SOCL19081 - The Body Sexuality and Society

Showing: 2026 HE Term 1
General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit introduces students to a branch of sociology that has seen rapid theoretical and empirical growth over the past 10 years. It examines some of the new methodologies and theories for understanding the gendered and sexual dimensions of the body in its different contexts- health and fitness, illness and disability, identity formation, ageing, sport, entertainment, politics and work. Specifically, it considers how bodies and sexualities have been socially constructed and reconstructed, critically discusses the social structures and processes which generate identities, and the relative strengths of some contemporary sociological frameworks for the analysis of the body and sexualities.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites SOCL11055 Introduction to Sociology And SOCL11056 Australian Society

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).

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Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026


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).

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 20%
2. Written Assessment 40%
3. Portfolio 40%

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

Past Exams

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Unit Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Describe and apply some contemporary frameworks for the analysis of the body and sexualities.
  2. Identify ideological themes in writings about the body and sexuality.
  3. Explain the contradictory elements surrounding the construction of identities based on gender and sexuality.
  4. Discuss the issues involved in 'the body as a project' from a sociological perspective.
  5. Critically examine and problematise the social processes involving the body in a variety of social/economic contexts.
  6. Understand how sexualities have been constructed and reconstructed.
  7. Apply some basic qualitative research methods to collect and interpret information in an area of special interest.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - Written Assessment • • •
2 - Written Assessment • • • • •
3 - Portfolio • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - Communication • • • • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • • • • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • • • • • • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence • • • • • • •
8 - Ethical practice • • • • • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10
1 - Written Assessment • • • • • • •
2 - Written Assessment • • • • • • •
3 - Portfolio • • • • • • •