CQUniversity Unit Profile
SOCL11060 Being Bad
Being Bad
All details in this unit profile for SOCL11060 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

This unit looks at the contributions that culture, social structures and interpersonal relationships make to the formation of normal and deviant identities and behaviours in contemporary society. In addition to undertaking an analysis of competing theoretical perspectives of deviance and identity, you will be given the opportunity to explore key debates and controversies related to identified forms of deviant behaviour. You will also be required to compare and contrast beliefs and attitudes toward the major forms of personal deviance with focus on current formal and informal responses and practices. Special attention will be given to behaviours that are thought to be wild, risky, unacceptable or dangerous including: drug and alcohol use, sexual deviance, offensive behaviours, such as offensive humour and swearing, and body modification practices. You will be provided opportunities to consider questions such as, ‘is ‘being bad’ a form of resistance to, or a symptom of, a culture that has commodified deviant identities and can ‘bad behaviour’ ever be good? The unit will draw on a range of theoretical perspectives in Sociology and Cultural Studies and also use examples from The Arts, Philosophy, and Religious Studies.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate
Unit Level: Level 1
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 10
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

There are no requisites for this unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 2 - 2022

Online
Rockhampton

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Written Assessment
Weighting: 40%
2. Written Assessment
Weighting: 25%
3. Written Assessment
Weighting: 35%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

Previous Student Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from Student 'Have your Say' survey

Feedback

Some students requested tutorials to be recorded.

Recommendation

Review tutorial format to investigate suitability for recording and posting to Moodle.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Explain the contributions that culture, social structures and interpersonal relationships make to the formation of normal and deviant identities in contemporary society.
  2. Apply sociological concepts and theories to key debates and controversies related to identified forms of deviant behaviour.
  3. Analyse competing theoretical perspectives of deviance and identity.
  4. Outline the positive and negative consequences of deviance.
  5. Compare and contrast beliefs and attitudes to contemporary views of behavioural social norms and deviance.
Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Written Assessment - 40%
2 - Written Assessment - 25%
3 - Written Assessment - 35%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
9 - Social Innovation
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes

Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Written Assessment - 40%
2 - Written Assessment - 25%
3 - Written Assessment - 35%
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

Prescribed

Short Introductions. Social Deviance.

Edition: Second (2019)
Authors: Henry, S with Howard, L
Polity Press
Cambridge Cambridge , United Kingdom
ISBN: 978-1-5095-2350-4
Binding: Paperback

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Hannah Thorne Unit Coordinator
h.thorne@cqu.edu.au
Cassy Dittman Unit Coordinator
c.dittman@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 11 Jul 2022

Module/Topic

The Sociology of Deviance: An introduction.

Chapter

Your reading for this week is to familiarise yourself with the unit Moodle site and to read:

Chapter one of the prescribed text: Henry, S., & Howard, L. M., 2019, Social Deviance, 2nd edn, Polity Press, Cambridge.  

Further readings that will support your understanding of this week's topic are available from the Moodle site.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 2 Begin Date: 18 Jul 2022

Module/Topic

Labelling theory, social control and critical theory.

Chapter

Readings will be posted on the Moodle site.

"On Being Sane in Insane Places" by D. L. Rosenhan.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 3 Begin Date: 25 Jul 2022

Module/Topic

Topic 1: Plagiarism.

Chapter

Readings will be posted on the Moodle site.

"Plagiarism: a misplaced emphasis" by B. Martin. 

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 4 Begin Date: 01 Aug 2022

Module/Topic

Topic 2: Disability.

Chapter

Readings will be posted on the Moodle site.

"Revolution" by V. Finkelstein. 

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 5 Begin Date: 08 Aug 2022

Module/Topic

Topic 3: Mental illness.

Chapter

Readings will be posted on the Moodle site.

"Division of Clinical Psychology Position Statement on the Classification of Behaviour and Experience in Relation to Functional Psychiatric Diagnoses: Time for a Paradigm Shift" by British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology (2013). 

Events and Submissions/Topic

Vacation Week Begin Date: 15 Aug 2022

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 6 Begin Date: 22 Aug 2022

Module/Topic

Creating the deviant: Stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination.

Chapter

Watch one of the recommended films from the Moodle site. 

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment 2 due.


Written Assessment - Powerpoint Presentation Due: Week 6 Monday (22 Aug 2022) 9:00 am AEST
Week 7 Begin Date: 29 Aug 2022

Module/Topic

Deviant cultures: Othering indigenous people.

Chapter

Watch one of the recommended films from the Moodle site.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 8 Begin Date: 05 Sep 2022

Module/Topic

Online trolling. Ethereal imagined communities.

Chapter

Read:

Chapter six by Henry, S., & Howard, L. M., (2019). Failed socialization and weak social control.

Further readings will be posted on the Moodle site.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment 1 due.


Written Assessment - Online Focus Questions (40%) Due: Week 8 Monday (5 Sept 2022) 9:00 am AEST
Week 9 Begin Date: 12 Sep 2022

Module/Topic

'On yer bike mate': Moral panics an excuse for more social control?

Chapter

Read:

Chapter nine by Henry, S., & Howard, L. M., (2019). Becoming normal: The politics of stigma.

Further readings will be posted on the Moodle site.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 10 Begin Date: 19 Sep 2022

Module/Topic

'The sound of the suburbs': From counterculture to mainstream.

Chapter

Read:

Primack, A. B., Dalton, M. A., Carroll, V. M., Agarwal, A. A., & Fine, J. M., (2008). Content analysis of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs in popular music.

Further readings will be posted on the Moodle site.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 11 Begin Date: 26 Sep 2022

Module/Topic

'A bit of blow': Substances - social use or social abuse?

Chapter

Read:

Richman, J., (1985). Sociological perspectives on illegal drug use: Definitional, reactional and etiologic insights.

Further readings will be posted on the Moodle site.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 12 Begin Date: 03 Oct 2022

Module/Topic

Unit review and preparation for Assessment 3.


Chapter

This week will be a review of the materials and readings covered in the course (Weeks 1-11) in preparation for the submission of the final assessment piece (Written Assessment 3).

Events and Submissions/Topic

Review/Exam Week Begin Date: 10 Oct 2022

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment 3 due.


Written Assessment - Deviance Reflective Project Due: Review/Exam Week Tuesday (11 Oct 2022) 9:00 am AEST
Exam Week Begin Date: 17 Oct 2022

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Term Specific Information

Unit Coordinator

Dr Hannah Thorne

h.thorne@cqu.edu.au

Located on the Adelaide Campus. 

Assessment Tasks

1 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Written Assessment - Online Focus Questions (40%)

Task Description

Online focus questions


The first assessment for this unit consists of two short answer questions that in total will amount to 40% (each question will be weighted 20%). A total of three questions will be set across teaching weeks 2,4 and 6 with one question set during each of those weeks. You will be asked to answer all three questions and then chose which two you wish to submit for the assessment. The questions will encourage you to apply key sociological concepts relating to deviance and this will provide you with important foundational knowledge in sociology but also engage you with key, contemporary debates occuring in society around deviant behaviours.

The Academic Learning Centre (ALC) has numerous resources on its Moodle website to assist you with your study and writing skills.


Assessment Due Date

Week 8 Monday (5 Sept 2022) 9:00 am AEST


Return Date to Students

Week 10 Monday (19 Sept 2022)

2 weeks after submission


Weighting
40%

Assessment Criteria

You will be assessed on: your ability to apply sociological concepts and theories to key debates and controversies related to identified forms of deviant. behaviour; your use of critical thinking skills in considering both the positive and negative dimensions to deviant behaviour and your ability to draw on contemporary debates around deviant behaviours. e and contrast beliefs and attitudes to contemporary views of behavioural social norms and deviance. The marking rubric and further information sheets will be available on the Moodle site.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Submission must be in Microsoft Word format only (.doc or .docx)

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Apply sociological concepts and theories to key debates and controversies related to identified forms of deviant behaviour.
  • Outline the positive and negative consequences of deviance.
  • Compare and contrast beliefs and attitudes to contemporary views of behavioural social norms and deviance.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Information Technology Competence
  • Cross Cultural Competence
  • Ethical practice

2 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Written Assessment - Powerpoint Presentation

Task Description

This task consists of the design of four PowerPoint slides with accompanying speaker notes. This assessment provides you with the opportunity to develop an argument for how a particular deviant behaviour (chosen from 3 topic areas covered in the unit) need to be understood in a cultural context, how it is expressed in an interpersonal context and how it can be critiqued through an understanding of the contemporary literature on the topic.

The Academic Learning Centre (ALC) has numerous resources on its Moodle website to assist you with your study and writing skills.



Assessment Due Date

Week 6 Monday (22 Aug 2022) 9:00 am AEST


Return Date to Students

Week 8 Monday (5 Sept 2022)

Two weeks after submission


Weighting
25%

Assessment Criteria

You will be assessed on: a) how you acknowledge the positive effects and contrast with negative effects of a label; b) applying the theory of deviance amplification; c) applying your understanding of how social norms shift in time in ways that impact social deviance.

The marking rubric and further information sheets will be available on the Moodle site.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Submissions must be made in Microsoft PowerPoint format only (.ppt or .pptx)

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Explain the contributions that culture, social structures and interpersonal relationships make to the formation of normal and deviant identities in contemporary society.
  • Outline the positive and negative consequences of deviance.
  • Compare and contrast beliefs and attitudes to contemporary views of behavioural social norms and deviance.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Information Technology Competence
  • Cross Cultural Competence
  • Ethical practice

3 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Written Assessment - Deviance Reflective Project

Task Description

This task is a piece of reflective writing. This assessment gives students the opportunity to show how they can apply their learning to one of two central topics – disability and mental illness. By this point in the unit, students should have got to the point where they have obtained a good appreciation of how the culture in which we live is abundant with media that present examples of mainstream deviance. This task provides the opportunity for students to apply learnings about deviance and show how they can engage in self-criticism of their prior assumptions, values, and beliefs to shift their mode of thinking from the mainstream to a critically informed sociological perspective on deviance.

This assignment is designed to enable the demonstration of learning against the first three of the unit’s Learning Outcomes: 1) Explain the contributions that culture, social structures and interpersonal relationships make to the formation of normal and deviant identities in contemporary society; 2) Apply sociological concepts and theories to key debates and controversies related to identified forms of deviant; 3) Analyse competing theoretical perspectives of deviance and identity.

You must use a minimum of 3 references that have been supplied either in the unit reading list or in the lecture and/or tutorial presentations.

Standard requirements: As this work requires a component of personal reflection, you are advised to use the first person in the writing of your personal reflection. The word count limit is 800 words (inclusive of in-text citations and exclusive of your reference section). Presenting good standards of spelling and grammar are essential requirements for this written assessment. Other presentation standards include at least 1.5 line spacing and 12 point font, preferably Arial.

Suggested breakdown of component:
200 words: Briefly make an argument as to why the topic is of interest to sociologists studying social deviance (what theory or concept does the topic inform in the area of deviance?).
600 words: Distinguish between a mainstream and a critically informed sociological perspectives on the topic. Engage in self-criticism to identify the assumptions, values, and beliefs you held in relation to the topic that have been challenged by the critically informed sociological perspective studied on this unit and detail how that has opened you to new modes of thinking about the topic.

Title, Reference list and Appendices (if relevant) are not included in the word count. Further guidelines for this assessment will be made available during the lectures and tutorials.

The Academic Learning Centre (ALC) has numerous resources on its Moodle website to assist you with your study and writing skills.


Assessment Due Date

Review/Exam Week Tuesday (11 Oct 2022) 9:00 am AEST


Return Date to Students

Assignment will be returned 2 weeks after submission


Weighting
35%

Assessment Criteria

You will be assessed on your ability to describe in full, the example of deviance that you have chosen and how you then explore the application of theory from a sociological perspective to that chosen form of deviance. You will also be assessed on your ability to personally reflect on how the unit content has influenced your thoughts on deviance and specifically to the topic you have chosen. What is being looked for is how you are able to reflect on the unit content and how you are able to reflect on how that content has impacted your understanding of your chosen topic. Full marking criteria is available on the unit Moodle site.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Submission must be in Microsoft Word format only (.doc or .docx)

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Explain the contributions that culture, social structures and interpersonal relationships make to the formation of normal and deviant identities in contemporary society.
  • Apply sociological concepts and theories to key debates and controversies related to identified forms of deviant behaviour.
  • Analyse competing theoretical perspectives of deviance and identity.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Information Technology Competence
  • Cross Cultural Competence
  • Ethical practice

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?