizen consumer' and the realities of geo-political and economic inequalities that underpin many forms of consumption.

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	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Anthea Taylor, anthea.taylor@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Vivien Nara, vivien.nara@sydney.edu.au
	Jia Guo, jia.guo@sydney.edu.au
	Franky Ferrer-Best, francesca.ferrer-best@sydney.edu.au
	Meihua Lu, meihua.lu@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Research essay Essay	40%	Formal exam period Due date: 05 Jun 2023 at 23:59	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Participation n/a	10%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Group presentation Short answer	15%	Ongoing	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Advertising analysis Written task	25%	Week 06 Due date: 27 Mar 2023 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research essay proposal Proposal	10%	Week 10 Due date: 08 May 2023 at 23:59	500 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Particpation: participation is based on preparation and active engagement with ideas from the readings, lectures and class discussions. Your mark will depend on how much you bring to the course in terms of questions, examples and ideas. It will also be based on the ways and degree to which you support your fellow students, through listening, workshopping and building on others' ideas.
Group presentation: Students will chose a week/topic and form a group to critically consider that week’s readings. The group will submit a 500 word précis of one of the required readings that clearly defines the author’s argument, methodological approach and evidence provided to support their argument.
Advertisement analysis: This essay requires students to analyze the relationship between ideological message and aesthetic strategies in any advertisement of your choice, drawing on ideas from 2 readings in Weeks 2-6. The ad can be from visual print media (newspaper, magazine, billboard, internet) or audiovisual media (commercial).
Research essay proposal: This 500 word proposal gives a plan for the final essay and provides students with an opportunity to test their ideas and get feedback. The proposal states the working thesis (central argument) of the paper as well as theoretical approach(es) and methodology to be used. It also gives summaries of three external academic sources, and discusses how they will be used to support and develop the argument.
Research essay: This paper involves building a complex understanding of a particular aspect of gender and the media covered in the unit. You will apply concepts from the course to case studies of media products/texts/experiences and the practices through which they are consumed. This essay should use relevant scholarly material to examine the ideological dimensions of how a particular brand, product, star or media text is produced and consumed.

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	Students in this range will have exhibited a sophisticated understanding of issues relating to gender, media and consumption, demonstrating a high-level understanding and use of relevant concepts and theoretical frameworks. Written work will be of exceptional quality, in terms of expression and structure, will be highly aligned with the unit aims, and will offer original, persuasive insights into the areas covered.
Distinction	75 - 84	Students who achieve this grade will have demonstrated a deep engagement with the key issues and debates covered in the course, with very high quality written work, in terms of structure, style and content, that aligns with the unit aims.
Credit	65 - 74	Students in this range will have exhibited a good grasp of the key issues covered in the course, generally aligned with the course aims, and written work will be of good quality but with some room for improvement in terms of content, style and and structure and some deeper critical thinking.
Pass	50 - 64	Students will have exhibited a basic understanding of the concepts and theoretical frameworks canvassed in the course. Written work may have aligned somewhat with the unit aims, but there may be issues with expression, structure, augmentation and evidence.
Fail	0 - 49	Students in this range will not have met 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	Introduction	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Intersectionality in/and gender and cultural studies	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Postfeminism and femininities	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Masculinities and advertising	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	"Femvertising"	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Queer culture and television	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Gendering reality TV	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Digital self-branding	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Fandoms	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Reading week	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Celebrity feminisms	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Hashtag activisms	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Conclusion/course wrap up	Lecture and tutorial (3 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

WMST6903 Gender, media and consumer societies

Week 1 (20 Feb): Introduction

No required readings, however these are recommended as an introduction to feminist media studies:

Harvey, A. (2019) Feminist Media Studies, London: Sage

Carter, C. et al eds. (2013) The Routledge Companion to Gender and the Media, London: Routledge.

Week 2 (27 Feb): Intersectionality and/in gender and cultural studies

Required readings

Edwards, E. & Esposito, J. (2020) Introduction, Intersectional Analysis as a Method to Analyze Popular Culture: Clarity in the Matrix, NY: Routledge, pp. 1-25.

Validivia, A.N. (2021) ‘Feminist Media Studies: We need to take intersectionality seriously’, in Ebert, S. & Bachman, I. eds, Reflections on Feminist Communication and Media Scholarship: Theory, Method, Impact, Routledge: London, pp. 133-47

Recommending readings

Hill Collins, P. (2019) ‘Intersectionality as critical inquiry’, in Intersectionality as critical social theory, Durham: Duke University Press, 21-53.

Oak Kim, J. (2022) ‘Intersectionality in quality feminist television: rethinking women’s solidarity in The Handmaid’s Tale and Big Little Lies’, Feminist Media Studies, 22(6), 1463-1477.

Week 3 (6 March): Postfeminism and femininities

Required readings

Gill. R. (2007) ‘Elements of a Sensibility’, European Journal of Cultural Studies, 10:2, 147- 166.

Dosekun, S. (2015) ‘For Western Girls Only: Post-feminism as transnational culture?’, Feminist Media Studies, 15:6, 960-975.

Recommended readings

Butler, J. (2013) ‘For White Girls Only?: Postfeminism and the Politics of Inclusion’, Feminist Formations, 25:1, 35-58.

Gill, R. (2016) ‘Post-postfeminism?: new feminist visibilities in postfeminist times’, Feminist Media Studies, 16:4, 610-630.

Week 4 (13 March): Masculinities and Advertising

Required readings

Feasey, R. (2009) ‘Spray More, Get More: Masculinity, Television advertising and the Lynx effect’, Journal of Gender Studies, 18:4, 357-368.

Knudsen, G. & Andersen, L., (2020) “Changing Masculinity, One Ad at a Time”, Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture, 15(2), p.63–78. doi: https://doi.org/10.16997/wpcc.382

Recommended readings

Prianti, D. (2018) ‘Towards the westernized body: a popular narrative reinforced by men's lifestyle magazines in Indonesia’, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 19:1, 103-116.

Pando-Canteli, MJ, and Pilar Rodriguez, M. (2021) ‘“Menvertising” and the Resistances to New Masculinities in Audiovisual Representations’. International journal of communication, Jan: 493-513.

Week 5 (20 March): ‘Femvertising’

Required readings

Varghese, N. & Kumar, N. (2020) ‘Feminism in advertising: irony or revolution? A critical review of femvertising’, Feminist Media Studies, DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2020.1825510.

Wallis, C. & Shen, Y. (2018) ‘The SK-II #changedestiny campaign and the limits of commodity activism for women’s equality in neo/non-liberal China’, Critical Studies in Media Communication, 35:4, 376-389.

Recommended readings

Myers, C. (2022). ‘The Femvertising of Beauty: Rhinoplasty of the Negroid Nose in Brazil’, In: Gwynne, J. (ed) The Cultural Politics of Femvertising. Palgrave Studies in (Re)Presenting Gender. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp.193-213.

Taylor, J, Johnston, J. & Whitehead, K. (2014) ‘A Corporation in Feminist Clothing? Young Women Discuss the Dove ‘Real Beauty’ Campaign’, Critical Sociology, 42(1):123-144.

Week 6 (27 March): Queer culture and television

*Advertising analysis due

Required readings

McNicholas Smith, K. & Tyler, I. (2017) ‘Lesbian brides: post-queer popular culture’, Feminist Media Studies, 17:3,315-331.

McLaren, J.T, Bryant, S. & Brown, B. (2021) “See me! Recognize me!” An analysis of transgender media representation’, Communication Quarterly, 69:2, 172-191.

Recommended readings

Smith, K.N. (2020) ‘Introduction’, in Lesbians on Television: New Queer Visibility & The Lesbian Normal, New York: Intellect Books.

Parsemain, A.L. (2019). Chapter 9: ‘Realistic Entertainment: The Complex Pedagogy of Transparent’, The Pedagogy of Queer TV, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 193-212.

Week 7 (3 April): Gendering reality TV

Required readings

Ouellette, L. & Hay, J. (2008) ‘Makeover television, governmentality and the good citizen’, Continuum, 22:4, 471-484.

Lewis, T. Martin, F & Sun, W. (2016) ‘Risky Romance: Navigating Late Modern Identities and Relationships on Chinese and Indian Lifestyle TV’, Telemodernities: Television and Transforming Lives in Asia, Durham: Duke University Press, 196-221.

Recommended readings

Wei L. & Sun, Z. (2015) ‘Are You the One? China’s TV Dating Shows and the Sheng Nü's Predicament’, Feminist Media Studies, 15:2, 239-256.

Graefer A. (2018) ‘No place like home: Patriotism and femininity in German reality television’, Critical Studies in Television,13(1):24-41.

