ANTH 2056 - Visual and Media Anthropology

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2015

This course is about visual representations of culture and cultural difference. It looks at a wide variety of visual media, including art, photography, film, video, and digital technologies, to explore the ways in which these shape both the perception, and the experience, of cultural difference. Throughout the course, an emphasis is placed on the inherent power of images: their ability to shape our own cultural experiences, to cast cultural others in particular ways, and to act as a mode of resisting other people?s stereotypes. A particular focus is placed on so-called ethnographic contact zones, those domains in which different cultural groups most frequently come into contact with each other. It is in these zones which include such diverse settings as colonial frontiers, international film festivals and tourist encounters that groups most frequently engage in constructing visual images both of themselves, and of cultural `.others?.

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Course Details

Course Code	ANTH 2056
Course	Visual and Media Anthropology
Coordinating Unit	Anthropology and Development Studies
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	At least 12 units of level 1 undergraduate study
Assessment	Tutorial participation 10%, Oral presentation (Group) 15%, Visual scrapbook 40%, Essay 35%

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Richard Vokes

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

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

1	Understand key concepts and theoretical approaches in Anthropology, and the contribution of major theorists in shaping the discipline.
2	Understand the wider inter-disciplinary context of research into human societies and behaviour.
3	Gain the ability to provide an ethnographic description and analyse it, relating research-based observations to central theoretical tenets and concerns in Anthropology within identified territories.
4	Understand and recognise central or key anthropological questions, problems and assumptions.
5	Apply anthropological knowledge and research methods to a variety of real world contexts.
6	Contribute productively to groups and in the development of group-based outcomes.
7	Demonstrate knowledge of the appropriate and available technologies for conducting effective and ethical ethnographic research.
8	Demonstrate the ability to draw on these technologies in ways that enhance the capacity to reach effective and meaningful research outcomes.
9	Commit to an anthropologically informed and academically rigorous approach to learning.
10	Recognise social and cultural issues, and their ethnical implications, in a global context in terms of the production and generation of Anthropological research and knowledge.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	1, 2
The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner.	3
An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems.	4, 5
Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication.	6
A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies.	7, 8
A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life.	9
An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities.	10

Learning Resources

Required Resources

All students who take part in this course must have access to a camera capable of taking still images (this could include phones). More detail will be provided upon enrolment.

Online Learning

MyUni will be used for course-related material including lecture recordings, announcements, discussion boards, glossaries, and links to external websites.

Learning & Teaching Modes

The mode of teaching for this course involves various theories being introduced during lectures, and these theories then being applied during tutorials to a set of real visual materials, as have been collected, or created, by the students themselves, through a research-like process.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

1 x 2-hour lecture (or equivalent) per week	24 hours per semester
1 x 1-hour tutorial (or equivalent) per week	12 hours per semester
4 hours reading per week	48 hours per semester
3 hours research per week	36 hours per semester
3 hours assignment preparation per week	36 hours per semester
TOTAL WORKLOAD	156 hours per semester

Learning Activities Summary

Schedule
Week 1	Introduction
Week 2	Colonial Photography
Week 3	Documentary and Ethnographic Film I: Ethnographic Spectacle and Beyond
Week 4	Documentary and Ethnographic Film II: From Observational to Participatory Genres
Week 5	Indigenous Art and The Ethnographic Museum
Week 6	Representing ‘the Other’: Who Speaks for Whom
Week 7	Representing ‘the Self’: An Introduction to Indigenous Media
Week 8	The Visual and the Other Senses
Week 9	Global Television
Week 10	World Cinemas: West Africa
Week 11	Cultures of War
Week 12	Indigeneity, the Internet, and the New Politics of Representation

Specific Course Requirements

All students who take part in this course must have access to a camera capable of taking still images (this could include phones). More detail will be provided upon enrolment.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Tutorial attendance and participation	Formative and Summative	10%	1-7
Group oral presentation	Formative and Summative	15%	1, 3, 5, 6
Visual scrapbook	Formative and Summative	40%	2, 4, 5, 7
1500 word essay	Formative and Summative	35%	3, 4, 7

Assessment Related Requirements

The visual scrapbook assignment must be successfully completed in order to pass the course (hurdle requirement).

Assessment Detail

Tutorial attendance and participation
Students engage in interaction and online research as part of class activities (in line with the
SGDE model), and cooperate in the finding and analysis of materials

Group oral presentation (group)
Students will as groups present on the findings of one of their small group exercises

Visual Scrapbook
The ‘scrapbook’ is a multimedia document that will be created within the MyUni evironment. Students begin making this at the beginning of the course, and continue to do so throughout the semester. Students will select one or other cultural group or milieu (the one they focus on is their choice alone), and to then produce a visual scrapbook which is a ‘visual ethnography’ of that group/milieu. The content of this ethnography will be made up of webclippings and other online material, as well as photographs and/or film that the students produce themselves. The scrapbook is assessed on an ongoing basis throughout the course.

1500 word essay
An essay which ‘reflects back’ on the content of the visual scrapbook, and examines the ethnographic and theoretical issues that it raises.

Submission

All assignments must be submitted electronically via MyUni.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator