At the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1	Develop an understanding of the broad nature and theories of the anthropological analysis of popular culture
2	Deepen knowledge of and insight into key issues concerning the study of popular culture in anthropology
3	Obtain the ability to understand and apply key theoretical approaches to ethnographic representations of contemporary popular culture like music, shopping and art
4	Develop the ability to critically evaluate central themes, propositions and concepts in the anthropology of popular culture
5	Develop the skills to work collaboratively in teams as well as individually in a learning and research environment
6	Foster an interest in and commitment to continuous learning and social scientific research

All required resources for this course will be made available on MyUni. 

Weekly essential and supplementary readings will be provided electronically and will be accessible at the beginning of semester. 

Lecture materials (audio-recording and powerpoint slides) will be posted after each lecture. 

No text books or other materials are required. 

Recommended resources will be provided electronically via MyUni or in-class (e.g. essay writing guides, writing in first person in Anthropology guide). 

This course will make use of the online learning tool MyUni as a platform for learning in the course including; making announcements, providing an online discussion board, making all course material and assignments available (e.g. reading list, lecture recordings / powerpoints etc).

All assessment tasks will be submitted (e.g. written work, group presentation) or completed (e.g. quiz) electronically via MyUni. 

The learning and teaching mode for this course is based around weekly ‘themes’ where a specific topic is explored in both the readings and weekly lecture or other activity.

Insights from the lecture / readings are further developed in two hour weekly workshops where students discuss the content and complete tasks (e.g. go on a tour of street art / public art, watch short documentaries / clips, engage in debates, work through questions in small groups, reflect on their own experience and so on). As such, workshop participation forms an essential part of this course.

The learning mode in this course is influenced by active learning (learning through doing) with an emphasis on real-life scenarios and examples.

Contact Hours (Formal / Structured workload) = 3 Hours
Lectures: 1 hour per week
Workshop: 2 hours per week

Research, reading and preparation for workshop and assessment (Unstructured work load): 

Workshop preparation (reading): between 3-4 hours per week
Preparation for assignments and reading supplementary readings: 5-7 hours per week (average)

Rough Lecture Plan / Weekly Themes 
Note: This is a broad overview and the order of themes / topics covered may change. Check MyUni for the most up to date information.

Week One - Introducing Popular Culture
Week Two - Popular Consumption: from domination to resistance
Week Three - From Text to Contexts: ethnographical approaches to popular cultural forms and global consumption
Week Four -  Art on the Streets 
Week Five - Shopping and Household Decoration
Week Six - Subcultural expressions
Week Seven - Fashion and Style
Week Eight - Technology and Culture: emergent social forms
Week Nine - Disposing Culture: popular objects in transition
Week Ten - Fandom Group Project
Week Eleven - Essay preparation

None - not applicable. 

Small Group Discovery Experience is a core component in this course. A SGDE group project runs throughout the semester.

The assessment for this course has four components:

(1) Active participation
(2) Quiz
(3) Small Group Discovery Experience (Fandom Project)
(4) Final Research Essay

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Active Participation	Formative and Summative	Ongoing	10%	1-6
Quiz	Formative and Summative	TBA (Before mid semester break)	15%	1-6
Small Group Discovery Experience (Fandom Project)	Formative and Summative	TBA - End of semester	25%	1-6
Final Research Essay	Summative	TBA - End of semester	50%	1-6

Active Participation: students engage in interactive in class activities and sharing of materials and information.

Quiz: students complete a quiz that will cover key concepts learned in the early weeks of the course.

Small Group Discovery Experience: students will work in small groups of 4-5 students to research a fan community that they select. Both the process (i.e. reflection on group work – 5%) and final product (video, oral presentation or power-point presentation – 20%) will be assessed. 25% total weighting.


Final Research Essay: students will be required to write a research essay that addresses one of the course topics.

Due to the current COVID-19 situation modified arrangements have been made to assessments to facilitate remote learning and teaching. Assessment details provided here reflect recent updates.

• The participation grade and weighting will remain. Existing attendance and participation record in face-to-face workshops will be combined with participation in online activities.The participation grade is not an attendance grade - it is used to assess the quality of engagement with course material and contribution to learning in a group setting (e.g. demonstrated engagement with readings / lecture content, organisation, critical thinking / reflection, ability to listen to other people's points of view and to engage in shared discussions). This can still be assessed using online activities (e.g. through your submission of worksheets / completion of discussion posts and comments on other people's posts). Participation in Zoom sessions will be optional and will not form part of your participation grade.
• Quiz (15%) - no changes.
• Fandom Research Project (25%) (formerly a group project) has been redesigned to be an individual project (25%): Group Charter and Project Plan (5%) replaced with Individual Fandom Reflection (5%). Final Project (20%) replaced with Final Individual Project (20%). Due date changed to Friday 15th of May at 12pm (midnight).
• Final Research Essay (50%) - no changes.

There are no hurdle requirements for this course (e.g. you do not need to pass / submit each component to pass the course overall).

Active Participation - 10% of final mark

• You are required to attend all workshops in this course unless you have an access plan or provide an appropriate explanation (see below).

• Missing three workshops without legitimate explanation (i.e. medical certificate, clear communication with course tutor) or making up your participation with a summary will result in failure (zero grade) for this component.

• You should prepare for the workshop by thinking about the provided weekly workshop discussion prompts located in the Lecture and Workshop schedule below. You do not have to hand in your answers or write them up – but please do think through the questions as you do the readings. This preparation will count towards your participation grade.

• Participation means being actively involved in discussions and demonstrating knowledge of the readings. Keep in mind that asking questions about confusing concepts in readings or questioning the writer’s argument are excellent ways of getting involved. You should not solely rely on the course tutor to generate discussion. Marking criteria for workshop participation is provided on MyUni.

• Making up participation: If you are unable to attend a workshop and do not have a medical certificate etc. you can make up your participation for that week by submitting a 500 word summary of a weekly reading or a 500 word answer to a discussion prompt for that week.

These summaries must be emailed to the course co-ordinator in the relevant week (i.e. in the week that you missed). You will only be able to submit two make-up summaries for the semester unless you have special circumstances that are approved by the course co-ordinator in advance. Summaries will not be accepted at the end of semester (i.e. after teaching period).

Remember that the quality of this summary will count towards your participation (i.e. does the summary reflect engagement with the weekly themes and appropriate effort?).

Due Date: Workshop participation is ongoing.


Quiz– 15% of final mark

Online quiz conducted on MyUni. Questions will cover content from the lectures and essential readings from the early weeks of the course. Further information about the quiz will be provided closer to the due date.


Due Date: TBA



Small Group Discovery Experience (Fandom Project) – 25% of final mark

• Early in the semester you will be placed in a group of 4-6 people. If you have a preference for your group membership I will try to accommodate this.

• You will work with your group members throughout the semester to research a ‘fan’ community.

• You will be given time during workshops to meet with your group and to work on your project.

• You will also have one individual session with me to discuss your ideas and ask any questions. 

• All components of the group project will be assessed as a group (i.e. same mark to all members of the group).

• There are two key parts 1) Group Charter and Project Plan (5%) and 2) Final Group Project (20%).

• Further information about the group project is provided on My Uni. The project will also be discussed at length in workshops.


Due Dates: TBA




Final Research Essay - 50% of final mark

All students will submit a research essay at the end of the semester. Essay questions, instructions, and marking criteria will be provided on My Uni.

Word Length: 2200 words
Due Date: TBA

All written assignments must be submitted electronically via Turnitin using the MyUni website.

Extensions: 
There will be no extensions for any assessment tasks (e.g. quizzes, group presentations, written assignments) without adequate documentation. You must seek extensions before the due date. Communication with your course co-ordinator or tutor is critical!

Note: If you have an access plan the rules for extensions are different. You should discuss with your course co-ordinator or tutor at the beginning of semester.

All students are encouraged to read through the Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/3303 for further information about the extensions procedure.

In brief, you need to submit an Application for Assessment Extension form BEFORE the due date and with the relevant supporting documentation that applies to your situation.

In many cases this involves getting a suitable person (i.e. medical practitioner, counsellor) to fill out a section of the form. A medical certificate alone is insufficient. Please remember to bring a copy of the form if you have an appointment with a GP etc.

A copy of the form can be downloaded here and will also be available on My Uni:
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/3303/?dsn=policy.document;field=data;id=7446;m=view

Here are some of the important details:

• Modified Arrangements will not be granted for Circumstances such as, but not limited to, the following (see clause c):
i. balancing workloads from other units of study, disciplines or faculties;
ii. personal commitments or events such as international travel, holidays or weddings;
iii. temporary minor ailments such as colds, minor respiratory infections, headaches or minor gastric upsets;
iv. stress or anxiety normally associated with examinations, required assessment tasks or any aspect of course work;
v. misreading or misunderstanding of the examination timetable.

• Course co-ordinators can only give extensions of 10 business days. Longer time frames need to be approved by the Head of School.

Late Penalties:
2 marks will be deducted from late work if it is not received/completed by the advised time on the due date.

You will be penalised a further 2 marks for each additional day that the work is overdue.

Assessment tasks that are more than 7 days overdue will not be graded and will receive a zero mark.