WOMN2201 Sex, Bodies, Spaces: Gender and Pop Culture [UG]
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| Credit: 6 points Availability: not available in 2008 (See Timetable) Old unit code: 180.201 | |
| Outcomes: Students are able to (1) identify the continuing relevance of gender as a category of analysis in contemporary Western culture; (2) summarise and critically engage with a range of current theoretical positions interested in the representation and reproduction of gender as a critical social category; (3) apply theoretical concepts to examples of everyday practices and cultural texts; (4) analyse and evaluate the construction of gender, race and class in a range of cultural media; (5) explain and employ pivotal terms and concepts to do with embodiment, subjectivity, agency, normativity and institutional authority in readings of a range of media and events; (6) develop a sustainable research topic, undertake upper level research and competently apply research in a coherent, engaging and appropriate written form; (7) take a leadership role in engendering discussion and debate amongst peers through tutorial presentation, and innovatively apply theoretical material to practical activities and dialogue in those forums; (8) effectively participate and actively respond to the leadership of peers, constructively contributing to group dynamics and learning potential; and (9) articulate critical ideas in both oral and written form, and evaluate such work. | |
| Content: This unit explores the twin themes of bodies and sexualities in the 'spaces' of contemporary Western culture. Utilising a range of popular cultural forms, sites and events which are most accessible—television, cinema, magazines; households, shops and workplaces; and popular understandings of medicine, science and technology—the unit involves students in a series of critical engagements, made all the more compelling because of the apparent immediacy and familiarity of the subject matter. The unit addresses a number of questions—Why have the subjects of sexualities and the body become the focus of so much interest across a broad range of disciplines? How can we de-naturalise and problematise normative gender categories by setting gendered identities in cultural contexts? What important contributions have been made to the field by recent work on masculinities? How can the practices of everyday life be interrogated to yield insights about the relationships between the body, gendered identities and prevailing cultural 'norms'? This unit can be counted towards an English or Women's Studies major. | |
| Assessment: This comprises essays and participation in tutorials and workshops. | |
| Unit Co-ordinator(s): Dr Alison Bartlett | |
| Location: UWA (Crawley), HK-ARTS | |
| Mode: on-campus | |
Unit Rules: | |
| Prerequisites: 24 points of Level 1 units in any Arts discipline, also available to students in other faculties who have completed two Arts units | |
| Contact hours—lectures/workshops: 2 hrs per week; tutorials: 1 hr per week (over 10 weeks) | |
Unit Web Page: http://www.chloe.uwa.edu.au/undergraduate | |
| Note: Some unit web pages are still under construction and will be available in 2008. | |
Assistance with study skills, including English language skills, is available free of charge from Student Services for all enrolled students (see http://www.studysmarter.uwa.edu.au/). Student Services location: Second Floor, South Wing, Guild Village; telephone: 6488 2423. | |
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