AGS101 - Sex and Gender: Ideas That Changed the World
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online Trimester 3: Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 1: Rachel Fetherston Trimester 3: Rachel Fetherston |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 1 x 1-hour online lecture per week (recordings provided) 1 x 2-hour on-campus seminar per week |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 1 x 1-hour online lecture per week (recordings provided) 1 x 2-hour online seminar per week |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
Content
Approaching sex, sexuality and gender not as unchanging, universal facts, but as ideas that vary and develop, this unit will help you make sense of different ways of thinking about gender and sexual diversity by providing you with an essential introduction to key ideas, writers and thinkers in gender and sexuality studies. Students will develop skills to critically analyse diverse expressions of gender and sexuality in everyday culture and a range of textual forms, including writing, screen texts, advertising, and historical/archival materials. Topics in this unit include feminism in popular culture, changing understandings of masculinity and heterosexuality, LGBTIQ rights movements and activism, decolonising approaches, and contemporary controversies in sex, sexuality and gender.
This unit provides students with critical skills to better understand and analyse the diversity of gender and sexuality in a wide range of contexts, including in popular culture, personal relationships, the creative arts, humanities research, politics and a range of workplace contexts including education, healthcare, psychology, law, marketing, criminology and social policy.
For students studying the Gender and Sexuality Studies major, this is one of four compulsory core units (the others are AGS102, AGS200, and AGS300). This unit is also available as an elective for students who are not studying the GSS major.
Learning Outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Identify and critically reflect on representations and expressions of sex, gender and sexuality in everyday culture and a variety of textual forms including literary and screen texts forms | GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO2 | Recognise a range of key ideas and thinkers in gender and sexuality studies and use these resources in developing their own critical perspectives | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO3 | Develop and express written arguments about textual representations of sex, gender and sexuality | GLO5: Problem solving |
| ULO4 | Develop communication skills in relation to discussions of sex, gender and sexuality | GLO2: Communication |
| ULO5 | Develop self-management skills in relation to critical reflection and research regarding sex, gender and sexuality and participation in relevant discussions | GLO6: Self-management |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Quiz | 1400 words or equivalent | 35% | Week 5 |
| Assessment 2: Portfolio | 1400 words or equivalent | 35% | Week 9 |
| Assessment 3: Essay | 1200 words or equivalent | 30% | Week 12 |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
The texts and reading list for AGS101 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.