Undergraduate - UnitATS2971 - Fields of Play: Entertainment, Politics and Popular Cultures

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2014 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Organisational Unit	National Centre For Australian Studies
Offered	Not offered in 2014
Coordinator(s)	Dr Tom Heenan & Dr Tony Moore

Synopsis

This unit critically evaluates the history, sociology and politics of popular and vernacular culture in Australia and its projection internationally, investigating sites that could include sport, literature, screen culture, music, humour, games, gambling and amusements as produced and/or consumed by Australians. It investigates tensions between local and global industries and interests, professionals and amateurs, and between producers and audiences, in the past and today. It will also examine how ethnic, indigenous, gender, class, cosmopolitan and other forms of identity have found expression and meaning through recreational and creative practices that shape contemporary Australian society and its politics. This unit includes a field trip component.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit students will:

have engaged with critical theoretical debates about cultural production and reception;
demonstrate an understanding of the political, social, cultural and economic dimensions of major entertainment industries and of the contribution of audiences to these industries;
have developed a closer understanding of the history and sociology of a particular cultural practice, such as sport, music or literature;
have researched and critically evaluated topical and historiographical debates regarding entertainment and popular culture in Australian identity and society;
have developed skills in constructing evidence-based arguments using a variety of primary and secondary sources (including audio/visual and media), and demonstrated their ability to reflect critically on what they have learnt;
have developed skills in written and oral presentation and communication.

Assessment

Assignment(2000 words): 40%
Class presentation(1000 words): 20%
Short report working in groups(500 words): 10%
Tutorial and field trip participation: 10%
Class test(1000 words): 20%

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Tom Heenan

Workload requirements

Three hours per week plus 1 field trip

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Australia in the world