10 April public holiday

Week 8: (17 April): Digital self-branding

Required readings

Berryman, R. & Kavka, M. (2017) ‘“I Guess A Lot of People See Me as a Big Sister or a Friend”: the role of intimacy in the celebrification of beauty vloggers', Journal of Gender Studies, 26:3, 307-320.

Hiebert, A. & Kortes-Miller, K. (2021) ‘Finding home in online community: exploring TikTok as a support for gender and sexual minority youth throughout COVID-19’, Journal of LGBT Youth, DOI: 10.1080/19361653.2021.2009953

Recommended readings

Henderson, M. & Taylor, A. (2019), ‘YouTube beauty vlogs: intimate publics and postfeminist confidence and care’, in M. Henderson & A. Taylor, Postfeminism in Context, London: Routledge, pp.123-154.

Hurley, Z. (2022) ‘Middle Eastern women influencers’ interdependent/independent subjectification on Tiktok: feminist postdigital transnational inquiry’, Information, Communication & Society, 25:6, 734-751.

Week 9 - Fandoms

Anselmo, D. (2018) ‘Gender and Queer Fan Labor on Tumblr: The Case of BBC’s Sherlock’, Feminist Media Histories, 4 (1): 84–114.

Palmer, Z. D. (2022). “I’m Going to Love and Tolerate the Shit Out of You”: Hybrid Masculinities in the Brony Community’. Men and Masculinities, 25(1): 87–105.

Recommended readings

Jensen, J. (1992) ‘Fandom as Pathology: The Consequences of Characterization’, in L. Lewis ed. The Adoring Audience: Fan Cultures and Popular Media, London: Routledge, 9-29.

Pinkowitz, J.M. (2011) ‘“The rabid fans that take Twilight much too seriously”: The construction and rejection of excess in Twilight antifandom', Transformative Works and Culture, No. 7.

Week 10 Reading Week

Week 11 (8 May) Celebrity feminisms

* Research essay proposal due.

Required readings

Chidgey, C. (2021) ‘Postfeminism™: celebrity feminism, branding and the performance of activist capital’, Feminist Media Studies, 21(7): 1055-1071.

Jackson, S. (2020) ‘“A very basic view of feminism”: feminist girls and meanings of (celebrity) feminism’, Feminist Media Studies, DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2020.1762236.

Recommended readings

Taylor, A. (2016) ‘Conclusion: The Future of Feminist Star Studies’, in Celebrity and the Feminist Blockbuster, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Wang, B. (2019) ‘In Search of Celebrity Feminists in Contemporary China’, in S. Cai (ed.), Female Celebrities in Contemporary Chinese Society, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 185-208.

Week 12 (15 May) – Hashtag activisms

Required readings

Clark-Parsons, R. (2019) “I SEE YOU, I BELIEVE YOU, I STAND WITH YOU”: #MeToo and the performance of networked feminist visibility’, Feminist Media Studies, DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2019.1628797

Zang, J. (2019) ‘You Say #MeToo, I Say #MiTu: China’s Online Campaigns Against Sexual Abuse’, in B. Fileborn, R. Loney-Howes (eds.), #MeToo and the Politics of Social Change, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 71-83.

Recommended readings

Euisol Jeong, E. & Lee, J. (2018) ‘We take the red pill, we confront the DickTrix: online feminist activism and the augmentation of gendered realities in South Korea’, Feminist Media Studies, 18:4, 705-717.

Brown, M., Ray, R., Summers, E. & Fraistat, N. (2017) '#SayHerName: a case study of intersectional social media activism', Ethnic and Racial Studies, 40:11, 1831-1846.

Week 13 (22 May) Course wrap/revision/essay discussion

No required readings this week.

*5 June research essay due.

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. Encourage students to develop critical and creative approaches for understanding consumption both as a theoretical concept and as lived practice
LO2. Increase familiarity with some of the main ways that media and cultural theories have understood consumption
LO3. Develop critical writing and discussion skills for analysing academic and popular texts with respect to gender, media and consumption
LO4. Articulate the key ways that cultural theorists have understood consumption, particularly with regard to media and gender
LO5. Draw on cultural theories about consumption to analyse and critique various modes of consumption in media and popular culture
LO6. Relate these theories to those of transnationalism, identity and difference

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.

Some case studies and readings have been updated to take account of developments in the field.

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

Current students

WMST6903: Gender, Media and Consumer Societies

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Remote

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